Quito

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Either side of my time in the Galápagos Islands was spent in Ecuador's capital city, Quito. The city is situated high in the mountains of Equador, which I soon discovered took my body by surprise and I endured some mild altitude sickness as I adjusted to the rapid change in altitude from being at sea level. However, this couldn't hold me back from embarking on a day of wandering the streets of the vibrant Old Town district upon my initial arrival. Whilst Quito was covered by cloud with afternoon rain, this couldn't detract from the character of the Old Town, with street sellers everywhere, grand colonial buildings hugging the narrow cobblestone streets and the smell of local produce cooking at every turn.

I began my day in the Old Town with some breakfast in a little café because the advertised price of $1.50 looked enticing, as well as providing me with a view of life passing by in the street. When a sandwich and glass of juice arrived, I already felt that it was money well spent. Then, a cup of coffee arrived, which made me beam with gratitude. This was then followed by a plate of steaming rice, a chicken drumstick, legumes and salad! Quite the bargain breakfast, I'm sure you'll agree.

Quito is a city with an ancient past and was a market centre long before the Incas and the Spanish arrived and I visited the site of where this market was once operating. The absolute highlight of my first full day there, though, was stepping inside the church Iglesia de La Compañia de Jesus. I had earlier walked by the front of this church and taken a photo of its exterior, as I was taken with the architecture. Little did I know what awaited me an hour or so later when I was passing by again and decided to have a look at the interior. To give you a little understanding of the scale and attention to detail of this church, it took 160 years to complete its construction. What confronted my eyes when I entered was startling gold, everywhere. From the floor to the ceiling is covered in 23-carat gold leaf and it is dazzling. Such wealth and splendour is extremely difficult to comprehend, yet it undeniably existed in the days of the Spanish conquest of South America. I have since discovered that this church has been catalogued by UNESCO as among the hundred most important World Heritage Sites in the world. The remains of Equador's first saint are also housed in the altar of this church, so it is quite a significant place for this deeply religious country. As I was leaving, I noticed a large canvas painting on the wall which depicted Hell. Upon closer inspection, I was astonished by the twisted mind of the artist, as the demons were the most hideous of beings and the torture being inflicted upon the inhabitants was frightful. Considering this is the final thing you see before leaving such an ornate and marvellous church, it is a brutal reminder to those in attendance of why they must not commit sin. It was a truly horrifying painting and there is hardly anything on television these days which could be more gruesome and sickening.

I finished the day by trying some local fare, which consisted of a deliciously unhealthy empanada (greasy fried pastry folded over some light filling) and sampling some of the local firewater, which is made from sugarcane and has an alcohol percentage of 100%!!(MISSING)!! It is diluted with some fruit and is served warm and was extremely tasty - lucky thing I don't live here, as my liver has enough of a battle as it is with my penchant for a good time at a bar.

After returning from the Galápagos Islands I had a full day up my sleeve before flying out to Lima, so I decided to head to where Ecuador gets its name from. The Equator is only about 20km north of the city, so I thought I should at least make the effort to get there. It appears that there is some conjecture as to where the real equatorial line is actually located. I went to the original location that was figured out by a French fellow in 1736, which is marked by an impressive monument that is topped by a large globe. The views of the surrounding hillsides from the top of this monument were terrific and I was glad that we had a rare day of clear skies. Inside the monument there was a museum detailing each of the indigenous tribes that inhabit Equador, which was really informative and interesting.

The other 'real' equator is just next door and claims to be calculated via GPS to be truly zero degrees latitude. This site was far more interesting and interactive, even subjecting you to a number of strength and coordination tests to prove that it is the real thing (you weigh slightly less at the equator, as there is less gravity). They also demonstrated how water drains by spinning in opposite directions on each side of the equator, whilst it simply flows straight down the drain when it is over the equator. I have always thought this was dubious, yet my eyes saw it in action, so now I don't know what to believe. I know that weather systems like hurricanes/cyclones rotate in opposite directions, depending upon the hemisphere they are occurring in due to the Coriolos Force, but there are people out there who state that this would not take place in such a small body of water as a kitchen sink. Yet I saw it take place. Hmmm.

There are numerous sundials at the GPS equator as well, with the dial pointing straight up, as opposed to being on an angle, as you would see in Australia or America (on opposite angles though, obviously). One sundial even shows you the seasons in each hemisphere, which was quite impressive. Another demonstrated the significant celestial formations that you can see, depending upon your location on the earth. During an equinox, there is no shadow cast by the sundial for two minutes due to the sun being directly above the equator, which would be pretty cool to see (or not see, which would be more accurate I suppose).

Whilst I headed to the equator to get the typical tourist photo of me standing with a foot in each hemisphere, it turned out to be a fun and informative day (even if I'm unsure of whether I was actually at the 'real' equator or not - I had to be pretty close!) and I acquired a great deal of knowledge about the native people of Ecuador - as well as getting an equator stamp in my passport!

So, now I have to scamper to the airport so that I don't miss my flight to Peru, which is a destination I have longed to visit since my age was still measured in single figures. The Inca Trail awaits!

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