November 29, 2017

    We crossed the equator during the night, after we cruised along the coast of Columbia to along the coast of the Republic of Ecuador.

   This morning there was a haze and thin clouds, but the temperature was about 75 F and very little wind.  We could see beautiful beaches from the ship’s decks.

   Manta, located in Manabi province, is one of the Republic of Ecuador’s largest ports and is famous for its tuna fishing industry. International major brands of tuna are processed here in one of the 16 facilities. The dock was within the working port and there were fishing boats unloading their catches at the next pier. There are 160 fishing boats on the tuna fleet. There was no smell of fish even though the ship was docked between five fishing boats that were unloading their frozen catches.  About 40 cruise ships dock in Manta each year.

   Ecuador has some tall mountains in the Andes, some over 6,000 meters high. The tallest mountain in Ecuador is volcanic Mount Chimborazo. Due to the earth’s not quite spherical shape it could be the highest point on the earth, even though not even the highest peak in the Andes.  See the interesting article at the web address:  https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2012-06-04/mount-chimborazo-volcano-ecuador-maphead-ken-jennings

    Our guide, Moses, described the country on the 45-minute drive to Montecristi.  Besides the tuna fishery, oil production is a leading industry, as well as banana growing and flower exporting. Sardines are also caught and exported, especially for sale to Russia and Iran. There are also coffee plantations which export internationally.

   There are 26 provinces in Ecuador. The country has a population of 15 million, its capital is Quito.  Manta has a population of 250,000 and growing. Manta has only 300 cm of rain annually during its rainy season from November to May.  The vegetation looked quite dry. The Amazon River flows in the Ecuadoran Andes Mountains.

   About 50,000 people live in Montecristi.  Manta and surrounding area have been the center of seven different indigenous cultures dating back to at least 3500 BC, and ending with the Incas before the Spanish invasion in the 16th century.  There is evidence that the Mayans visited the area around 500 AD, but found it already inhabited and left. Manta was known as Jocay to the Incas.  The Spanish found stores of gold, silver and emeralds when they invaded in 1534 under the leadership of Pedro de Alvarado. The indigenous people viewed gold as the blood of the sun and not too valuable.

    At 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2016 the area suffered a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.  Some surrounding areas are being rebuilt. The steeple of the Basilica in Montecristi toppled, but the rest of the church was undamaged.

   Since 2000, the Republic of Ecuador has used American dollars as its currency. This has brought economic stability to the country.  The minimum wage is $375 per month with the average income between $800 and $1,000 per month.  The average house costs about $50,000.

    Our shore excursion was to the city of Montecristi where the famous “Panama” hats are handmade. In the early 1900s, the workers laboring on the Panama Canal used the imported hat to protect them from the sun.  When American President Theodore Roosevelt visited the canal construction, a photo of him wearing the hat sent the sales of the hat sky high.  The actual name for the hat is paja toquilla hat, it is made from a native grass.

   Our first photo stop was at the Fish Market, where the fresh fish are sold.  The cleaning of the fish is done nearby. Frigate birds and pelicans gather to dive into the waste piles for food or land and wander amongst the fishermen for food.  A few hundred meters further along the shore is the shipyard where wooden fishing boats are constructed from mahogany and teak woods, then covered in fiberglass.  The cost of a finished boat is $180,000 without a motor.  Further along the shoreline we saw a group of men pulling a gigantic net and harvesting the fish.  These nets are repurposed tuna fishing nets.

   As we approached Montecristi, at a large traffic circle, there was the 15-meter high statue of a female hat weaver.  The vibrant colours are from the ceramic tiles used to cover its surface.  At the side of the road was a person selling fresh crab under a canopy.  Moses brought one of the crab onto the bus.  It was an average size crab which the man was selling 24 crabs for $10.

   As we drove through the city of Montecristi, we happened to stop beside a furniture maker’s shop.  He was outside making the woven furniture that Moses said is popular for indoor furniture in the region.  Our destination was Ciudad Alfaro, where we watched a demonstration of how the “Panama” hat is made.  We had to drive up to a plateau above Montecristi, that gave a panoramic view of the town and valley. Ciudad Alfaro also had a museum and the first train in Ecuador, from Pennsylvania, was displayed.  It was the first train to go from coast to mountains in August 1908.  There was a 20-minute slot for shopping at one of the twenty little kiosks.  Besides many hats, there were shirts, dresses, baskets, scarves, beach bags, cellphone purses and more.  The café sold Ecuadoran coffee.

   The next stop was in the center of Montecristi. We walked past the former mansion of Ecuador’s first president where he established the first school for girls on the way to the Minor Basilica of the Virgin of Monserrat.  It was refurbished in 1971. There has been a church on the site for 478 years. The top part of the steeple fell during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016.  It is the smallest basilica in the world.  The large wooden front doors are beautifully carved. In front of the church for several blocks was a flea market.  Each stall was protected from the sun and the wind by a tarp.

   The bus took a different route back to Manta. We saw many local buses that were colourfully painted. We returned to the pier along with eight or nine other buses so there was a line of people to clear security and board the ship, fortunately two entrances to the ship were being used.  After lunch, in the crowded Oceanview Café, we walked circuits around Decks 11 and 12 and watched the fishing boats unload the frozen catches from their holds onto waiting trucks.

   We watched one of the gangways being winched from the pier all the way up to Deck 11 before we returned to the Oceanview Café for ice cream. The walk was almost as windy as yesterday even though the ship was still docked.  There was a thickening layer of cloud but several dozen people on deck 11 and 12 sunbathing as well as the people on Deck 10 by the pool sunbathing.

   The ship left port about 2:45 enroute to Lima, Peru, on Friday.

   We again joined Betty & Warren, Jan & Doug and Lynn & Phil for dinner in the Trellis Dining Room.  The group now has a standing dinner reservation for the rest of the cruise. We chose mixed green salad, Waldorf Chicken Salad, seafood crepe and New England Clam Chowder to start the meal. The entrées were Chicken Kiev, Pepper Steak and chicken pot pie.  The desserts were Eclairs or Blueberry Apple Turnovers.

   Tonight’s show was singer Ashlie-Amber who snag the songs made famous by Whitney Houston. We went to the Constellation Room on Deck 11 for the pre-recorded ballroom dance music, but it was more easy listening than dance music.  Later this evening was the “Equator Crossing” ceremony, it was a day later than the actual time that the ship crossed the equator.  It included the “Kiss the Fish” ceremony.

   A trip to the casino saw some people playing three card poker which was interesting to watch.

Final steps for the day 13,053

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