Mitad del Mundo

© Alisa Clickenger / RumBum.com

As you travel along there are certain landmarks that you look forward to  that not only mark the passage of the miles under your wheels, but also mark a psychological point of your journey. For me, reaching the Equator was one such landmark. It meant finally reaching the “second half” of my trip time-wise as well as mileage-wise.

I had already done the continent jump to South America, but somehow crossing the Equator cemented for me the fact that a new phase of my journey had begun. No longer could I just turn the motorcycle around and ride home, the only option was to ride to the South.

I took the Western fork of the Pan American Highway toward Cayama, and almost passed the rather understated sign for the Mitad del Mundo, “Middle of the World.” Evidently accustomed to all manner of tourists, when I asked if I could ride my motorcycle into the monument, the guard was happily obliging.

© Alisa Clickenger / RumBum.comThe $2 admission included a look into the monument-made-telescope and a long explanation as to why this monument was the precise center of the world, not only having to do with GPS coordinates, but also with its alignment with certain other geographical landmarks important to the ancient peoples.

Luckily for me, I had two more opportunities to celebrate the crossing of the hemispheres. Next stop was the Mitad del Mundo complex on the outskirts of Quito. This is where the Equatorial line meets the tourist trade, and the $5 admission included traditional music and dance expositions, a cultural center and another monument set up for those must-have tourist pictures.

Set up like a World's Fair exposition, there was something for everyone including roasted guinea pig, tourist trinkets and artisan ice cream. We enjoyed a sampler plate of traditional foods while watching dancers in the square.

Last but not least was my favorite monument to my hemispheric change: the “Old Mitad del Mundo” monument outside Quito. Nearly forgotten with the construction of the Equator tourist complex,  the original Equatorial landmark stands in a quaint town square quite devoid of tourists.

There, locals chat on benches and children ride bicycles in circles around the stone structure.  The bell of a breadseller-on-a-bicycle could be heard in the distance, and no one complained when I rode my motorcycle into the park to get a better picture. The center of my trip was celebrated quietly at the center of the world.