Quito, the capital of Ecuador has an elevation of 2,850 meters above sea level, making it the highest capital city in the world. This and the fact that the city was home for numerous indigenous cultures even before the Inca Empire made me want to stop there.
We stayed for 2 days in Quito just before we went to the Galápagos Islands for a week. It was a nice stop and super easy city to explore.
The following activities were all done in one day with the help of a taxi driver. In Quito there a lot of taxi drivers that are also certified tour guides. They drive you around, speak English and explain you all you want to know about the main spots while explaining the culture and history.
[highlight]STOP 1: Pululahua Volcano[/highlight]
Pululahua volcano is inactive and has a large crater full of fertile soil. It is one of only 2 inhabited volcanic calderas in the world and the only one cultivated by the inhabitants. It was declared a Geobotanical Reserve in 1966.
[highlight]STOP 2: Ciudad Mitad del Mundo[/highlight]
One of the things I most wanted to do while in Quito was to visit the location of the Equator line.
The Equator line is about 40,075km and it’s an imaginary line equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole dividing the Earth into Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemispheres. The latitude in equator is 0°.
In the Equator sunrise and sunset times are almost constant throughout the year and there is little distinction between seasons with basically two seasons the ‘wet season’ and the ‘dry season’. The average temperature is around 30°C during the day and 23°C at night.
The location of the equatorial line in Ecuador was decided in 1736 by the French Geodesic Mission that carried out measurements to prove the coordinates. This expedition did prove that the world was oblate and not elongated at the poles, but unfortunately the measurements of where the line was marked were proven to be wrong by 240 meters north using modern GPS systems.
Still, the Ecuadorean Government built in 1935 a monument to honour this expedition that was then replaced in 1972 by the monument called Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City) even knowing that it was not the place of the exact coordinates, misleading a lot of people that visit every day.
[highlight]STOP 3: Intiñan Solar Museum[/highlight]
Just a few minutes driving from Ciudad Mitad del Mundo monument it’s a local attraction called Intiñan Solar Museum. This museum claims to be the real location of the Equator line and shows through experiments why they believe so. There is an entrance fee of $4.
As soon as we entered, there was a big sign with the coordinates and the mention that they were measured with GPS to prove the 0° latitude in that location.
I was very amused by what I have seen in there, things that according to them can only happen in latitude 0° like the water flowing both counter-clockwise and clockwise down a drain representing the Coriolis effect. Another activity that I had lots of fun was the ‘egg master’ which consisted in balancing an egg on top of a nail and surprise, surprise, that was incredible easy to do!
But it seems like the GPS tests have mixed results and accurate readings are very hard to obtain. Aside from the Equator line it was a great place to learn more about Ecuador’s indigenous cultures.
One of the most impressive for me was to hear about the Jivaroan tribes and the shrunken heads.
These tribes were famous for their head-hunting raids and then shrinking the heads by cutting the skull vertically and removing the skull and jaw bone. After that they would boil them with hot rocks and reduce it in size with this method, sewing the lips afterwards.
[highlight]STOP 4: Old Quito[/highlight]
We walked around the ancient Plaza Grande and I was impressed by the stunning colonial architecture and heritage. I had a lovely time shopping for some traditional pieces of art from Ecuador.
[highlight]STOP 5: Teleferico[/highlight]
I watched the sunset in Quito from 4100 meters and it was beautiful! The gondola takes you up in about 10 minutes for $8.50. Up there it’s possible to eat in one the restaurants and do some shopping. A tip for a next trip: getting to explore Pichincha Volcano which is possible to do once you get up there!
[highlight]STOP 6: Dinner at the Steakhouse[/highlight]
It’s possible to have a meat feast for a very low price in one of the traditional Steakhouses in Quito. They are everywhere across the city with lots of variety! I can tell you I struggled to finish our dinner that day!
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Have you ever been to Quito or have plans to? Tell me your experiences; I would love to know more about your plans and travels!
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