© 2020 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Passport junkie.
That’s me. A person who wants to fill their passport with as many stamps from as many countries that they can.
This summer, I had done quite a bit of traveling with my family, however, even though we had visited cities to which I had never been, it was to countries that I had already marked off my map.
Scouring airline routes for a new country to visit, I decided that my husband and I could make it down to Quito, Ecuador, somewhere neither of us had ever traveled to, without a lot of fanfare or time off of his schedule.
Arriving late at night, the sky was dark and foggy and their wasn’t much to see at the airport or on our taxi ride to our hotel in the downtown area. So, it suffices to say that I was up early and eager to see what Quito had to offer.
One of the most popular attractions in Quito is the Equator. Yes…that imaginary line that runs through the center of our globe and what Quito is named for. If there was nothing else that we would see, this had to be it!
So you ask…if it’s imaginary, how would we find it?
Uber, of course!
Journeying via Uber for a few miles from the downtown area, our destination was Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City), the location of where the monument to the equator has been built. Though is is touted that this is the exact location of the equator, as was determined by the eighteenth century Franco-Spanish Geodesic Mission, the World Geodetic System, used in modern GPS systems, actually shows that the equator actually lies about 240 meters north of the marked line.
Oops!
No matter, we would visit this Disney-esque like park and then head to the real Equator location at the Intinan Solar Museum afterward.
Passing through the entrance, we headed through the well-manicured grounds to the pyramidal monument which dominates the park’s skyline. Each side faces a cardinal direction and the monument is topped with a globe. Naturally, the first thing we (as all other tourists) did was to straddle the yellow “equator” line in front of the monument. For a moment, my husband was in the northern hemisphere and I was in the south…yet only a few inches away from each other!
How cool is that?
We ventured into the monument to visit the small museum that offers insight into the Ecuadorian culture as well as information about the equator and the history of Mitad del Mundo. Working our way through each level, we finally, found ourselves at the top which offers a viewing platform and amazing perspectives of the property and the city and mountains beyond.
Making our way throughout the property, we found it to be quite vast and offering many attractions, including shopping and restaurants along a small colonial square, a llama farm, beer and cocoa museums, a planetarium and replications of ancestral housing. There are three cultural museums, the Ecuadorian Pavilion which offers a look at pre-Columbian art to inform of the history of Ecuador, the France Pavilion, a two-storied space which offers insight into the main contributions provided by the First and Second French Geodetic Mission and the Guayasamin Pavilion where you can appreciate the works of Ecuadorian painter and sculptor Oswaldo Guayasamin, who fought for the rights of the indigenous people. The Cultural Square hosts cultural events on most weekends and there is a small train station which provides transportation throughout the park with commentary emphasizing the history of the park.
My favorite thing (besides dining on delicious empanadas) was our visit to the chapel modeled after the many churches that dominate the center of Quito. Ascending the bell tower, we had a beautiful view of the monument and the square below, I immediately focused in on this sign.
Oh, yes! I’ve always wanted to ring a church bell!
Descending back into and out of the church, we made our way, next door, to the Virgin’s Museum which highlights the most important Virgins celebrated and worshiped around the world. Just down the street, there was a small grotto, which gives patrons a chance to give thanks and praise to the most important Virgin, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Although, it would have been easy to spend the greater part of a day here at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, our itinerary was packed with many of Quito’s attractions and it was time to move on.
Petting the llamas would have to wait until next time!
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Mitad Del Mundo
- http://www.mitaddelmundo.com/en-us/
- Address: Manuel Cordova Galarza Km. 13, 5 SN, Quito, Ecuador
- Hours: 0900-1800, daily
- Admission: Adults, $5.00, Children (ages 5-12), $2.50, Seniors and Disabled, $2.50, Children under 5, free
- Getting There: Uber, from the Hilton, about $13.00 US. Quito Tour Bus, $30.00 per Adult, $20.00, reduced fare, departing from the Boulevard of the United Nations. The Mitad del Mundo bus ($.40 per person, adult, $.20 reduced) which runs along the Occidental Avenue (North-South). Buses run approximately every 5 minutes. Taxi rates vary from various parts of the city and arrangements can be made from most hotels for driver to wait for return or transport to other locations throughout the city.