Go, Go Godzilla

For our last day in Ecuador, we opted for a city tour with a taxi driver, Antonio. During our stay in Quito, we’ve admired the El Panecillo from our hotel. Today, Anotnio drove us up the hill. This might seem like an easy task, but it took us quite a long time to get there because of road closures for a bike race, not to mention the roads here do not go straight anywhere; some suddenly turn into one-way traffic with little notice. It actually took so long, we gave up and started the day at the Basílica del Voto Nacional. It is an enormous cathedral; the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas. It was also constructed on a hill, so it has a commanding presence for miles around. The idea for the structure was proposed by Father Matovelle in 1883. Although construction started in the late 1800’s, the building wasn’t consecrated until the late 1980’s, and it’s still not considered complete. Inside, the sun steamed through the stained glass, breathing life to the stories represented in the pictures on the glass. The ceilings arched upward, seemingly stretching to heaven. Along the west and east corridors of the church are small enclaves dedicated to the saint of each province in Ecuador. Each one is different, but they all have their provincial flag hanging by their saint’s display. In case you are wondering like I was, there are a couple dozen provinces in Ecuador, from four separate regions. On the exterior of the basilica, Ecuador’s endemic animals have been inserted into the side of the building. It was a bit strange to see a monkey hanging over the side of such a magnificent, religious structure.

We turned and twisted our way up to El Panecillo. The largest aluminum statue in the world was conceived by none other than Father Matovelle. That’s right, the same guy who dreamed up the basilica. I think this guy sat around dreaming of all the things that should be built by other people with other people’s money. Regardless, it is an amazing structure up close. There are about 7,000 pieces of aluminum that have been pieced together to create the statue of the Virgin, who is holding down a leashed dragon, standing on the globe. There is an observation deck between the foundation and the bottom of the earth. From here, you can see Quito’s historic district (hey, there’s our hotel), the business district, and southern Quito. The city is a mass of structures, flowing over countless hills. Speaking of hills, that’s why it’s called Panecillo, since that translates to little loaf of bread. The statue was assembled at the top of a hill that is shaped like a small loaf of bread.

North of El Panecillo is the TelefériQo cable car. The gondola transported us from about 8,000 feet up to an observation point at 13,000. We hopped in a car with an Ecuadorian family. The kids and dad enjoyed the ride, but mom appeared to be afraid of heights. She stared at the closest ground all the way to the top, while her husband tried to comfort her. When that didn’t work, he made small talk with us. He asked where we were from, so I showed off my 6th grade Spanish and said, “Estados Unidos.” He smiled and said, “You can just say US.” OK, thanks for the tip, that’s not what my Spanish teacher instructed. Anyway, it turns out the family was from Santo Domingo de Colorado. He laughed at the idea of a Colorado connection, but his wife was less delighted. Once we got to the top, the views of the city were expansive on the east side of the mountain, and the west side revealed more green hillside and several volcanoes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the peaks, as they were obscured by clouds, so we had to settle for the information board and our imaginations.

So, I’ve been waiting for months to stand on the equator, experiencing fall and spring all in the same moment. I do realize that it’s an imaginary line, but it’s the nerdy kind of thrill you get when you stand on the four corners back home. We visited the Intiñan Equator Museum, which includes some history about the indigenous people of Ecuador. Our tour guide, Daniella, was very excited to share her information with us. I would go so far as to describe her as “peppy.” I always prefer an excited tour guide, rather than one who is disinterested and just doing a job. We walked around the outdoor exhibits and learned about the tribes in the Amazon, as well as other indigenous peoples in the area. I particularly liked her description of one tribe, where they pick the wisest individual as their leader, regardless of gender or any other characteristics. What a world that would be, if every nation had the wisest person in charge. It was a poignant moment, when we reflected on the upcoming US election.

Included in the museum is a whole section on the equator. We decided to come to this site, which is smaller, less commercial, and actually at the equator, versus Mitad del Mundo, which was constructed about 200 meters from here, based on calculations that located the equator there in the 1700’s. Daniella let us know that satellites were used in 2000 that more precisely located the equator where we were standing. She demonstrated several “equator” tricks for which I have no explanation. Either the equator is magical, or they’re pulling off an amazing sleight of hand. For example, Daniella informed us that gravity is slightly different right at the equator. She had us hold out our straight arms, while standing about 10 feet into the northern hemisphere. She pushed on our arms, telling us to resist. I’m not super strong, but it required her to exert quite a bit of force to get my arms to move much. Then, we all stood on the equatorial line. We put our arms out again, and with a finger, she lowered everyone’s arms. Personally, I quickly lost my balance. Daniella explained that this is common because our bodies are used to a certain amount of gravitational force for which we adjust our balance. Since it’s different here, it’s easier to lose one’s balance. There was also the egg experiment. There was a podium/stand that had a nail hammered into a small shelf. The challenge was to balance the egg on the nail’s head. It was not a huge head, maybe the kind of nail used for framing. After a bit, I succeeded. Kim managed to balance it as well, after a few extra tries. The theory is that the yolk is just slightly tilted everywhere else, due to the angle of the earth. At the equator, the yolk should be equally balanced at the bottom of the shell, lending itself to perfect symmetry for balancing. Whether any of it is legitimate really didn’t matter, we had fun anyway.

On the way back to the city, we stopped at a handicraft market. I picked up an alpaca blanket, not certain how it was going to fit in my luggage. At the hotel, there was an exceptionally warm and unbelievably soft red blanket with four llamas woven in. On the first night of our trip, I told Kim it was my goal to find one during the trip. Well, it took until the last day and our last stop before I found a replica. I asked for red but decided on the blue, after she held it up for us. As we drove away, with the blanket folded in my arms, I reflected on the fortune of finding the blanket. I should have known we’d come across one. Everything I have wanted to see or do has worked out just fine on this trip.Read more