I have heard that in the Northern Hemisphere, water that is draining will swirl one way, and in the Southern Hemishere, it will swirl the opposite way. I believe I tested this when I was in Australia many years ago, but I don't remember the results.

Without looking, or testing it yourself, could you remember which way is which? I can't and so I tested it by flushing the toilet this morning, but was surprised that this toilet doesn't drain in a swirl, it's been designed to immediately release all the water, then fill quite suddenly. I tried the bathroom sink and had similar results. The kitchen sink I tested was not conclusive, but looked as if it swirled clockwise.

I could look it up on the Internet, but I wanted visual proof. I will continue to attempt to look for repeatable results while I'm down here, and perhaps you might do the same where you are.

(It is left as an exercise to the student what direction water swirls down a drain at the exact equator...)

While this interests me, what really blew my mind last night was when I realized that the moon was not traveling in the same direction as I am used to!

At home in the Northwest of the United States, I look at the moon and stars at every opportunity. It is a favorite activity, and due to my early shift at work and propensity to normally arise before dark, I see the Moon travel in an apparent Left to Right motion across the sky.

A couple of nights ago, I missed the Lunar Eclipse, only catching it when it was almost over. I actually attempted to take some pictures, which show a redish orb with one limb slightly brighter than the rest.

I didn't notice the movement of the moon that night, as I was due to get up very early to go work at the airport the next morning, so during the short time I observed it, it appeared stationary.

Last night, I was up and the moon was bright and nearly full. I went out several times over a period of a couple hours and was astounded when the Moon appeared to travel from the Right part of the sky to the Left part!

I had never thought about it before, but this now makes sense. I'm observing it from below the equator, therefore I'm seeing the same thing from the other side, as it were.

(I'm reminded of the Zen Buddhist story of the monk who was always observed wearing a red hat from those on one side of the road while those on the other side would swear they saw him wearing a blue hat...)

Just now, walking out on the balcony, I was rewarded by seeing a shooting star!

Anyway, it was a real epiphony for me to directly observe this phenomenon, and to finally realize the truth of why this would be.