Day 9 – January 13, 2015

Today we are in Manta, Ecuador. This is where the original Panama hat originated. This city has existed since pre-Columbian times and has served as the largest seaport in Ecuador for centuries. It is an enormous tuna port and many of the major tuna companies are based here. There were fishing fleets in the port today, and it was interesting watching them provision for their next trip.

Outside this town are small villages where the Panama Hat is made. We visited one today and it was very interesting to see the labor that goes into each one. We did not buy any, as we are looking for a hat with a tie under the chin, so it does not blow off. We met some people who had just what we are looking for and they got it in Australia. We will probably wait till we get there to get our hats.

We also visited a button factory today. They make buttons and jewelry out of nuts. The items look just like ivory. I bought some cat earrings. Again, it is amazing how much work goes into this process.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of 8 sea days. I will post part way across the Pacific with some pictures around the ship. On Thursday we have another formal night and will try to remember to get a picture. I hope that everyone is enjoying reading this.

These pictures start out with a couple of views from our tour bus. Then we see the button factory (from nuts). You will see a big brown thing that is the pod which holds the nuts. We then went to the Panama hat factory and finally the church. I also have a couple of pictures showing the fishing fleet followed by the sunset. I hope you all enjoy. We usually post late afternoon when the Internet seems faster.