Day 13: Visiting The Real Equator
For this day was one of out lasts in Ecuador we visited the real equator otherwise known as Mitad del Mundo. Did you know there's a fake equator? See when the French came to Ecuador spent all this time and money trying to calculate the equator. What they did not realize is that the natives located the exact location of the equator years before. What's that saying again? Oh yeah, close but no cigar?
Anyway the natives of Ecuador have preserved Mitad del Mundo and it has been for years a huge tourist spot. We spent a good hour and half here learning the difference between the real equator and the fake equator and playing all sorts of games. See because of the equator's location it has either no force on it ( on the actual line ) or either the northern centrifugal forces (one side of the line) or the southern centrifugal forces (other side) acting on an object. It is quiet a difficult concept to describe and understand!
Basically our guide had us play numerous different balance games to show how one or both forces on an object can affect its balance. These games included standing on the equator line and trying to balance an egg on two nails. Let me tell you, that is almost impossible! For me atleast...... The second game he had us play was to walk on the same line foot after foot with our eyes close and our arms out. It was almost impossible to walk in a straight line!!
Anyway the natives of Ecuador have preserved Mitad del Mundo and it has been for years a huge tourist spot. We spent a good hour and half here learning the difference between the real equator and the fake equator and playing all sorts of games. See because of the equator's location it has either no force on it ( on the actual line ) or either the northern centrifugal forces (one side of the line) or the southern centrifugal forces (other side) acting on an object. It is quiet a difficult concept to describe and understand!
Basically our guide had us play numerous different balance games to show how one or both forces on an object can affect its balance. These games included standing on the equator line and trying to balance an egg on two nails. Let me tell you, that is almost impossible! For me atleast...... The second game he had us play was to walk on the same line foot after foot with our eyes close and our arms out. It was almost impossible to walk in a straight line!!
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After leaving Mitad del Mundo we drove for hours until we were finally in mindo. Mindo is a cloud forest and one can assume from the name what that means. Rain. Lots of rain! And little sunshine. But no actually while we stayed at our hotel in Mindo - Sachatamia Lodge- the weather was pretty beautiful. I mean it did down pour a few times during the day but after a full day of travel, none of us really minded it.
Victoria & I absolutely loved our room here ! Our room was sort of in the middle of nowhere and we were surrounded by tons of wildlife life: hummingbirds & rabbits. After unpacking we all had a group dinner & then went upstairs for the final presentation of the trip Laurel's & Victoria-: Treadmill of Production! |