Mitad del Mundial (The Middle of the World)

Today was the non-calender equinox and a great place to be was at the center of the earth! We took 2 buses to get there, payed the park fee and got an English speaking tour guide. She showed us model representations of the indigenous peoples houses, kitchens and burial grounds. Usually 3 people live in one type of house, the mom, dad and the kid. They all sleep in the same bed until the kid is 13, then he moves upstairs to his own room. The kitchen is a separate building as is the bathroom. The parents eat out of the same bowl, and the kid gets a smaller one. They serve with huge spoons. One of the main dishes is cuy (guinea pig!) I haven't tried any yet...
After touring the houses, we went to the equator to try some experiments- the water, egg, balance and muscle test. There was a tub of water on the equator line, and when the guide pulled the plug, the water went straight down! No vortex. We then moved it about 5 feet to the north and drained the water again- this time there was spin! We moved it to the south side- spin in the other direction! I have been taught that this was not supposed to happen, so maybe there was some trick involved? I didn't see any... The next was the classic balance the egg, which we all did no problem- so I don't think this really had anything to do with the equator. The balance test involved standing on the equator, holding out your arms, closing your eyes and walking along it one foot directly in front of the other. I think this was just the power of suggestion that made people unable to walk straight, some unable to even stand! Looked as though they were drunk. First of all its kinda hard to walk like that, and when the suggestion is thrown in, all just goes to squat. I tried it and didn't feel anything, the rest in my group were surprised. I kinda walked to the side, and was a little tippy, but nothing compared to the rest with the exception of one other girl. So I think that test is kinda out there too.
The strangest one we did was to test our strength on and off the equator. The guide had us stand in a line in pairs facing each other. One side held their hands out ahead of them clasped together, and their partner tried to pull their hands down. We then moved to the equator and tried it again- everyone was much weaker on the equator, even me! We did the same by making an "OK" sign and having the partner try to pull the fingers apart. Again, when tried on the equator, everyone was weaker with no exceptions. Power of suggestion, muscle fatigue?? I don't know- but it was weird. I don't think that the distances we moved from the equator was enough to change the actions if they were really real, and was that line even the real equator? Could it have been a few feet or more off? I would like to go back and try more controlled experiments. The explanation the guide gave us was that the powers from the poles came towards the equator, colliding and causing all sorts of abnormalities. I don't believe this!
Later, we went to the site where the Spanish had thought the equator to be. We should have re-tried some experiments there, but didn't think about it. We watched indigenous dances for a while got some food and took the the first bus halfway. One the walk to the second (called the Ecovia) we looked at some paintings set up along the street- they were really good- I would like to get one, but they are about 100 or more, and I don't know how I would get it home. We took the second bus back, and when I got back to the apartment, I had my first real American food- KFC yayy!