La Mitad del Mundo!

View of the mountains.

Feeding the horses.

Saturday morning Meg and I got up early and went with Lois to see her horse, Majestic, and the property that she is interested in buying. It was just under an hour outside Quito, but it was so beautiful! There was mountain after mountain, and such green country. We took a drive up to see the view and then went down to get Majestic. We were greeted by several horses and fed them some corn that we had picked up on the way. One horse was very intent on getting corn from me and wrapped his head around me to get it from my hand - I was in a head lock! We took turns walking and riding, but Majestic was a little fiesty since he hadn't been ridden in a little while, so I didn't ride for too long. It was hard work walking though...








Meg and I in different hemispheres.

Then Lois dropped Meg and I off at the Mitad del Mundo - the middle of the world! We went to both monuments. We went to the newer and accurate one first. We had a little tour with some older Americans who were in Quito for some international flute convention... It was an intersting tour, which included history about indigenous people and how they lived as well as some random facts about boa constrictors, an interesting fish, and shrunken heads. Then we went to see the equator line - calculated by GPS. Our guide showed us some different demonstrations about how gravity is effected at the equator - we watched water go straight down a drain as opposed to spinning as it goes down. We also got to try to balance an egg on a nail - I did it! And I even got a certificate! 

According to our guide, I am an "Egg Master."



At the original monument.

Then we went to the original monument - which in my opinion is much better, although its not on the actual line of the equator. I was in two places at once! One foot in the northern and one foot in the southern hemisphere. Meg and I wandered around for the afternoon going into little shops - as I unsuccessfully looked for the odd souvineers people collect. I have yet to find a golf ball or a snow globe - I asked one of the shop owners and described a snow globe to her and she said I wouldn't find one becuase there's no snow here...I might have to move here.