Tracey and I got to sit next to each other on the flight back to Quito and we were able to get to the Equator by taxi before closing time. The cab charge was $40 for both of us, which included the 30 min ride there and the 60 min ride back to our hostel with a 1 hour waiting time while we did our thing at the equator.
Well we got there, paid $3 each to get in and there was some sort of festival going on. Colours, music and dancing EVERYWHERE! As well as shops and restaurants in all directions. We made our way to the 0°0'0" part, only to see a sign saying "these aren't actually the correct coordinates for this location".
We asked around frantically, noting the time we had left before our cab overcharged us, asking people if they could tell us where the REAL equator 0°0'0" was! Problem being that no one spoke English. We eventually found that it was 200m down the road, with a sign saying "calculated with GPS". So it's gotta be legit. We payed a further $4 for a much more humble looking place and told the guide that we only had 25 mins to do the 40min tour. She was extremely helpful and friendly, allowing us to skip the boring parts and get straight to the experiments. The rumours are true- if you empty a sink of water in the Southern Hemisphere, the water runs clockwise down the drain and anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere. We tried this on either sides of the REAL equator line as well as on top of the line- the water just flows straight out, not spiralling in any direction.
We also tried to balance a raw chicken egg on a nail that was on the equator line. I didn't have the patience for it but Tracey got an "egg master" certificate for being able to do it!
We tried walking in a straight line on the equator line with our eyes shut and arms outstretched at a 90° angle to our bodies. Apparently it was supposed to be hard to do, given the gravitational pull from both hemispheres, but I don't think I'd be able to walk in a straight line with my eyes shut anyway.
We were also told that you become 1kg lighter when standing on the equator line because of gravity. I tried to stay on the line for the rest of the tour.
The last leg of the tour was meeting a lady who was spinning Sheeps wool into thread to use for her tapestry machine. Not sure what that has to do with the equator but she was real cute.
We got an equator stamp in the passport and were a few mins late back to the cab. He didn't charge us extra thank goodness.
Managed to get back to the hostel in time to go for a short walk to the ATM. Apparently it is dangerous to be walking anywhere at night. Most people stay indoors after 6:30pm. Crazy.
Dinner at the hostel was GREAT! Roast chicken stuffed with mozarella, marscapone and basil with a peppery mashed potato and steamed broccoli. As most meals on the cruise were while we were in transit to another island, I didn't have much of an appetite on board. So this meal was the biggest portion of food I'd eaten since New York! (We all remember my diet of starvation and ramen noodles in Florida.)
I ended up going to bed quite early, as my cab was arriving at 3:30am. Had to say a goodbye to Tracey. Wasn't so forlorn as the other farewells because we live so close to each other in Australia. We promised we would catch up for a hot chocolate when she gets back to Oz in winter. The prospect of catching up is so likely, so I wasn't sad to leave another new found friend. The whole goodbye part was only upsetting because it was a realisation of "oh! I'm going to be on my own again!" It was upsetting but at the same time, really exciting. Argentina here I come! It's been such a long time coming! I have dreamed about this place! I have read the lonely planet back to front but all of the information has completely gone from my mind with all this recent travelling of other countries. Nervous/excited.. Sleepy.
So at Quito airport, I managed to get a hold of Jana and Shane. The first thing Jana asked was "how was it?!" I could barely speak through the tears that came just thinking about the amazing week I just had. The best part was that Jana knew exactly what I meant because she has experienced the Galápagos first hand. There is no way to describe the constant awe I found myself in. The landscapes. The ocean, the vast ocean. The animals, both up close on land and swimming with them. The sunrises. The sunsets. The sun, the glorious sun. The views from the peak of mountains. The peacefulness I felt every single day. I miss it already!!! I miss everything! Give me the swaying of the boat to put me to sleep at night. Give me the baby sea lions. Give me the sweat and dread from a long hike. I can't wait to go on another hike! Listen to me! I like hiking?!? Haha madness!
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