This may seem confusing, but there are two equators in Ecuador.
The first is where the official equator monument stands, surrounded by tourist-trap shops and restaurants. Inside the monument, which costs $3 in addition to the $2 admission to the park, is a basic and slightly garish museum of the peoples and regions of Ecuador.
Less than 100 meters away is the other equator, the one that is measured by GPS, according to propietors of that rustic, but far more fascinating museum.
No one seems to dispute that the slightly homemade equatorial museum is the real equator, and the $3 that cost is money well spent. There, in English, a guide demonstrated how the centrifugal forces come together at the equator, and provided the good news that I weight less there, approximately a kilo (2.2 pounds).
Demonstration 1 - Water Swirls
You know how the water makes a little tornado when you drain the bathtub. Well that does not happen on the equator. Further proving they have the real equator, the guide took a very basic sink, poured water in it and it went straight down - no tornado. Then he carried the sink two feet away, to the north of the equator, and it swirled clockwise. Two feet south and it swirled counterclockwise. Simple, but quite amazing to see it so clearly.
Demonstration 2 - Egg Balancing
It´s easier to balance an egg on the head of a nail due to the forces coming together on the equator. I tried it and was pleased to get it in about two seconds, way faster than anyone else in my group. (Okay. I am a little competitive.) I now have an official certificate complete with signatures and stamps that says I balanced an egg on the head of a nail at the equator.
Demonstration 3 - Vice Grip
The guide had me step to the south of the equator, put my thumb and forefinger together and try to resist him pulling them apart. Then he had me interlace my fingers together and put my arms over my head and try to resist while he pulled my arms down. Despite my Bugs Bunny-size muscles, it took him a bit to pry my fingers apart and yank my arms down. Then we stepped on to the equator and did the same. I could not resistence. He pulled my fingers apart and my arms down almost instantly. It was quite amazing.
Why are there two equators? I´ve heard two stories. One is that there wasn´t a suitable place to build a monument on the real equator. The guide at the interesting little musem on the real equator said the indigenous people knew this was the equator long ago because of the pattern of the sun, but when the Europeans came, they decided it was in the other location.
Either way, Ecuador has two equators. One for photos and one for real. If you look closely at the following photo taken from the GPS equator, you can see a round grey globe just above the trees. This is the top of the equatorial monument.
I´m impresed at the ingenuity of those who not only saw a commercial opportunity, but who also created a much more interesting experience for those of us who do not often get to experience life in the middle of the world.
