This morning we tied up in the port city of Manta. This port seems to be dominated by the fishing industry with fishing boats loaded with nets dotting the harbor. The focus of their fishing is tuna. By the locals definition this city is the tuna capital of the world. In fact, they have a statue of a tuna in the middle of the shopping district.
We visited a local market where we bought a few items including a “Panama Hat” for me. We are told that these hats are made in Ecuador in the city of Montechristi by local tradesmen. They are very proud of these hats. I only hope I am half as proud to wear mine. I am sure it will be the talk of the Montana cherry farming community. We saw a young boy grinding coffee in the market from a local farm.
Just down the street we visited a little park which also had iguanas in the trees. Now seasoned travelers we were quick to move along avoiding any aerial bombardment.
This tiny country with its economy so tied to the ocean has as its capital the city of Quito, which is inland and at an altitude of 9,360 feet, making it the second highest capital in the world next to La Paz, Bolivia at 12,000 feet. It seems an unlikely spot for the capital, but has historical significance since it was an Inca stronghold before the Spanish arrived.
We have now completed 20 days of our trip with 10 days to go. During the remainder of our trip we will visit Costa Rica on one stop and then 5 stops in Mexico as we hop from port to port on our way to San Diego.
No comments:
Post a Comment