Quito Ecuador sits high in the Andes near the equator
QUITO, Ecuador -- Ecuador's capital city is the stopping point for tourists on their way to both the Amazon and to the Galapagos Islands.
It is directly on the equator.
And it will take your breath away. Literally.
At 9,200 feet above sea level, it is the second highest capital city in the world (after La Paz, Bolivia). It is on a vast plateau in the Andes.
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It's also romantic, especially if you are the flower-bestowing, colonial architecture-loving type.
In Quito, a dozen long-stem roses are $3 and a dozen short-stem roses are $1 -- because just outside of town is the massive rose-growing industry.
One of the most beautiful churches in the New World, Iglesia de La Compania de Jesus, is in old town Quito. The entryway and interior are completely covered in gold and gold leaf; the effect is like walking into a Fabergé egg. The Jesuits began building the Baroque-Moorish-style church in the 1600s, but it took centuries of riches and renovations for it to look this fabulous.
Nearby on Plaza Grande, look up to El Panecillo hill to see a lovely statue of what looks like a winged angel. It is the 1976 Virgin of Quito -- not an angel, but a representation of the Virgin Mary as depicted in the Book of Revelation.
Nature's tricks
For me, the coolest things in Quito were its two parks devoted to the equator. About 35 minutes north of downtown, the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) memorial commemorates the achievement of French scientists in the early 1700s. They used measurements to pinpoint the equator and prove that the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but slightly flattened at the poles. The site contains a grand pyramid-shaped monument and beautiful grounds.
A few hundred yards away, the Intinan Solar Museum claims to be the exact GPS measurement-confirmed equator, and it's really the most fun. Visitors get to participate in science experiments showing how to balance an egg on its end at the tip of a nail on the equator line. Similarly, you can do the sink test. If the little sink is exactly on the equator, the water goes straight down. If it is moved north of the equator, the water swirls counter-clockwise, just like water in your toilet at home. If the sink is moved south of the equator, the water swirls clockwise. The difference? The rotation of the earth and its magnetic pull, the guide says.
I saw the demonstration with my own eyes. I believed it.
However, the Coriolis force that causes cyclones to spin in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres does not affect such tiny bodies of water, scientists insist, so the sink test is a trick. (One online discussion of the phenomenon prompted one anxious person to write: "I am very worried. My upstairs bathroom clearly sits in a different hemisphere than my downstairs cloakroom, as the (water) spins in different directions to each other!")
Ah, well. I still liked the demonstration. Check out the video and judge for yourself:
• Northern hemisphere
• Directly on the Equator
• Southern Hemisphere
Quito is in the high Andes -- and is also surrounded by them. If you fly east to the Amazon from Quito, you will fly past the Cayambe and Cotopaxi volcanoes. On a clear day, you can see their snow-covered peaks. They are a brilliant contrast to the lush Amazon you will descend to on the other side of the mountains.
Contact Ellen Creager: 313-222-6498 or ecreager@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ellencreager
More Details: If you go
Getting there: Fly to Quito from Detroit through Houston, Atlanta or Miami on Delta or United.
Lodging: If price is no object, try the new Hotel Casa Gangotena ( www.casagangotena.com, $375 and up) or the Hotel Plaza Grande ( www.plazagrandequito.com, $450 and up); otherwise try the Mercure Grand Alameda ( www.mercure.com, $59 and up) or the Hilton Colon ( www.hilton.com, $79-up). Some Amazon tours include Quito hotels and guides.
The equator: About 35 minutes north of the city center. Mitad del Mundo commemorates the 1700s Geodesic Mission and the equator; the Intinan Solar Museum is on the actual equator line.
Other Quito highlights: Most tourists visit just two days before heading to the Amazon or the Galapagos, but it is enough time to get a taste of the city. I also like the Basilica of the National Vow with its sunburst side altar. For quick shopping, try handicraft shopping at La Mariscal Craft Market behind the Hilton for leather goods, carvings and clothing.
Altitude sickness: Give yourself time to adjust to the 9,200-foot altitude. Drink lots of water. Take it easy. Some say ginger candy helps with dizziness and nausea.
For more: www.quito.com; it has great downloadable brochures. For Quito and Equator tours, contact Kleintours, www.kleintours.com, 888-810-6909.
More Details: A dollar saved
QUITO, Ecuador -- Americans never liked them. So where did all those unpopular Sacajawea dollar coins go? Ecuador.
A flop since it debuted in the U.S. in 2000, the coin is well-loved in Ecuador, which officially uses U.S. currency.
In 2002, the U.S. Federal Reserve exported millions of the scorned Sacajawea dollars to this small nation. Now, people use them as easily as quarters. They're faded and well-used, whether you are deep in the Amazon or at a souvenir stand in the Galapagos.
So even if the American-Indian explorer isn't treasured in the U.S. by coin users, she does have big fans in this tiny South American country.
