2009/02/11 3% lighter

today we took a taxi to masaka district, which lays on the aequator.
before getting deeper into that i should explain the public transport system.

these taxis can be somehow compared to our buses: they take up to 20ish people [although they are only licensed for max. 14],

..they are comparatively cheap and they always take the same route with marked stops.
what is different, though, is there efficiency - they only start, when they are full [which means that if you are the first on it, it's possible to wait for an hour before it leaves], you can ask them to stop whenever you feel like it and at the taxi parks or rather at their stops a zillion people try to sell you stuff.. which turns out to be quite handy when you're hungry or thirsty.

after a two hour ride the driver let us outat the aequator. it's not that it looks a lot different here, but just the feeling that you are now standing on it is quite exciting. this is subtly marked ..

the rest of the place is rather touristy. a lot of craft shops..

..and somewhat overpriced coffee houses [which still offer great food].

for what it's worth we got to learn some special things about the aequator.

if you stand on it you will weigh 3% less than usual; if you stand on the northern hemisphere water flushes clockwise, if you stay on the southern, anti clockwise.. and: if you flush it on the aequator itself it just goes down straight. amazing, isn't it?!