At the middle of the world

You know how people take pictures of their feet straddling borders of states or countries? Well, what tops that is standing on the equator!  

That’s just what we did when we arrived in Pinchicha Ecuador, in an area of land called (what else?), “La Mitad del Mundo” 

(aka The middle of the world.) Here our feet were positioned in both the North and South hemispheres.  Click,click, click, went the cameras. 

During our stay in Quito, we also ate “Cuy” pronounced (“Kew- E”), which is freshly prepared, on-the-spot fried guinea pig, an expensive 

delicacy in Quito enjoyed by many.  More pictures of delicious specimens and other foods (that you didn’t know would taste delicious) later.  

We tried it during Otavalo, but when we saw the guinea pigs on the grill we recognized them for being guinea pigs.  

That afternoon, we hiked up steep hills that overlooked fertile land.  The soil is part of one of the largest craters in the world, thanks to 

an explosion by the Pululua Volcano.    It is thought that the distinct cloudy fog contributes to the name of “Pululua” which means “Smoke of

Water” in Quicha.  The fog is responsible for feeding the land, which hardly receives any rain. 

This was a place for many of us to chillax, since touring in general can get a little exhausting.  Some of us undergrads hiked up the 

mountains for a spectacular birds-eye-view of the land. Hiking UP the mountains was relatively easy.  If you’re afraid of heights you just 

don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.  Descending, as you may notice, was a different story…for some of us.  Some get stuck.