Quito
The equator passes through Ecuador. That’s how the country got its name. Quito is located about 15 mi (25 km) from latitude 00°00’00”. The equator near Quito is marked by the monument called Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World). We took a local bus to see the monument.
A bright orange line marks the equator based on the data obtained by a French geodesic expedition in 1736. Lots of tourists take their photos standing with one foot in the Northern hemisphere and the other foot in the Southern hemisphere. Of course, we did that too.
Years later, it was determined that the real equator lies 240 meters (787 ft) north of the line. The accuracy of the French data was not bad considering what technologies they had at that time.
At a small souvenir shop near the monument, we got stamps in our passports that said LATITUDE 00°00’00” and walked to the actual equator. There was not much there, just the sign and no tourists.
The road to the bus stop was not paved. The wind and passing trucks raised clouds of dust. I covered my nose and mouth with the hat trying not to breathe in the dust. The hat did not protect well enough. When we got to Casa Helbling the inhaled dust made me sick to my stomach. I was unable to eat dinner and stayed in the room reading a book that I picked up at the hotel’s library.
On the following day, the nausea was gone; we resumed our sightseeing and the search for a guide to Cotopaxi. My husband Sergey asked at the hotel if they could recommend someone. Sure, they had a business card of an Eduardo Agama. We immediately went to see him. The time was already pressing.
Mr. Eduardo Agama was a godsend. We liked him at first sight. Eduardo agreed to take Sergey to Cotopaxi for a reasonable amount of money and when it worked for us. Eduardo also provided everything necessary for the climb from crampons to gloves. Some of that gear that Sergey brought with him from home was not needed. Casually, as he had been inviting me to a dinner party, Eduardo inquired if Madame was going to climb Cotopaxi too. I climbed several 14-ers in Colorado but a 19-er was too much for me. So Madame declined the honor. It struck me that Eduardo never asked my husband if he was fit and healthy for that climb or had previous experience.
We paid Eduardo a deposit, everything was settled and we bowed out, literally. Ecuadorians are extremely polite. They always address strangers as ‘Mister’ or ‘Madame’. They start a conversation in an unhurried manner with a greeting and then go to business. A bow at the end is mandatory.
We spent a lot of time visiting artisan markets in the city and beyond it. The variety of goods at Ecuadorian markets was mindboggling, the craftsmanship was amazing. and the prices were cheap. It was hard to resist the temptation and we bought so much that our backpacks were bursting.
The good thing about Ecuador is that there is no need to change money. In 2000, Ecuador abandoned its own currency, the sucre, and switched to the US dollar. The country only issues the coins, centavos.