Day 08 - 10/14/23 - Manta, Ecuador

 We had a great day in Manta, Ecuador.  We met up with our group of 36 people in the Ocean Bar and Len and and I checked in our partipants

(Len had group #2 and I was in Group #3 but kept tabs on group #1.  We disembarked the ship together and boarded a shuttle bus that would take us through this container terminal to the Cruise Terminal a short distance away.  There we were greeted by our guide for the day Mauro.  Our 12 people filled most of the small excursion bus and soon we were off to our first stop at the fish market.  

Tuna and fishing in general is a major part of the economy here and we observed lots of raw fish and shellfish at the market which opens at 4am daily and closes at noon.  We even went out on the beach where fishermen were processing sharks.  All of the fish is used and the fins are exported to Asia where they are apparently a delicacy.  Raw wild oysters could be had for $1 each on the half shell and several guests sampled them.  

A 100 ton fishing boat under construction

From the fish market we drove to the museum which is housed in the former National Bank building.  It houses a small collection of artifacts and we spent about an hour there before heading to the Pacoche National Park.

Along the way to the Park, we stopped at a gated community and a resident came on board and shared about his experience living here as an ex-pat.  It was extremely interesting and he and his wife really like living here.  Two years ago their home cost $240,000 for a 2,400 sq ft home. They don't own a car but use taxis and public transportation to get around.  They have private health care and have used it for at least one surgery.  Our group was really appreciative for this unscheduled stop which was arranged by Mauro with his local connections.

At the Park, we did a nature hike with Carlos, our guide.  It had been raining a bit and it was a little moist so we weren't able to do the most difficult section of the trail.  However we did get to see lots of flora and fauna.  Most notable for me was the giant tarantulas.  They were about 6" across and fierce looking.  We also saw a group of howler monkeys.  On the flora side of things we saw birds of paradise, lots of bamboo, bananas, and other fruits.  

Unfortunately in group #2 one participant slipped and cut his head.  An ambulance was called and he was transported back to the ship where he received medical attention and is doing well as of this writing.

From the National Park we headed to the coast to the Blue Dolphin restaurant at San Lorenzo.  The fish, rice, and salad meal was nice and we also enjoyed our second soda (Coke Zero) this voyage.  We then headed to Montecristi where we toured the cathedral (the absolute cleanest and prettiest cathedral we've seen in the world) and strolled the shopping street with a stop at a Panama hat store.  At the store we watched a demonstration of how Panama hats are made.  It was extremely interesting.

We then drove back to the Cruise terminal and arrived around 5pm.  After shopping the vendors there, we walked to the nearby mall and strolled around there and enjoyed a nice ceviche dinner.  Our walk back to the Cruise Terminal was in the dark, but we didn't feel threatened.  After a World Stage performance by the Lincoln Center Presents quintet (Seasons was the theme), we watched the movie "Air", which we really liked.

Tomorrow we have a sea day on our way to Guayaquil and we are projected to arrive around 4pm, but the gangway will remain closed and nobody will be allowed on or off the ship due to possible unrest surrounding the Presidential election being held that day.