Just curious - how many of you have visited the equator? What did you do when you got there? Did you go out of your way? Where (country) were you?

I didn't really 'visit'. I crossed the equator driving from the Mount Kenya region to Nairobi. Country was Kenya.

Equador. And I stood in both hemispheres at once (stradling the equator).

We crossed the equator and the International Date Line on the same day on a freighter in the Pacific. We got hokey certificates. I kept flushing the toilet to see if it would reverse, but no luck.

LOL John, I did the same thing! It's called the Coriolis Effect, and it actually does work in standing water, such as a bathtub. I think the toilet doesn't hold true because the water is forced in a certain direction, as opposed to letting gravity do the work.

I was asking because I just was at the equator on my trip to Ecuador. There is a fairly sizeable complex for tourists just north of Quito - Mitad del Mundo. It was fun straddling the line, etc.

Mind-boggling experience!! I crossed the equator last year north of Nairobi, Kenya. A couple of natives gave a demonstration: a couple of plastic containers of water, one with a small hole in the bottom to allow the water to drain out. Wooden match-sticks to place in the draining container.<BR>20-30 feet north of the equator, the match-sticks spun in a clock-wise rotation. 20-30 feet south of the equator, they rotated in a counterclockwise manner when placed in the draining water.<BR>THEN when the match-sticks were placed in the water DIRECTLY over the equator, THEY DID NOT ROTATE IN EITHER DIRECTION!!!<BR>I saw it with my own eyes. Incredible. So if no one is available to demonstrate, get your own materials and see this phenomenon. I believe this same place and people were featured on National Geographic several years ago.<BR><BR>Regards, <BR><BR>Jinx Hoover