Tuesday, 17 December 2024

Manta, Ecuador

In 2013 when I sailed from Valparaiso, Chile, to Ft Lauderdale on Holland America's ms Veendam, the ship stopped in Manta for a full day. At that time, it was the only port on that 18-day cruise where a yellow fever vaccination certificate was required. My MD told me that side-effects of the shot could be worse than the disease and since it was only one port out of many, I was better off just staying on board. So today's visit is officially my first time in Manta and Ecuador.

We opt for another private tour booked on-line through Viator:  "Manta's Highlights & Montecristi Hats." The six-hour tour will take us through the working-class side of Manta and then to the mountain town of Montecristi. The 12 passengers--all from Marina--are joined in the van by our young guide, his wife, and his nine-month-old baby boy. All members of the family are very attractive and the child is amazingly well-behaved. We can tell throughout the tour that both parents are fully devoted to their son.

Our Manta Guide

    

His Wife and Baby Son

The first stop of the tour is a local boat-building and repair site. Since fishing is one of the chief industries here, it is not surprising to find skilled workers in the art of construction. We see fishing boats and yachts in various states of completion and repair.

Right next door is a large fish market, very busy this early in the morning.

Humans and Egrets Seem to Be Looking for that Perfect Fish Tidbit

After checking out the animal life on the beach, we start the 45-minute drive in to the mountains, making a stop at an interesting button factory before reaching Montecristi. These buttons are made from Tagua (vegetable ivory). When the tagua nuts fall from the tree, they are harvested and dried to produce a substance almost like the real thing. Button production is a very big business in the coastal region of Ecuador. Unfortunately, the working conditions are quite primitive and very uncomfortable for the mostly women workers.

Tagua Nuts Drying in the Sun

Workers Endure Heat, Dust, and Noise All Day

The Finished Products are Checked for Flaws

Montecristi is a mountain town known worldwide for the production of Panama hats. Indeed, authentic Panama hats are hand-made in Ecuador not in Panama. The name arose because the first wide-brimmed hats were made for men working on the canal. And the name has stuck. You can buy these hats made by machine from unnatural materials very cheaply. But a well-made authentic Panama Hat starts at about $70.00 and can go up into the thousands. The hat our guide is wearing in the first photo cost him over $600.00, but has already lasted for ten years.

We watch a demonstration of the complex process that transforms the natural fibers of the sisal plant into wearable works of art.

Although hats are the primary focus of Montecito, the town is also home to the funeral monument to  General Jose Eloy Alfaro Delgado (1842-1912), the military hero who helped Peru's fight for independence from Spain. I guess it’s nice to be remembered even in such a garish fashion. Very few tours visit this monument in the hills above Montecristi town, so we feel special. 

On the 45-minute drive back to the port in Manta, we make a stop at a gourmet chocolate factory—mostly so tourists can spend money.

Our ship has been decorated for the holidays, with nods to Christians and Jews.

And to finish off this long blog, here are some additional food photos:

Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio in Toscana Restaruant (L)

Lasagna al Forno in Toscana (W)

Apricot Tart with Pistachio Sauce in the Grand Dining Room (L)

Tiramisu in the Grand Dining Room (W)