Day 2: May 16, 2013

#UGA #Quito #Maquipacuna #Bugs #Plants

Standing on the Equator

I slept really well at the hotel Sierra Madre in Quito, it may have been due to the long day of travel before. I did experience a little bit of altitude sickness, just a little head pressure and a headache which went away with rest and hydration. The hotel actually had WIFI (or WEFE) so I was able to update Facebook and post photos to Instagram to let the rest of the world know that I was alive and well. This would be the last time for a few weeks that I would have a real connection to the outside world. I was a little concerned that I would be lost without easy access to the web, since it is always at my fingertips. As I entered the wilds of the untamed Cloud Forest my iPhone became nothing more than an alarm clock, quick snap and shoot camera and occasional paperweight. It was actually really nice to forget about updating a status and actually live in the moment and enjoy the adventure in front of me. I would encourage my readers to power down your phones, ipads, labtops, and all other electronic devices and take a moment to breathe and enjoy life.

Today I stood in the middle of the world, location the Equator (Latitude: Zero degrees), it was an awesome experience to be in two places at once. I was standing with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere, the place I call home and know all so well, and the other in the Southern Hemisphere, in a place that is foreign and new to me. I step into the Southern Hemisphere, ready for the next adventure around the corner and jump on the bus bound for the Cloud Forest. Sometimes the adventure is right at our fingertips if only we take the step to meet it face to face.

Brian L.