La Mitad del Mundo

So, as you already know, the equator runs through the country of Ecuador, just north of Quito.  Rebecca T, from New Zealand, had just a day and a half to spend with us before she joined a tour group on Sunday afternoon, so on Saturday, we played tourist and went to La mitad del mundo, The center of the earth.

Here's what we saw:

SHRUNKEN HEADS!!!  

The one on the left is actually a sloth.  The one on the right is a real human head.  They've assured us that these tribes no longer shrink human heads; they keep the custom alive by shrinking animal heads.  The wall behind this display illustrates the process of shrinking a human head.  As you are by now used to, however, these pictures are not divided by space or time but rather by who "pulled the trigger."  Thus, you will see Jill's pictures first and mine further down the line.

Entering the model of a house in which one particular tribe in the jungle of Ecuador would live

They're not too tall!

Inside:

Four families would live together in this house.

Storage

Sleeping

On the equator!

Weaving

Another house - this one constructed sometime in the late 1800s, I believe

The same house from the outside

Ají - chili peppers

Cuy: It's what's for lunch!

Hand-woven tapestries

They're always happy to make a sale!

Cacao: This is what it looked like before it became a Hershey bar.

Looking back at the museum

Very near the equator is the headquarters of UNASUR: the South American United Nations

And now we get to my pictures.

Here is how you shrink a head.  Do NOT try this at home!  

And it makes the perfect necklace!  

Collection of totem poles from various parts of the world

For three minutes two times a year (equinox), there is no shadow at all.  

Grave

Sundial

The water "trick" that they do

Can you figure it out?

Trying to balance an egg on the equator

I think it's supposed to be easier for some reason.  Probably a physics major could help me out here.

He did it!

Trying to walk in a straight line (with your eyes closed) is quite difficult at 0˚ latitude. 

Opposing forces and all that...

Jill does the egg thing.

More line walkers

Still at it

Tapestry in progress

Getting the yarn ready to be used

Another look back

Photo fail

We were trying to get Jill's fingers to go around the ball at the top of another equator monument.  However, due to bright sunlight and my lack of familiarity with the camera on my "new" phone, it obviously did NOT work.

There it is without the fingers.

And zoomed in

Come on down to the middle of the world!  I'll take you to the equator.  :-)