We spent a few days in Baños, yes plural for bathroom, but really the city is called Baños de Agua Santa (Baths of Holy Water), named for its plethora of hot springs. It has also been blessed with an abundance of waterfalls and has the curse/fortune of a nearby volcano (curse for obvious reasons, fortune because that is the source of the hot water and because when it is erupting normally it is not a danger and it amazing to look at). We did not get to see the volcano as it was cloudy the whole time we were there.
We have arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador for those who did not pay attention in geography or for those who are US citizens. It is a beautiful capital at a relatively high altitude (which means great weather, high of bout 70 year round). The colonial architecture abounds and the modern skyscrapers sprawl. Capital cities in the mountains are especially impressive as you can get great views and really see the magnitude of the city.
We spent part of today in the Northern Hemisphere with the rest of you. It was only a short amount of time where we visited a monument that is located on the equator. BUT, the best part of the monument is the classic story of a great error that is not widely acknowledged today. The French used their fancy instruments (fancy in terms of the 1700s) and marked where they thought was the exact spot of the equator. A monument was eventually built, museums go up, more and more people start to visit and the tourist trap cycle starts. However, along comes GPS technology and shows that the mounment is about half a kilometer away from the equator. The beautiful part of the story is this- about 12 years ago, a local group discovered ruins from indigenous groups from Ecuador that mark the equator as well, built a couple thousand years ago, and this site is on the exact location of the equator, according to GPS. We also learned the history of beliefs of the indigenous groups regarding the equator, which pose quite a juxtaposition to the monument. The monument has etched in it, something to the effect of "This is the line that divides the two hemispheres." In indigenous language, the word for equator, a word which was used to named the city of Quito and the country of Ecuador, means balance and justice and the equator was believed to be the site that brought the two parts of the world together. The man who explained this to us and gave us a fantastic history lesson was really kind and lent us his $350 GPS device to wander down the street with until we found the exact (within 3 meters) location of the equator.
More myths about the equator- water does not spin in different directions in different hemispheres (only large systems are effected by this, not your toilet or sink) and you do not weigh significantly less on the equator (about .3% less, meaning if you drink a bottle of water you effect your weight a lot more than travelling from a pole to the equator).
This afternoon we wandered a bit around Old Town Quito and came across a church reminiscant of a larger Duke Chapel that does not have to worry about liability insurance. We were able to climb in and around the towers on the church, ring the bells, admire the architecture and get great views of the city below us.
Tomorrow we will continue our exploration of this big capital city.
From here we head north and will be crossing into Colombia. Since it is no secret that Colombia has not always been considered a safe place (prior to George W. Bush´s stupid war it ranked number 1 for kidnappings and is up there in the rankings for unexploded landmines), we thought we would explain our thought process along the way about how to deal with the geographic necessity of going through Colombia if we are to not ride any more airplanes along the way. When we departed, we were very unsure of whether we would go into Colombia or Bolivia because of the political situations in both countries. We decided that we would consistently ask for local knowledge along the way and would ask other backpackers in order to make the best decision. All we ever heard about Bolivia was about the marvelous people, the beautiful landscapes, the literally breathtaking altitude and the potential for very uncomfortable busses. No one really discouraged us from going there, although they did warm that as US people we might be given a little harder a time, something we never really experienced aside from jokes (we are never afraid to tell people we are Swiss or Canadian, or maybe even Swedish if we feel adventurous). We have done similar, albeit more extensive research regarding Colombia and have heard very similar things. We have met both travellers as well as Colombians who have told us that travel in Colombia is equally safe at this time as in Peru or Ecuador or Bolivia as long as you remain along the Panamerican (Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena and places in between). We are also told that travel outside those areas is generally safe, but just requires a bit more research to make sure (we dont plan to go outside of this area as most of what we want to experience is there). The landmines, the war, the kidnappings, from what we hear are very much limited to the jungle area of eastern Colombia (where we will not go). The kidnappings are strategic and are of wealthy businessmen, army officers and other folks who could benefit the kidnappers politically or economically (from what we have heard from everyone, this does not include smelly backpackers with torn clothes and with unkempt hair and one with a particularly bushy beard). So we are headed in to continue our journey, expecting to see beautiful people and beautiful country, taking our usual precautions (and maybe a few extras along the way). Lots of people travel in Colombia every day and have no problems at all. We could have gone without mentioning this, but we don´t think Colombia´s reputation is a secret and thus figured we would share our thought process and planning with everyone.
OK here are a few pictures.
Waterfalls in a wonderful lush valley around Baños-
White mans monument to the Equator that is .5km away-
We found the real Equator down the street, zoom in on the GPS and you will it read all zeros.
Quito from the belfry in the Basilica del Voto Nacional-
Tracy with one of the gothic towers jutting up behind her (this place was an ametuer photographers dream, there are 30 more where these came from)-
OK, here is a little game- Who can find Adam (really he is in this photo somewhere, maybe someone with good photo software can shop it and post it somewhere if you find him)
6 comments:
Wow, the Northern Hemisphere....you'll be home before we know it. How many miles (or kilometers) do you estimate you have gone? Thanks for the update. Stay safe!
That is a great question. We have been keeping a log of our bus trips in hours. We will post it on here sometime. Maybe once we post it someone with way too much free time will be interested enough to try to figure out how many miles it might have been. We would estimate thousands, but have no earthly idea.
Joe-thanks for continuing to flip our pictures!!!
I FOUND YOU!! ... i am so jealous. keep havin fun and seein cool stuff :)
love yall!
Hint, I am not in any of the windows and am actually not inside.
Reuters just posted this three and a half hours ago (around noon, eastern time, 2/4/09), and I thought you might be interested.
<<
WASHINGTON (Feb. 2) - Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, conservationists said Monday.
With amphibians under threat around the globe, the discovery was an encouraging sign and reason to protect the area where they were found, said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert at the environmental group Conservation International, which made the find.
The nine frog species and one salamander species were found in the mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien region near Colombia's border with Panama. The new species discovered in Colombia include three poison frogs, three glass frogs, one harlequin frog, two kinds of rain frogs and one salamander.
'NOAH'S ARK' IN COLOMBIA
The expedition that turned up the new amphibians also recorded the presence of large mammals like Baird's tapir, which is considered endangered in Colombia, four species of monkeys and a population of white-lipped peccary, a pig-like creature.
"Without a doubt this region is a true Noah's Ark," said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, the conservation group's scientific director in Colombia.
The area where the new species were found has traditionally served as a place where plants and animals move between North and South America. While the terrain is relatively undisturbed now, its landscape faces threats from selective logging, cattle ranching, hunting, mining and habitat fragmentation.
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WOW the Equator. If history had been this interesting I would have done better.
Thank you so much for the card, I was very surprised to see the hand spinning, and yes, let's do that when you get back, Tracy! We canshave Adam's beard and spin it into yarn!!
Love you both
me
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