Our third day we visited the equator in Mitel del Mundo (Middle of the World) where we jumped on a local bus to try and find our way there. After the stories we heard from other people Kev experienced his first attempt at being pick-pocketed from the pocket hanging from his fleece he had around his waist, luckily in our strong team of 4 I twarted the attempt by pushing the guy away from Kev who then turned around with a beaming smile on his face, it startled Kev a little and entrigued Mike and John as to why I was so keen to get on the bus. The first bus we caught was a bargain but we got of in a small town leaving us with little idea of how to go the rest of the way, were it not for a bus on the other side of the road with a massive sign saying “Mitel Del Mundo” on the windscreen.

We first visited the equator located 50m away from the real equator, on the equator was a monument containing additional Inca history for Ecuador similar to what we had already seen in the Museum in Quito. It also provided the perfect opportunity for plenty of pictures involving the line.

After visiting the wrong equator we went to the real one 50m away and first impressions it was alot less grand with a rickety wooden gate however we were approached to take a tour with a guide something not offered in the other museum.

Part of the tour involved a demonstration of water circling down a plug hole in the northern, southern hemispheres and on the equator line. We also had the opportunity to balance an egg on the head of nail which we all did successfully and earnt ourselves a diploma to prove it.

The final tests involved walking along the equator line with our eyes closed not as easy as first thought and testing our body strength on the line and away from the line by seeing how easy we could pull someones thumb away from their hand and pushing their arms down whilst being held up. We also had the opportunity to try a blow pipe firing at a dartboard rather than a real moving animal.

Of the two equators, I think the real one was much better value for money it provided a much more fun and interactive tour but did lack some of the local Inca history present in the monument located on the fake equator.

In the evening over a few cheap beers in the hostel we discovered our next incident. We hear a story from another traveller who experienced having her rucksack stolen by someone who appeared to be associated to the coach she was getting on, he showed her to her seat told her about the journey, ask her to put he bag in the storage above her seat - she refused and put it by her feet. The guy must have distracted her whilst and accomplice took the bag from in front or behind her. He got off the bus and she realised they had taken her bag as he casually walked out of the station with it on his back - she went after him jumped on his back where he luckily returned the bag without putting up a fight.