Divine symmetry

December 15th, 2007 by Danielle Denis-Lalonde

How fitting that today, my final day in Ecuador, all of my experiences culminate in an incredible celebration of symmetry and synchronicity. I have come full circle…the beginning has become the end, which is to become another beginning.

********************************************************

Last night, we went for dinner with Carlos and Roddy (from the Galapagos gang) at a lovely authentic cuban restaurant. The grafitti in the bathroom said ¨La comida de esta lugar es muy rico¨ and the author definitely knew what he was talking about! After that, we moved over the Irish pub (where we got a little silly a few nights ago) and contined to enjoy some bevvies and late-night snacks.

It was great to hang out and chat with these two guys. He hadn´t seen Carlos since the Galapagos, and he was just as entertaining and talkative as before. He didn´t try to kiss me again, although we joking made references to it, so all was good! As the four of us laughed and talked and shared rather personal impressions of our time in the Galapagos, it occurred to me how comfortable I had gotten with this Scotsman and Mexican-American. Because we shared such an intense experience together, there is a sense that we really know each other, that we understand each other.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes for the last time, with the usual ¨you never know, we just might see each other again someday!¨.

This morning (Friday Dec. 14), Doe woke up early to go to the Canadian Embassy to pick up her emergency passport. In the meantime, I had breakfast in our hostal with Julia, an American volunteer from the Galapagos station, who was also at Amazon station with Doe). We shared a very motivating conversation about art, creativity and ¨trying to figure things out¨. Then I ran out to Monkey´s internet cafe to blog about my experiences in Congal.

After Doe got back and we gave our fresh tattoos some TLC, we ate a quick lunch at Papaya.net for the last time and then made our way to the Mitad del Mundo (again!)

We were nearly there when a loud ¨pffffffff¨ was heard and the smell of burning rubber filled the bus. Flat tire, and in the middle of nowhere (well, at least Doe and I didn´t know where we were!). No biggie, we walked over to a convenience store, asked the lovely shopkeeper what to do, and she indicated that we could just hop on the next bus. We bought two Cornettos from her and waited barely 30 seconds for the next bus. And who happened to be on that bus? Julia! In the end, the flat tire was just an excuse to speak spanish to a lovely lady, enjoy some ice cream (Cornettos are my ultimate travel treat) and see a friend one last time. Doe later told me that Julia gave her a messsage to relate to me: ¨Continue to follow your path of creativity¨ (or something along those lines…). Thanks Julia, I will! And you too!

Once we arrived at the Quitsato office/museum/presentation centre, we were delighted to find that Sebastian was there. He is the dude we originally met over two months ago and who first agreed to take us to the ruins. We watched him give his presentation once more to a few tourists, then we hopped into his jeep and began the trek up to the summit of Catequilla the small mountain on which the ruins of the Middle of the World lie). When he handed his GPS device over to Doe, I knew we were finally going to see the REAL Middle of the World. No more tricks or pompous monuments.

I cannot express how incredible the next few hours were. First of all, we had such fascinating and insightful conversations… It was almost as though the insights I have come to understand during this trip were being put into words by this man. Doe and I were riveted, excited and completely in the moment.

As we drove up Catequilla, Sebas told us all kinds of things about the history of the area, of the social and political struggles, of his personal mission to help preserve a sacred site and bring awareness to the people.

At one point, we stopped on the side of the road, got out and looked out at the view before us. On one side was a gloomy urban landscape, very bleak, surrounded by mines and garbage. On the other side, a beautiful village nestled among pristine mountains, healthy agriculture plots and minimal negative impact to the environment. What a juxtaposition of opposites! Never before have I seen so clearly how humans can live in harmony with nature, or in complete discord.

Back in the jeep, Doe and I get the feeling that we are having a genuine cultural experience… this is no typical tourist tour! Sebas becomes very excited when we spot a ¨Zorro¨ fox, a rare animal of the verge of extinction. He says he had never seen one before, except on television.

The dirt road came to an end, and we walked the rest of the way up, watching the GPS coordinates in the handheld device gradually move down to zero. It was a solemn walk, surreal, with a sense of magic. We were surrounded by clouds and mist, and a cold wind blew against my face.

Finally, we stood on the equator.

The GPS monitor read zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude. Sebastian took us around the semi-circle of ruins, explained how the pre-Inca civilization used the soltice and equinox lines, as well as the stars, to determine the exact location of the equator. At one point, we came to a large disc of stones are embedded in the ground. Standing in the center of this circle, you would be the first point of light during the June soltice…crazy! At another of these discs (there are 11 of them), you can have two shadows when both the sun sets and the full moon comes out. This event only happens once every 19 years!

Some of Sebastian´s words…

¨I don´t believe in institutions, I believe in people¨

¨It´s not about your money, it´s about your conscience¨

¨We need to get back to nature, back to the earth, back to Tierra. Once we understand the sun, then we can understand the water, the mountains, the plants…¨

He explained how the people believe that the Amazon forest is the lungs of the earth, all the plants creating oxygen for life. The glaciers of the Andes feed the Amazon river, and therefore the mountains are like the heart, providing the life blood. To preserve the Amazon, you must also preserve and understand the mountains.

Sebastian then gave us 10 minutes so that we may walk around alone and do as we wish. I stood in the centre of the stone circle, listening and watching, then laid down on the earth, placing the soltice star tattoo on my back directly on the equator, like a puzzle piece.

Once we had driven back down the mountain, Sebas offered to drive us back to Quito (As he was on his way anyways), and we gratefully accepted. More fascinating talk on the way home, about music, religion, and the soltice star (also known as the geocentric model). He was thrilled with our tattoos and wants us to send pictures as he is creating a collection of photos of this symbol. He also mentioned that he doesn´t take just anyone up to the ruins…he only suggests it to people whom he feels will really understand. I feel honoured.

Once in Quito, we asked for his recommendation on a place to eat and he drops us off in front of a Lebanese restaurant. It happened to be the place we walked by on our first day in Quito, over two months ago. What perfect symmetry! I remember thinking we should eat there, but it slipped my mind soon after.

The food was delicious (hummous, babaganoush, lamne, falafel, tabouli, vines leaves and baklava!) and the owner was the sweetest old man ever. We couldn´t have asked for a better ¨last supper¨ in Ecuador!

Wow…what a day!! What a trip!! What an experience!!

Once we got back home, we spent a good long time trying to pack all our things in our backpacks (and barely succeeded). I enjoyed a long hot shower, and now here I am blogging.

I am tempted to continue writing about my experiences at the Congal station (I think I still have 10 days or so of adventures to recount), but I am also tempted to hit the sack as we have to be up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to get to the airport.

I suppose I will just have to finish my blog when I get back to Canada.

Buenas Noches beautiful world.