Today started off much earlier than every other day so far – I was actually required to get up and get breakfast at 8 am, which meant I had to wake up at 7:30am. Even though I laid down at 11pm, I didn’t fall asleep until after 1 am when Maddelyn arrived. Eventually I drifted off to sleep, but woke up at 5am freezing to death and had to put on a third layer on top.
Breakfast was neat because we all saw each other together for the first time – I had not gotten to meet a lot of the people who came in late Saturday night. The best part was the hot coffee to warm me up! A little before 9am we left for the day. Our first stop was a gas station (the first one I have seen since arriving) where we purchased any drinks we might need for the day. Then it was off to Volcan Pululahua. This active volcano sits near the edge of Quito with the highest point around 11,000 feet above sea level. The last eruption was in 1998 and it caused quite a bit of damage in the surrounding area. A local guide spoke to us and told us the history of the area, pointing out significant landmarks. We were able to overlook the caldera, with the rim all the way around. It was an amazing view and for once the skies were blue and the sun shining bright!
View of the Caldron at Volcan PululuhuaAfter some picture taking and perusing, we boarded the bus and headed to El Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the earth). There is a huge monument constructed that we could see when driving up, with a gigantic globe on top and the cardinal directions labeled on each side. David, our GAIAS guide, informed us that this monument was in fact 7 degrees South of the real equator. We didn’t visit that monument – instead we got a tour of the Solar Museum, which was pretty cool. We learned about different indigenous tribes that used to come to the equator, knowing it was special but not really sure why. We also got to see a model of a tomb of a different indigenous tribe – when the Chief died he was curled into the fetal position and placed in a ceramic vase. It was thought that since the human body entered life through a woman’s womb, it should also leave in that same position. Our guide then explained that if you were a relative of the Chief (wife, child, etc) or worked closely with him, you were drugged with a certain cactus drink that causes hallucinations and placed in a vase as well to suffocate to death. The moral: don’t be related to the Chief, and if you are, die before him!
Standing over the Equatorial Divide - my left foot is in the Southern hemisphere and right foot in the Northern hemisphere
Then we did lots of other silly things, like experiments to prove that it really was the center of the Earth (most are just fictitious but it’s all in good fun). I did enjoy getting my picture taken with my Michigan State flag being in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere though! A few people got to try shooting a cactus leaf target with a blow dark – Forrest missed by about a mile and shot the hut roof instead. There was also a real shrunken head that was pretty sweet to see, along with a 6 meter long Anaconda skin, dead tarantulas, and lots of dead snakes. Unfortunately they do not know what kind of snakes they are because they have been preserved in jars since the 1920s and were not labeled sufficiently. It was at this point that most of us realized we had forgotten sun screen – David scolded us when we got back on the bus… Luckily I had my umbrella and Lianne and I hid under that to protect ourselves.
The middle of the earth!
Lunch was held at a restaurant nearby, and was quite good. Then it was back to Quito for the city tour. First stop was the Winged Virgin, Virgen de El Panecillo. It is a huge monument that overlooks the city and is the only winged Virgin Mary in the world (?). We were able to climb up to a look-out that goes all the way around it and see breath-taking views of the entire city. It was amazing to see how far Quito actually spread out because when you are in one area you don’t realize just how big it is.
El Panecillo - the Winged Virgin
Lianne and I on the Winged Virgin with some of Quito in the background
After that, we headed into Old Town where we saw San Francisco Plaza – the largest market held by indigenous people before Quito was conquered. We also went into a church there – it was very dark inside, and most of it was made of wood. Then we walked to la Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus. It is one of Quito’s jewels as the inside is laden with gold (60 kilos) and gold looking paint. It was much grander than the previous church and had minute details everywhere, much from the Baroque period. Unfortunately there was no picture taking allowed in either church.
San Francisco Plaza in Old Town
Our last stop was the Cathedral in the main square of Old Town Quito. The main square is bordered by the Cathedral, the President’s house, city hall, and one other significant building… We hung out there for a bit, listened to public entertainers make fun of American’s, observed the culture, and jetted out of there as the dark thunder clouds rolled in. On the way back to the hotel we drove past the Basilica, but I will definitely be going back to visit that and climb to the top of the towers. (The Basilica is famous because it was built solely using donations – it has been under construction for 200 years and is still not finished. Some say because if the priest declares it finished it won’t receive any more donations, and some say because the donations are too small to finish it).
The President's House in the main square of Old Town
Back at the hotel, Shawna from Canada had finally showed up – She had spent the last day and a half in the hospital with a severe UTI. I guess she had one about 6 weeks back, and even with drugs it never really went away. Well, it got so bad her kidneys were infected and she had a fever of 104 and was shaking violently. Luckily she is doing much better now and is loaded up with antibiotics, and got tons of fluids while in the hospital. Before dinner, Mallory showed up at my hotel with a friend to say hello. That was exciting for me because I hadn’t been able to contact her in a few days. She brought a guy friend she met, Sebastian. He was cool, and we talked in Spanish for a while. Hopefully I will be able to hang out with her before leaving Quito.
After dinner I got a long hot shower because I was still freezing to death (Quito is quite like Michigan I have discovered: it is capable of having 4 seasons in one day!) I was thrilled when Maddelyn pulled out her hair dryer because that meant I didn’t have to sleep with cold, wet hair. Now it’s only 9:30 pm, but Shawna and Maddelyn have gone to sleep and I am going to go shortly. Others are hanging out, but my throat is still sore and we have an early day again tomorrow. I can hear a cat meowing outside right now, and I really wish Isabella were here to cuddle with me! The next two days are orientation, and since the internet is not working who knows when I will be able to post this. Goodnight from el Mitad del Mundo!
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