Just outside of Quito, Ecuador lies the exact midway point between the North and South poles and, being of reasonably sound minds, we had to see it.
Seriously, when do you get the chance to stand on Latitude 00° 00′ 00”?
We did some wacky things there, but only one of us got a certificate for the wackiest thing of all… CONTINUE READING >>
Just outside of Quito, Ecuador lies the exact midway point between the North and South poles and, being of reasonably sound minds, we had to see it.
Humans figured out around 500 BC that the Earth was a sphere and therefore must have a center line dividing the halves. In South America the ancient Quechua people named that equatorial line Inti (sun) Nan (path) centuries ago. Then in 1735, the French Geodesic Mission set out for Quito to pinpoint the location.
The expedition lasted nine years, was responsible for giving Ecuador its name, and succeeded in a fairly accurate measurement.
Although it turns out they probably should have just asked the natives, since modern GPS has proved that by simply observing the sun their line was more accurate than the French scientists.
Slight discrepancies notwithstanding, we knew we were within a few feet, if not inches, of that big blue stripe we’d seen on globes since grade school.
So bypassing the Mitad del Mundo complex and the old French monument, we chose The Intiñan Solar Museum and the “real” line.
But before we could get to the main attraction, we were sidetracked by a lesson on making shrunken heads… yes, they are real.
The Shuar people from high in The Andes of Ecuador performed this ritual, and now we know their secret… remove the skull, sew the eyes and mouth shut, then cook the skin for an hour or so and fill it with hot rocks.
All joking aside, this was serious business for the warriors, and obviously the victims too. Shuar feel that the muisak, or soul of the victim, is contained in the shrunken head (tsantsa).
Our guide, Alexandra, explained that because of this, head shrinking became all the rage with the nobility as well.
Okay, on to the line around the center of the world which, unlike on our classroom spheres, is red here.
Several sundial type instruments and markers are setup along the stripe to show how the sun passes perfectly overhead on the equinox, and always has an equal 12 hours of day and night year ’round.
Perfectly viable, accurate scientific stuff. Ah, but then came the “experiments.”
In order to demonstrate the Coriolis Effect, and our guide was very careful to specify that this was just a demonstration, a tub of water was sitting directly on the equator.
Now the Coriolis Effect is without a doubt perfectly real, it has to do with the earth’s rotation and the inertia effect it has on objects. It is what causes ocean currents, wind patterns, and hurricanes to rotate one direction in the northern hemisphere and the other in the south, but this “demonstration” had exactly nothing to do with it.
When the drain plug was pulled on the tub, the water ran straight out with no spin or vortex.
Perfect, there is no Coriolis Effect on the equator.
Then the tub was moved about six feet north of the line and water poured in, drain plug pulled, and viola, a vortex! Six feet south of the line, the vortex spins the opposite way.
Wow! We saw it with our own eyes!
But what really happened was just a “demonstration,” and our guide was quite subtle and sneaky with her technique.
The first tub was allowed to sit perfectly still long enough that the water was motionless and no vortex would form, while the others had just enough momentum left from the pouring motion to spin first one way, then the other.
Say cheeeeeese! LOVED this guy hangin’ out!
The truth is, yes there is such a thing as the Coriolis Effect, but its effect is so miniscule this close to the equator that it could never be measured, much less move a tub of water. By the way, same thing holds true with toilets.
They spin whichever direction the flow of water pushes them, no matter which side of the equator you’re flushing on. Still, we appreciated the show.
We were then challenged to walk directly along the line with our eyes closed.
No explanation was offered as to why this should be more difficult directly on the equator than anywhere else, but we did have a hard time keeping our balance.
Personally I think that I’m just a klutz and can’t walk well with my eyes closed… but that’s just me.
Next came the balancing a raw egg on a nail trick, which is also supposed to demonstrate the lack of Coriolis Effect on the yolk directly on the equator.
This is also another thing that I can’t do, here or any place else on the planet I suppose.
If egg balancing is any easier at the equator than anywhere else in the world, the difference is so slight as to be nonexistent.
Bottom line, balancing an egg is difficult where ever you happen to be. Even our guide couldn’t pull it off… that said, Veronica did it!
It was so impressive that she was issued a certificate to commemorate the event. Our guide, Alexandra, made things official.
Veronica felt ever so proud of her accomplishment, especially when Alexandra stamped the back of her certificate with the much coveted “LATITUD 00, 00, 00” stamp.
The time had come for the goofy standing-in-both-hemispheres-at-once photos.
Has anyone ever come to this place and not done that?
Our favorite princess was set to tie the knot with one of the top ten chocolatiers in North America – the king of ultra-premium chocolates – and the nuptials were not to be missed.
Anytime a princess marries a king, it’s a big deal – and when the surname is Love, it’s bound to be the social event of the season!
With our favorite princess set to tie the knot with one of the top ten chocolatiers in North America – the king of ultra-premium chocolates – the nuptials were not to be missed.
Anytime a princess marries a king, it’s a big deal – and when the surname is Love, it’s bound to be the social event of the season!
The reception began with a champagne toast to the happy couple highlighted by a dark chocolate, heavy cream and butter-based Love Pop Truffle.
Royal Princess‘ baby sister, Regal Princess will host the first Chocolate Journey in the Fall of 2014, and over the span of a year, every ship in the fleet will be featuring the decadent fare. On board, at the Captain’s Welcome Reception guests will toast their sailing with a Love Pop and bubbly.
Our chocolate journey continued with handcrafted artisanal chocolates…
…and chocolate libations
Sixteen hand-crafted chocolate cocktails have been created by Mr. Love as a dowry for his Princess.
Our favorites were the Chocolate Salted Carmel Rum Shake, the Chocolate Bacon Bourbon Bliss and the Chocolate Chile Margarita.
Focus was pulled from the blushing bride, when the Black Single Origin Dark chocolates arrived, making their grand entrance with the perfect wines on their arms.
David congratulates the groom
For dessert (how do you define dessert on a ambrosial occasion such as this?), we were treated to three of the groom’s fifteen divine signature desserts created for the Missus.
The Chocolate Hazelnut Bar with Citrus Cream, the Chocolate Pistachio Dome with Almond and Pistachio Nougatine, and the Chocolate Tiramisu with Mascarpone Cream and Espresso Gelato.
Diving into yet another dessert with chocolate in the corner of our mouths! You can’t take us anywhere!
Like any good wedding, we were sure to wake up the next day with a hangover. In this case, a choco-hangover.
We are so honored to be Writers in Residence at the Library Hotel. As always, all opinions are our own.
25 feet wide, 100 feet long, and 14 stories high, the hotel is one of NYC’s first sliver buildings
When we write the accounts of our escapades around the globe, we usually don’t bother mentioning where we stay.
It’s not that we don’t appreciate hotels, it’s just that, let’s face it, most are simply a place to lay our heads after romping around all day.
What can we say? “The towels were nice and the TV worked.” Not exactly a captivating story.
But sometimes the accommodations are the story, and such is the case with the Library Hotel in New York City.
In a city with hundreds, if not thousands, of hotels it is hard to stand out, yet the Library Hotel has done just that. So when we were invited to become Writers in Residence, we jumped at the chance.
The idea is to add to the incredible literary ambience of the hotel by having a few writers hanging around, and let us say, it’s a writer’s — or a reader’s — paradise.
Looking down 41st Street toward the New York Public Library from the rooftop garden of the Library Hotel
A big part of the atmosphere of the hotel stems from its proximity to the New York Public Library’s main branch.
Around the same time as that massive home to over one million volumes was opened in 1911, a group of businessmen were building one of the city’s first sliver buildings a block away.
After nearly a century of serving as offices, the beautiful little slice of architecture became the Library Hotel.
The renovations left the exterior wonderfully intact, while adding rooms and over a million dollars of mahogany bookshelves in the interior.
Books are everywhere, from the moment we checked in at the card catalogue-decorated front desk in the shelf-lined lobby, to the hundreds of titles in each room that correspond to its number in the Dewey Decimal System.
For example, our room, 905, is based on 900.005 in the famous library-organizing system, which is the travel and geography category. Absolutely a perfect fit for us, and we fell asleep blissfully reading of far-off places every night.
As we investigated the motifs of the other rooms, we realized that we could have been just as happy in 800.005, filled with fairy tales, or the mysteries right next door, or the Love Suite at 1100.006.
But it would be tough to beat 500.006, the Astronomy Suite where Neil Armstrong took one giant sleep for mankind.
The rooms aren’t the only place designed to inspire reading and writing, the second floor Reading Room serves as a quiet getaway, or the place to be for breakfast and each evening’s wine and cheese reception.
For even more inspiration, the rooftop Writer’s Den and Poetry Garden did the trick.
Get it? It’s a bookmark!
Come cocktail hour, the garden transforms into the hotel’s lounge, Bookmarks.
We couldn’t think of a better place to thank all of the folks at Skyhorse Publishing who worked so hard getting our book, Going Gypsy: One Couple’s Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All, ready for publication, so we invited them all over for an after-work, literary-inspired drink.
We all sipped our “Ernest Hemingway”s and “Tequila Mockingbird”s while enjoying each other’s company and fantastic views of Manhattan.
See how we slipped that plug in there, downright clever, huh? Sorry, couldn’t pass up the chance for some shameless self-promotion.
Especially since we were so excited to see everyone that we forgot to take pictures to commemorate the occasion (still kicking ourselves!).
We also couldn’t pass up visiting New York’s best known literary landmark, the public library, so we followed the ninety-six bronze sidewalk insets along 41st Street that form Library Way.
The walk’s bronze plaques feature quotes from classic literature and authors, paired with innovative artwork by Gregg LeFevre.
We read our way right to the steps between Patience and Fortitude, the two lions that guard the entrance to the massive archives. Fortitude is pictured above, and the easiest way to tell them apart is that Fortitude is closest to 42nd Street. –> 42=fortitude!
As we climbed the stairs things felt very familiar, must have been because the grand old building has been the star of countless movies, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Spider-Man, to the haunted book stacks in Ghostbusters.
Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to see those famous stacks. The one-hundred-and-twenty-five miles of shelves are off limits to the public. Can’t have the books getting misplaced or out of order, because the proverbial needle in the haystack would seem simple compared to finding a lost volume.
The the attempts at snapping the perfect photo of the ceiling in the McGraw Rotunda are many and varied. We gave up and simply laid down on the floor for ours!The ceiling depicts Prometheus giving man the gift of fire, symbolizing knowledge. The murals in the rotunda are collectively titled The Story of the Recorded Word.
So we contented ourselves with simply taking in the grandeur of one of America’s largest marble buildings and viewing some of the artifacts on display. Of course the library has an outstanding collection of rare books, but it also serves as a museum of sorts, with hundreds of heirlooms donated throughout the years.
Back in our geography-and-travel-inspired hideaway in the Library Hotel, just thinking about all of those books was a bit mind boggling.
But we contentedly drifted off counting books instead of sheep.
Famous for ancient Chinese medicines, traditional herbal remedies, and tonic foods such as $5,000-per-pound bird’s nests, Hong Kong’s Wing Lok and Ko Shing Streets are bursting with wonderful oddities.
And trust us, that’s the tame stuff!
The life expectancy in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world, so who are we to argue? Click in to see some truly incredible wonders… CONTINUE READING >>
A whole fleet of double decker street cars rolls endlessly back and forth along the north shore of Hong Kong Island, which is the most bustling part of the city.
The trolleys are affectionately known as “ding dings” for the bells they seem to be constantly ringing.
Because the fare for these wonderful old trolleys is also a mere pittance, we jumped on and off several times, whenever something caught our eye.
Toward the western end of the line, we bailed out at Queen Street.
This area is famous for ancient Chinese medicines, traditional herbal remedies, and tonic foods such as ginseng and bird’s nest.
Shaping the bird’s nests
These are real nests, taken from swiftlets, and can cost up to $5,000 a pound.
Needless to say, we did not make a purchase.
We wandered up and down Wing Lok and Ko Shing Streets looking into shop after shop filled with strange and exotic items that are believed to promote health, vigor, and long life.
Deer Antler (with skull)
The life expectancy in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world, so who are we to argue?
This glossary of modern parenting terms from around the world provides a cautionary tale through definitions. Could a Snow Plow Parent accidentally raise a Kidult in a perpetual state of Adultescence?
Snow Plow Parents
Like the snow removal apparatus, a Snow Plow Parent will be sure to… CONTINUE READING >>
This glossary of modern parenting terms from around the world provides a cautionary tale through definitions.
Could a Snow Plow Parent accidentally raise a Kidult in a perpetual state of Adultescence?
Snow Plow Parents
Like the snow removal apparatus, a Snow Plow Parent will be sure to clear the path ahead, ensuring nothing will challenge their children’s happiness.
Creating an obstacle-free world allows their child to dodge all the pitfalls and challenges that are necessary for molding responsible, competent adults.
Helicopter Parents
Veronica considers herself a recovering Helicopter Mommy, so we know all about these guys. Helicopter Parents hover over every aspect of their children’s lives, micromanaging every move they make. From arranging highly-scripted toddler playdates to writing their college-aged spawn‘s term papers, the Helicopter whirlybird is ever present.
Also known as Hovering Mothers, Smothers
Boomerang “Kids”
Like the Australian hunting stick, Boomerang Kids return to the place they’ve been thrown from. Initially the term described kids returning home after being away at college, but has broadened to any able-bodied adult offspring who lives with his/her parents. We do, however, have some tips for nudging them from the nest!
Also known as Parasite Singles in Japan, Bamboccioni (Big Babies) in Italy, Nesthockers in Germany (referring to birds with their mouths open, waiting for Mommy to feed them) and Basement Dwellers
Parasite “Kids”
The Boomeranger returns home to rely on its host for room, board and Mama’s cooking, but the Parasite “Kid” will eventually kill its host by latching on and sucking the nest egg dry while living on its own. It’s long-distance leeching, in a manner of speaking. These bloodsuckers have gotten it into their heads that their parents’ job of funding them never ends.
Also known as KIPPERS (Kids In Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings) in England and Australia, and Trustafarians (kids living on parents’ trusts whilst dressing up and pretending to be Rastafarians) in The Virgin Islands
Hotel Mama
A place the Boomerang “Kid” calls home in Germany. Comes with parental housekeeping.
Kidult
Neither kid nor adult, or possibly both kid and adult. A new life phase between the teen years and true adulthood, the Kidult has a few more years to mess around, avoid a real job and all the pesky life lessons of one’s early twenties. It’s basically an extension of the teen years with the ability to legally drink. What could possibly go wrong?
Also known as Twixters. Similar:NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) in England, Ni-Nis (ni trabaja, ni estudia — neither work nor study) in Spain and Mexico
We work hard on keeping our relationship fresh (to varying degrees, of course!) and continue to try new things together.
But sometimes a girl’s gotta get away.
One of many stage shows – aren’t they the CUTEST?
When the chicks were in the nest, our family was very girl-centric.
Our daughters, The Piglet and Decibel, are very dynamic people and, if we weren’t careful, they would overshadow their more reserved younger brother, The Boy.
The men in our family were outnumbered and, many times, outmatched.
When the girls graduated from high school and struck out on their own, I found myself in a whole new world. Sports were — more often than not — blaring from the TV, scores and stats that I didn’t understand (or, frankly, had no interest in) were bandied about until I was blurry-eyed.
I’m so glad that David and The Boy had that bonding period; it did them both a world of good.
But I did feel lonely. I missed my estrogen-infused days, when we girls ruled the roost (that’s a little heavy-handed, but we were, as team, a force to be reckoned with!).
Once David and I sold the nest and hit the road, we became very focused on rekindling our relationship, our Nation of Two.
Until that point, raising The Spawn to be happy, healthy, productive adults became our main focus in life and had been – and always will be — our greatest achievement.
But we had half a lifetime stretching out before us and if we didn’t get off of our butts and get to working with each other, that second half could become an ugly eternity. So we got to working.
But sometimes a girl’s gotta get away.
Now we are six years into our grand GypsyNesting experiment, and we are currently in The States traversing the now familiar family-and-friends route.
We’re making frequent trips to NYC to horn in on the girls, and spent a month near The Boy before he made his big move to Alaska. We’re spending time with our parents and siblings, and seeing a lot of our friends.
I’ve realized through these visits that I miss my girlfriends more than I had thought. Sure, we talk on the phone, and sure we banter on Facebook, but having my gals around me in person is not always so easy to do.
And forget about that big, nurturing group of ladies I used to have – now that our nests are all empty, many of us have relocated, or taken on jobs with more responsibly or — gasp — found a new group of friends. How dare they not wait around for me!
Ann Voorhees Baker
And then, in steps Ann Voorhees Baker who invites me to be her guest at Women At Woodstock.
When she first brought up the idea, I literally thought UGH.Is a women’s retreat for me?
It didn’t sound like my thing – at all. Then I looked into Women At Woodstock a bit further and became intrigued. I was first compelled by the locations (imagine that!), but was hooked when I saw the workshops.
This Ann V. Baker lady’s pretty wily and she knew how to hook me! I’m always looking to beef up my writing skills, so the writing workshops are really exciting to me, and the business stuff looks invaluable.
But, oddly enough (and I hate to admit this) it was the estrogen-infused events that made me accept the invite.
Obviously, I need some girl time, STAT.
Come join me and let’s get our girl on! I’ll be at the Woodstock, NY retreat on October 13th, 2014 and there are later ones in Palm Springs, CA and Charleston, SC.
We made this year’s list of the Top Baby Boomer Travel Blogs at Southwest Discoveries. Check out all of the picks.
Ann Voorhees Baker