Today was a day for tourism. We got to go to the real equator! There are actually two monuments for the equator in Quito. One was calculated in the 1800's and was later found to be inaccurate. The equator we went to was really the Middle of the World as calculated with a GPS. If you've ever wondered about whether it's true that the Southern Hemisphere's water drains the other way, we have the answer. They actually showed us at the equator. The Northern Hemisphere spins counterclockwise and the Southern Hemisphere spins clockwise. It was interesting to note that on the equator itself, the water flowed directly straight down. With just an adjustment of about 10 feet, we were able to see the water spin in opposite directions. We also were introduced to shrunken heads. So this is just what it sounds like. An indigenous group in Ecuador would shrink the heads of people that they would kill. They would remove the skull so that there was just the skin of the head and then boil different plants. The steam of the boiling plants actually shrinks the skin. So the person would usually wear the head of the person around their neck. A little creepy...
We were also able to go shopping again today, this time in Quito. It was a nice market with just about everything that you would want to buy. Many people in our group made some last minute purchases. It's always a game to bargain the seller down to a fair price. They actually expect you to bargain with them. Usually they will start the price at a really high price. I guess if they get it sometimes, why not? We're winding down our trip here in Ecuador. It has been a great experience and I think that we all learned a lot about the culture and had a blast serving the people in Ecuador.
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