Apparently, the world revolves around me :)

Yesturday, Federico brought me to El Mitad del Mundo--the center of the world. The equator runs through a part of Quito; a small historical site has been built over the area in order to provide tours teaching the history and importance of Ecuador. I'll save you the in-depth history (mostly because I will probably reiterate it incorrectly, get the real scoop here), however, I do want to share some of the awesome experiments we conducted.

First, a group of about 12 of us learned about the indigenous tribes who previously inhabited Ecuador; this includes, putting on a headdress and shooting a needle through a six foot blow gun and learning how to create a shrinking head. Also, for "primitive" people, they sure were intelligent; their huts' walls were constructed from a type of natural cement (mud, water, animal excriments), between bamboo poles--this kept the inside significantly cooler than the actual temperature and also allowed the hut to be able to bend and twist in the event of an earthquake. The rooftops were made of straw/grass--they cooked inside the hut and instead of using a chimney they allowed the smoke to rise to the grass which caused it to become water resistant--genius!

OK, enough learning here, time for experiments! When we finally got down to the equator line our guide showed us a water basin sitting exactly on the equator; when she pulled the plug out of the bottom, the water poured straight down. Then she moved the water basin a few feet to the South...the water then drained clockwise, and 5 feet over to the North...counterclockwise!!!! The energy of the earth is a strange and powerful thing. I tried to walk along the Equator line, eyes closed, arms out, one foot in front of the other--I couldn't do it! I could strongly feel the pull of each hemisphere on me and I nearly fell over. It's very moving to feel so connected to nature (ok, so there's a little hippy in me, deal with it:) ).

We did a few other experiments, but this next one tied for the blue ribbon. An older gentleman from Australia, about 250 lbs and 6 foot 5, sat on a stool on the equator line, then, four girls (myself included) folded our hands into the shape of a gun (interlacing all fingers with the pointers facing out). Two women put their fingers under his arms and another woman and I put ours under his knees and we LIFTED him...8 fingers...that's like 31.25 pounds per finger! Hot damn!

Later that night Federico brought Paul, another guy in my hostel, and myself to his friend's bar "Este Cafe". We sat there and got our drink on, being that for the next three days the country is dry due to Saturday's vote on a new constitution. Afterwards, we went to a bar/club called Bungalow 6, right around the corner from our Hostel (apparently I'm in the party place to be), where I met a Danish girl who studied abroad in Boston (small world!). She brought me back to meet all of her friends and we hung out and drank Caipirinhias...similar to a Mojito but made with, Cachaca, a Brazilian rum which is crazy strong (always seems like a good idea at the time).

Today was pretty low key. I got up early (with a splitting headache, thank you Mr. Bartender), and attempted to go for a run---hahah BAD IDEA. I apparently am not yet acclimated to the altitude; my lungs are still on fire. I then went wondering around Old Town. Checked out a bunch of GORGEOUS churches, including the Basilica. They are all extremely detailed; extensive stained glass windows, wood carvings, gold statues, tiled floors and ceilings. I walked to the top of the tower to see the view of Quito (that's right kids, I walked up a LOT of stairs, don't expect it to happen again). After I was done with viewing Jesus on the cross in numerous different areas of town, I decided to sit in one of the plazas and listen to some live music. I was there maybe 5 minutes and had a 15 year old boy hitting on me and an old man asking if I had a novio. Needless to say, I left, churro in hand (mmm sugary fried dough), and went back to the hostel. Good day!

FOOD CORNER

Last night, I drank a liquor called Pisco. It originates from Venezuela and is made from grapes. It's usually mixed either with coke or sour mix--tastes a lot lot Ouzo. guh

Taste- 1.5

Aftertaste-1.5 (due to headache)

AWKWARD MOMENT

I sat in a little plaza listening to some live music after touring way too many churches. A younger guy, probably around 17, was trying to see the artist's CDs. After telling him multiple times, no, gracias, he decided to sit down next to me and work his magic. Now, he wasn't being too aggressive or anything, however, my conversational Spanish isn't at the level it should be. I lied about having a boyfriend at the hostel and he finally left me alone. Maybe two minutes later an older gentleman sitting near me (mid 50's, at least) attempted his own techniques. Again, he was very polite, just forceful and, well....awkward.