I have done it! I have crossed the Equator and stepped into the Southern Hemisphere. This happened at midday on 29th July 2007! I know this may not excite your much but there was a time in nautical history when elaborate rituals were performed onboard ships when they crossed the Equator. The sailor who had crossed the Equator were called Shellbacks and the ones who had not crossed the line before were called Pollywogs. Wikipedia says that in the 19th century and earlier, the line-crossing ceremony was quite a brutal event, often involving beating "pollywogs" with boards and wet ropes and sometimes throwing the victims over the side of the ship, dragging the pollywog in the surf from the stern. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a crossing the line ceremony. A watered-down version of the ceremony, is also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships even today.
Thankfully, since I crossed the line on the ground I was able to avoid the drama. I did however feel as if I had opened a new chapter in my life (which is true as I will be in Brazzaville, Congo in a couple of days and the city is in the southern hemisphere).
To mark the memorable moment in the history, I even filled my name in the visitors' book and purchased an "I was here" certificate for 10,000 shillings (US$6). I know it was a rip-off but I am a sucker for these things!For another 10,000 shillings, I could have seen the (fake) science experiment which demonstrates Corialis Effect using three pans marked "Did you Know". Two of these were placed on either sides and one on the equator. The guy would pour water into each pan and show you the spin of the water in different directions. You can read Adam Rasheed's post on GRC Blog to understand why the experiment would have been fake.
There was a big display at the souvenir shop which listed some interesting facts about the Equator. The one I liked most was that your body weight goes down by 3%; beat that Dr. Atkins!
For more pictures, visit the Equator Trip album on Picasa.
