Mitad Del Mundo - Middle of the World
Our first trip outside of Quito, at our guide’s suggestion, was to “Mitad Del Mundo” or “Middle of the World”. That’s right - we took a trip to the Equator.
Mitad Del Mundo is an area about 30 minutes north of where we were staying in Quito. There is a monument (that is actually slightly south of the equator), a kitschy museum, shops, etc. It’s pretty clear this place is set up for tourists. But we enjoyed our trip well enough and it was a good way to dip our toes into the rest of Ecuador.
The Drive
Driving north through Quito was an experience in itself. Our guide, René, originally picked us up at the airport. We liked him, so hired him again to show us around Mitad del Mundo. There are other ways to get there of course (bus, taxi, driving, etc.) but I can say for sure I’m glad we didn’t decide to drive ourselves. René was obviously very familiar with driving around Quito, which wouid have terrified me to try. It was interesting to see the city change as we left the “New City” and the tourist areas. I wish I had taken more pictures, but it was certainly a reminder that we are in a developing country that still has a lot of poverty.
Pululahua Crater
Our first stop was actually just north of the Equator, at the rim of Pululahua Crater, a dormant volcano and ecological preserve. The view from the rim down to the farms inside the caldera was beautiful. We hiked a short distance down the trail into the Caldera and Ada would’ve liked to continue further if we had the time. It was nice to feel like we were in nature after our time in very-urban Quito. But we had an agenda so we turned around and went back to the car - not without passing through a row of gift shops, however.
The view down to the crater. We were lucky for the great weather.
We only went down for a few minutes, but the trail goes all the way to the caldera floor.
Museo de Sitan Intiñan
Our next stop was the Museo de Sitan Intiñan, a small, kitschy museum that sits on the actual equator (more on that later). This was my favorite stop of the day. We took an english-language tour of the museum, which included some displays and dioramas about the people, animals, history, and geology of Ecuador. Part of the tour included a walk along the equator itself, marked by a painted line on the path. The guide showed us some dubious ‘science’ demonstrations of balancing eggs and swirling drains, which were nonetheless fun. At this point Ada was getting a little tired and cranky, and she enjoyed a respite playing with the water tubs and climbing around a nearby wall.
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
Our last stop of the day was at the big Mitad del Mundo equator monument. It is pretty common knowledge that after the monument was built, modern GPS technology revealed it is not actually on the equator. Bummer. But still, we had heard there is lots to see and do there even if it is a bit touristy. When we arrived, however, we only had about 20 minutes to spend. It was a cloudy weekday afternoon, and the place looked kind of empty. We were already tired (especially the kids) so we opted to skip the $5/person entry fee and just hung out on the steps outside.
Dinner - Empanadas Chileñas
By the end of the trip we were all hungry, and our guide René suggested we stop from empanadas at Empanadas Chileñas on the way back. Very yummy enchildas, especially the Pollo. We also wanted to try some Morocho, a thick sweet drink cracked corn, milk, cinnamon and raisins. I didn’t realize the drink was so thick (more like an oatmeal) and served hot . . . so not the best for the end of a long day.
Conclusion
Mitad del Mundo will likely go down as our least-favorite of our outings from Quito. It was fine, and I’m glad we did it though. If I did it again, I’d probably just do the museum en route to another destination, as many tour operators do. I would also start with the museum so the kiddos would be at full energy to enjoy it. We also now have the confidence (and the guide) to try a bigger day-trip.