Ciclopaseo

On friday we visited the Equator, or ¨El Mitad del Mundo¨. There was a very big monument which was pretty cool. It was built there to commemorate the finding of the Equator in the early 18th century by some really smart dudes. Unfortunately, there were off by about 100 meters (which is pretty incredible when you think about it). Alas, the monument is only a tourist attraction, and you must travel elsewhere to get the real deal... Here, they do a few expierements to prove it´s the Equator. Notably, water spins counter clockwise down a drain in one hemisphere, the opposite in the other, and not at all on the Equator. It was pretty cool, althought I think they may have had magnets somewhere considering the phenomenum existed even just five feet off the Equator.

In the evening we ventured down to ¨La Ronda¨, a closed off street with live music, dancing, good food, and adult beverages. Then we headed to a club and danced the night away.

Yesterday I spent time in Historic Quito, visisting the Bascillica again and enjoying the Old Town. It was great to walk around down there, it really is my favorite part of Quito I think. In the evening we met up for a night of salsa dancing at a local bar with live music. It was great to be the only gringos in the place, and we had a lot of fun.

Today we took part in the Ciclopaseo. Twice a month, Quito shuts down one of its busiest streets that runs from Old Town (south) to the Airport (North), about 25 km, to all cars, taxis, and buses. Thousands of people take to the street on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, and jogging; many of whom sport signs reading ¨un auto menos¨ (¨one less car¨). It was a lot of fun, except that the bikes we rented broke numerous times. Oh well, nothing like getting your bike fixed in some small tienda on a sketch street in Quito - ¡toda parte la experiencía!

Tomorrow we have an oral final, and on Tuesday we head to the hot springs in the mountains. Then it´s off to Peru!

As my time here ends, and my next post probably coming from Cuzco, I can say with definitey that Quito is one of my favorite cities in the entire world (and I feel I can say that with a little authority behind it). haha. I love how busy and laid back it is at the same time, I love the feel of the different barrios (suberbs), and the people are (generally) authentic. I will truly miss it.

¡Choa!
-CM