Day 12 Quito, Ecuador: May 9th
We started the day with a performance at a local school for the disabled, then it was on to the equator, a visit to a museum focusing on the indigenous people of Ecuador, and then a neat climb up an amazing church.
The advanced class of musical performers at the Sinamume School. They have 100 students ages 12 through 49, and provide a range of classes, including music and dance.
Finally made it to latitude of 0 all around. The temperatures were actually cool due to the high altitude of Quito.
One of the guides demonstrated the Coriolis effect.
Peter perfected balancing an egg on a nail on the real equator. He is now an official “Egg Master”.
Trying to walk on the equator with our eyes closed is really harder than it looks.
At the equator site there is a coca exhibit and we got to see what coca beans look like. The shell is large and hard, then they harvest the beans.
We toured the Mindalae Museum in Quito and saw a bowls made by the indigenous people of the Andes. They have handed down the techniques on how to make the traditional pottery. Each one is different, there are no patterns, and all are painted with the painter’s human hair.
We went to the Basilica of the National Vow is a Roman Catholic church located in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas.
There are concrete birds representing every part of Ecuador, that are decorative on the outside of the Basilica.
We climbed to the very top of this Basilica, no easy task, and this is the view from the top.
We followed our guide up at the first ladder of many ladders to the top. These are The climb was worth it, the view is spectacular!
Going down was a lot easier than going up!