Across the equator in Ecuador

Ecuador is a country where ancient volcanoes loom in the background like silent gods, giving way to the eponymous feature that gave the region its name. The equator is not just a line on a map. It’s a metaphor, a balancing act between two hemispheres, two worlds. North and South. Old and new. Tourist trap and real life.

The equator is situated a bit north of the capital Quito. They built a monument here, Mitad del Mundo. A hulking geometric monolith planted on the equator like a cosmic stake. There is a yellow line painted on the ground so you can conveniently straddle both hemispheres. There is even a small village surrounding the premises.

Straddle business at Mitad del Mundo.

Unfortunately, it would turn out that the painted yellow line is actually off by a few hundred meters, a fact easily proved in the modern age of the GPS. This fact became a bit embarrassing after the authorities had already built the large monument and constructed the artificial village, so it seems a great effort was made to obscure the real equator.

The geographically correct equator.

I take a short but dusty walk along the road before finally locating the real equator, painted in red, hidden away behind a large wall a little bit north of the official monument.

But don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.