March 27 – Manta Ecuador

As we cruised north the coast started to gradually change.  Instead of the bleak brown desert of northern Chile and Peru, we are now starting to see some green vegetation along the coast.

We arrived in the Ecuadorian port of Manta around noon hour.  Manta is about a hundred kilometers south of the equator.  This South American beach resort is the fifth largest city in Ecuador with a population a little over one hundred thousand people.  It is mainly known for the weaving of Panamanian hats.  Fishing is its primary industry though.  The catch is mainly tuna.

The temperature is getting uncomfortably hot. The sun seems to burn you within seconds of being exposed to it.  As we entered the port, the captain had opened up the heliport for people to get a good direct view of Manta as we approached the harbour.  But most people only lasted a few minutes on deck before retreating to the air conditioned inside.

There is not much going on in this port.  I took a bus trip into the city from the port and was delivered to a flea market.  Most of the items for sale had also been on sale in the ports of Peru and Chile.  

Mostly it consisted of brightly coloured scarves, knitted garments, knick knacks, leather goods, wood carvings and of course Panama hats. 

I did take a walk on a street removed from the flea market and was shocked at how much Ecuadorians pay from consumer electronics. A 40” 4K TV costs over $2,300 US.  That is at least three times as much as what we would pay in Best Buy. On the bright side you could buy a beer in the local store for twenty five cents.

In one of the parks there was a wonderful tree that a large number of vines that were growing out of its thick branches.  Unfortunately there was no sign that would tell me what type of tree it was.

In the evening I went to a show in the theatre by a singer named “Teacake.”  The highlight of her biography was that she had sung at a Houston Astro’s baseball game.  So my expectations were not high.  It turns out that she had a great voice and put on a very enjoyable show.

At 10:30 pm we crossed the equator and entered the northern hemisphere. Celebrity put on a quite a festive show on the pool deck that was attended by the majority of passengers.  The celebration of crossing the equator is an old maritime tradition. It started with King Neptune arriving and reading a proclamation from the captain.  This was followed by the traditional kissing of a fish and ended with a dance party.  It was fun to see the moon directly over our head.