High in the Andes Mountains – at an elevation of 9,350 feet – sits the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Named after the Quitu tribe, the word “Quito” means center of the world. Being on the equator, in the center of the globe, there are always 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness, year-round. Due to the curvature of the earth, of course, land nearer the poles have 24 hours of total darkness and light at different times of the year.
It is possible to be affected by the altitude, with many people unable to catch their breath. We had two or three times – especially after climbing the steep streets – where it took a bit longer to breathe easily, but overall, it wasn’t a problem.
Much of the city appears rather poverty-stricken, and we were warned by hotel personnel, and once by a police officer in Old Town, to be aware of our surroundings and to keep everything valuable out of sight. We normally do this, anyway. What we found in the Old Town (or, more accurately, the Centro Historico) to be particularly interesting were people selling anything and everything you could want for $1.
By the way, the cost really is one US dollar. Because of rampant inflation of their own money, Ecuador adopted the US dollar as its local currency, and no longer produces its own money, with the exception of some coins. We never really thought about it before, but US coins don’t have numbers on them. A penny or nickel may have “one cent” or “five cents,” respectively, on the reverse side, depending on the year of production, but a dime just indicates it is “one dime” and a quarter just has “quarter dollar” on the back. Needless to say, Spanish-speaking Ecuadorians found that confusing, as we probably would if we came across it as adults.
In any case, $1 is the going price for a carton of blueberries, a bag of four avocados, packages of gorgeous strawberries, lemons, limes…you name it. The city is famous for its flowers, and roses and sunflowers can also be found for sale all along your route for $1. Old Town has museums, churches, plazas, stores, churches, cobblestone streets, tons of people…oh, and did we mention churches? You will see photos below of several churches, particularly a Jesuit Church, La Compania. It is one of the most over-the-top decorated edifices we have ever visited. Gold was everywhere, and the church was pristine and well-taken care of. This is because the population’s taxes, and a $5 entrance fee, help pay for its upkeep, as it is a World Heritage Site.
Another interesting place we visited was the Middle of the World City, an outdoor museum devoted to the Equator and all of its quirks. For example, illustrating the Coriolis Effect, a demonstration was done with a pan of water with a plug in the drain. Directly on the line of the Equator, the water drained straight down into the drain. When the pan was moved three feet over, to the north, that same water drained counterclockwise. When moved three feet to the other side, in the Southern Hemisphere, the water drained clockwise. Amazing.
Our guide said that Quito advertises itself as The Center of the World, not just because, as mentioned above, it is the meaning of the name, but because many years ago before GPS and other satellites, when people were trying to find the exact location of the equator, they did the measurements in Quito. Since those measurements could be done anywhere along the equator, why go to Quito? He explained that much of the area the equator passes through is ocean, and much of the other area is relatively flat land. They chose Quito because it is almost 90 degrees longitude west of Greenwich, England (0 degrees longitude) and located in a high valley surrounded by peaks that they could use as points of reference when taking sight measurements. So he said the real reason it is known as The Center of the World is – Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, and Marketing.
All in all, a visit to Quito is recommended for a few days. Many people visit here as the jumping-off point for a trip to the Galápagos Islands, which is the reason for our visit. Most days were cloudy and/or rainy. Even though Quito is smack-dab in the middle of the equator, due to the altitude, it wasn’t particularly warm, even in the middle of summer. Most days it was in the high 50s/low 60s. Ecuadorian food is similar to other Latin countries, with rice and potatoes accompanying each entree. The most popular for the locals to discuss is Cuy, or guinea pigs. They are a common meal for locals, but cost around $25 in a restaurant, whereas roasted chicken is a mere $10 or so. One guide said he dislikes it, as it is tough, bony, and greasy. The closest taste to cuy, all of our guides agreed, is rabbit. Needless to say, we did not try any.
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