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We got to Quito in time for dinner. We had decided to stay somewhere a little nicer for our last two nights, so we made a reservation at what was termed a "midrange hotel" in the book and had a very nice description. It sucked. So much so that for the first time this trip, I looked at Dair and stated that I wouldn't stay there. We started plodding along with our packs and bags, which after a day at the market had grown immensely, looking for a place to sleep. As luck would have it, we found the most fabulous deal. A beautiful hotel with all the trimmings for the same price as the place I'd insisted on leaving.
We went out that night looking for a fun place for dinner and drinks. We walked up to a nice looking tapas bar and asked to look at a menu. "Please just come in" the host said, "it's all you can eat tapas and all you can drink wine and beer tonight for $16.99 per person." Done!! We ate and drank ourselves silly then walked back to the hotel with Dair trying his damnedest to keep me upright, and me putting forward my best effort not to let that happen. He got me all the way to the front door before I lay down on the sidewalk proclaiming that I liked it there, and we were going to hang out and look at the non-existent stars for a bit.
Being gluttons for punishment, the next morning we hopped on another bus and headed out to the Mitad del Mundo- Middle of the World. We'd come this far and weren't going to leave with out stepping on the Equator. The first stop was the Ciudad de Mitad del Mundo- the zone where they had done all the initial experiments to prove that the Earth was not in fact round, but bulged in the middle. We saw the famous monument and played a round or two of "this hemisphere ain't big enough for the both of us". Then we headed down the street to the Museo Solar Inti Nan, who also claimed to be home to the "true Equator". This museum was a ton of fun. They did the water demonstrations- clockwise, counter-clockwise and straight down. They did the resistance tests to show us that we were less strong when standing directly on "The Equator". Dair balanced an egg on end , and I tried to walk a straight line. We learned that we were supposedly over two pounds lighter right at 0'0". I made Dair pick me up to test the theory. "Of course," he said "you feel at least five pounds lighter here". It was hoaky, but it was good fun, too.
Back to Quito for one last great meal and early to bed. We got to the airport, once again being careful to leave our guns behind, and made our flights to Florida no problem. I think we were both a little sad to leave South America, but happily there was still one last stop before heading back to reality!
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