Samuel & his Lovely Assistant

The next day, after breakfast, we left the Mountain Lodge for Thompson Falls (and eventually Lake Nakuru). But on our way, we first stopped to take pictures on the Equator. Before I got there, I didn't think anything of it. It was a tourist photo op, big deal. But when I got there I totally fell for the coolness of being on the Equator! I couldn't stop asking Joanna to take pictures of me on the equator, no one could stop! It was so funny.

We arrived (read: pulled over of the side of the road to the equator sign & curio shop) Samuel greeted us. He was going to give us an equator demonstration but needed an assistant. He decided to choose Marie.

Marie is in her low 80's and is the mother to Janet, who was also on the trip with us. She is a lovely woman but quite old and hard of hearing so this trip was a rough one to take. On our first day, she couldn't hear or understand the guide and was apparently upset with Janet's attempt to translate so she stubbornly up & moved to the back of the bus. It was like she was throwing her hands up already. I turned to ask her if she was ok and she sadly smiled and said "I will be". Maybe it was just the end of a long trip to Africa but, man, I felt bad for her at that moment. In the end, as the group meshed and as she wasn't reliant completely on her daughter, who clearly got on her nerves, I think she became more comfortable. It turns out Marie has done quite a bit of traveling over her lifetime and used to be a sheriff and a prison guard! She was quite nice and it made me happy to see her as Samuel's assistant.

Samuel had a blue pitcher of water and a yellow bowl that sat on the top of the pitcher. The yellow bowl had a small hole in the bottom of it to drain the water out. In front of the sign, the Southern hemisphere, about 20 feet away, Samuel poured water into the yellow bowl and Marie placed an unlit match in the water. We watched the match spin counter (anti) clockwise. We walked 20 feet behind the sign, the northern hemisphere, and watched the match spin clockwise. Finally we did the same on the equator itself and watched the match stand perfectly still while the water continued to drain out of the bowl.

It was so cool! I was like a school kid!

From Africa or Bust

Then Samuel all offered us Equator Certificates with our names on it to which we were all excited until we found out the certificate costs 200 schillings. Forget it!

Marie got a cute pink soapstone rhino for being such a good assistant.

Now off to Thompson Falls!!