The Middle Of The World – The Equator

While in Quito I had the pleasure of visiting Mitad del Mundo/Middle of the World. It’s a mini-city constructed along the equator near Quito. By the way, Ecuador = Equator in Spanish.

Getting there was relatively easy. I caught a bus from where I was staying to a bus station, and then I caught another one to Mitad del Mundo. Total cost for both buses: $0.40.

Once I got there I realized it would be much busier than usual. I was there on Monday, February 20th. In Ecuador Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are national holidays for Carnival. So for the people who didn’t leave cold Quito for the beach, many of them headed to Mitad del Mundo to enjoy the festivities. There were live music and dance performances, for example.

There are also museums on-site covering topics from the world’s insects to a planetarium. It’s a great place for kids.

It only cost $2 to enter Mitad del Mundo. There are lots of restaurants, artisan shops, and places to have a snack.

I saw roasted guinea pigs at the Colombia-Ecuador border when I went to Las Lajas, but still. Here’s another picture. Yum.

The main attraction, as you might expect, is the equator. Below are some pictures of the equator.

Mitad del Mundo itself is a nice place to bring kids given its museums, activities, and opportunities to learn. But for the same reason, it’s a great place for adults as well!

While I was there, as I mentioned, it was carnival. Apparently traditions vary from place to place in Ecuador. I have heard that where it’s warmer people dump water on each other. But in cold Quito people spray each other with foam. Below are some examples I witnessed at Mitad del Mundo.

Luckily, I was spared from being sprayed. I also saw people in the back of cars or pickup trucks with spray cans ready to spray unsuspecting passengers in cars with foam.

It was a fun and interesting day. If only Quito were warmer, though!