Not only have I been to the edge of the earth but I have been to the centre of the earth...the equator. The equator in Ecuador (hence the country's name)....pretty cool if i say so myself.
There are acually two equator destinations. The original and the correct one. What do I mean by original? Well, there are two destinations because originally this is where the equator was thought to be, and is marked by a large monument. However, with new technology - GPS - it was discovered that it was 800 meters -I could be wrong with the number - off from where the equator actually was. The monument of the original still stands and is still an attraction, but the new one with the museum is the one you want to go to.
The museum is pretty cool and focuses on a tribe in the jungle - unfotunately I can't remember the name of the tribe. We got to see a real human shrunken head which was cool. Back in the day when they defeated their enemies they cut of their heads shrunk them - only a half our process - and then wore it around their neck. They still shrink heads today but now they do it with family members in rememberence. We also saw a grave which had been set up to mimic what was burried when the husband of a family died. One thing being a large clay vase like thing where the body of his wife was put...alive! If the man died first, his wife would be drugged and burried with him....pretty morbid. However, if she died first, he would re-marry...I love the equal rights.
Petrified tarantulas were incased in the museum as well as a penis fish which are this long narrow fish that swim up the penis and then open up there jaw and live off the blood and have to be surgically removed. When going in the river the men put their penis up in a belt to avoid this painful situation. It does happen to women as well though Im not sure what they do to avoid it.
The guide showed us experiments on the equator line which were really interesing, one being with a sink. On the equator water drains straight down, when the sink is moved to the Southern Hemisphere and then the Nothern Hemisphere the water will go either clockwise or counter clockwise depending on which hemisphere its in. Walking along the equator is difficult as the pul from each hemisphere pulls you. You can stand an egg straight up, though its a bt of a challenge and Ben was the only one that ended up being able to do it and he got a certificate.
There is a stone clock that sits right on the equaator line that has two faces, one facing the Northern Hemisphere and one facing the Southern. The face that is used to tell the (exact) time depends on the time of year. The length of day and night never change and there are no seasons either...it always stays the same in the center of the earth.
We learned about monsoons and hurricanes...they are the same, however their names tell you what hemisphere they come from. Water and wind move in a different direction depending on their hemisphere - just like we were shown with the sink - therefore when we hear monsoon we know its in the Southern Hemisphere. It was really interestng learning all the stuff and not just about the country I'm in but about the planet...I felt a bit smarter when we left haha. Plus we got our passorts stamped!
When we got back Ben camee with me so I could buy a tablet and get back into electronic commnication. It took us two hours but we finally found a brand new table, plus an SD card and a cord so I could recharge my camera - as my cords were stolen wen I got robbed - or $210. I was so excited!!! I couldnt wait to be conected again a nd be able to write whenever I wanted.
We had a family dinner that night with a botttle of voldka as it was our last night together and then we headed to a bar. We had a blast and ran into someother fellow travelers we have met along the way. When the plce closed we just hung around out the front ...drunk...asnd chatted.
This was where our night to a turn for the worst. I put my hand in my purse and realized my camera was gone....robbed again!!! I freaked, I had just had it. I had given it to one of my friends to take a picture, he gave it back, I pu it in my purse - which is a small over the shoulder one, as small as a clutch, and was closed - and never saw it again. I was so upset I started crrying. The second time in four weeks...seriously!!! Plus...al my pictures from everthing we had just done includng the equator, and all the good group photos were on my camera. Once again my photos gone - which is why nothing has been posted as I have nothing to post. Honestly...I am so sick of being a target. Its like I have a stamp on me I AM A GRINGA PLEASE ROB ME. I am so sick of it. I hate not feeling safe...its getting annoying...but I guess that is all part of the adventure right? After Lesina calmed me down, we decided to head back to the hostel to get Ben as he had taken off and then go to a house party we got invited to. However Ben wasnt in his bed when we got back. It was 3am where could he be. I checked the bathroom. "Ben?" I heard moaning coming from one of the stalls. I called him again and again I heard moaning. I started banging on the door "Ben, hun open the door please. Come on, open up." I heard the lock and the haandle turn and Ben fell out. He had been sick everywhere and was competely out of it. I knew by the looks of him he wsnt drunk, he had been drugged, and it was pretty bad.
After 3 hours of being in the bathroom with blankets, water and fresh clothing we finally got him into bed. It took him a few days to recover...he even skipped going to Colombia with Lesina and Matt and moved hostels with me as I am once again volunteerng. He didnt want be alone and I didnt want to leave him be alone.
I worked and he rested for a couple of days getting his strength and even came with me and another of our mates from the trail so I could by camera. This one has wifi connection and will download automatically to my tablet ten drop box...I am not losing anymore photos. The work and hostel are chill which is nice and I really like the people I work with. Plus I am of course practicing my Spanish...I even have a little pocket dictionary which helps so much. I take it everywhere, even when Ben and I went to the Mercado de Otovalo...the biggest open air market in South America.
The bus ride there was so uncomfortable though. Whe we got on the bus they had sold our seats so we sat upfront behind the driver on a rock solid bench. The view was good though, especiaally when we got to this huge trafic jam on the highway and all these people were selling stuff on the road. They were selling everything from phone chargers, 20 manderines for $1, bottled water and even porn. I took us over 3 hours to get to the market..longr than expected...which meant by the time we arrived I had to hop on another bus and head back to the hostel and work.
Life has been pretty chill whch is nice though I have lost my tan. was offered a teaching position in Quito but the hours dont work with my hours at the hoste. With money being really slim right now I cant afford to not have free accmodation, plus the pay is less than Peru but everything is more expensive so I unfortunately had to decline. So now, I am just chilling and waiting to see where the wind takes me.
- My Beautiful Life -
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