A Week on the Equator

So, I went to Ecuador for a week!  Quito is located high up in the mountains (although it's in a valley).  What does this mean?  It means that even though Quito is right on the equator, it's only about 60 to 70 degrees (F) all the time, and on your first day there, you shouldn't run or exert yourself too hard.

The city is huge and sprawling!  It was truly lovely, and it was just the getaway I needed.  And a big THANKS to Ally, who made this whole trip possible by hosting me for the week!

We went to the beach for a couple nights, and that was a fantastic experience.  As it turns out, the sun is SO strong on the equator that on a cloudy day, it can burn you right through the 30 spf you put on three times.  Go figure.  We also had an AWESOME hostel proprietress who hand-made us some chocolate from roasted cacao beans - WHOA!

We did a city tour, which turned into spending some lovely time up on a roof at an educational building (after wandering through the student art show, which was pretty great).

I also made some new friends, including the family that has basically adopted Allison for her stay down there.  But also Beth, who arrived mid-week to start an internship.  She saved my butt on Friday when Allison had to work - Beth and I went ziplining through the rainforest!

We went up the side of a mountain on a cable car (4000 meters up!), where we froze and got rained on, but they gave us free cake later!

And of course, everyone who goes to Quito must see the Mitad del Mundo...where I balanced an egg on the head of a nail!  This was my first trip to the southern hemisphere, and it was even the first time I've seen the Pacific ocean!

 

It was such a great trip!  I had a wonderful time and met some pretty awesome people.  And it's always fun to check out the culinary practices of foreign countries - Allison's "host" family cooked me a meal, and later in the week I cooked for them!