Manta is home to a huge tuna fishing industry, claiming to land more tonnage than any other port in the world. We saw tuna boats of all sizes, includes many like the one at the dock next to ours. Note the helicopter on top of its wheelhouse.
Today we had anticipated being on an air conditioned bus that would zip us to several destinations. The expectation evaporated about 9:00 yesterday evening when I heard my bride exclaim, "Oh no (well, perhaps something a bit stronger and more colorful), we booked the wrong tour!"
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Today's Tour: MONTECRISTI BY CHIVAS
Enjoy a fun-filled bus ride during this transfer via Chivas Bus to the sites and shops of picturesque Montecristi.
Enjoy a fun-filled bus ride during this transfer via Chivas Bus to the sites and shops of picturesque Montecristi.
The brightly-painted Chivas Bus is the most important means of transportation used by the local populace. They crisscross the country, offering reasonably-priced transportation between the towns along the coast and interior sections of Ecuador. Most will know a Chivas because of the small ceramic models sold in craft stores that are typically depicted overflowing with produce, suitcases and the odd basket
of chickens tied to the top.
of chickens tied to the top.
Today, a local band will ride atop one of the buses as you set off in a convoy for the short, 30-minute ride to fascinating Montecristi, home of the famous Panama hat. This beautiful little town is indeed the highlight of the tour, and still retains the atmosphere and faded elegance of its Spanish heritage. At Montecristi's central square, you will find many artisan stalls selling straw baskets, jewelry, colorful handicrafts and Panama hats.
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At the bottom of the gangway, our ride awaited us.
We were on the lead bus. The live band was on the roof of the second bus, but traveling in convoy, their music would be heard by all.
Boarding the bus, we were each given a plastic whistle that we were encouraged to blow with gusto whenever and wherever we felt lit it throughout the ride. That couldn't possibly get old fast.
And there was even the potential for Karaoke - be still my heart!
After leaving the port, we rocketed down the road at speeds approaching 20 MPH, elongating the trip from Manta to Montecristi from 20 minutes to 50 minutes. I was not certain whether the slow speed was our party-bus status or simply prudence due the complete absence of functional shock absorbers.
Our band the centerpiece of our convoy, we were the envy of everyone we passed.
We saw lots of street vendors, mostly selling water and various fruits.
Our guide was Jesus ("he-zoose" - Spanish for George), not to be confused with the guiding spirit on this bus,...
...pointed out a Sable tree. During the dry season, it drops all its leaves and survives by drawing on the water stored in its trunk.
As we entered Montecristi, we came to a statue dedicated to the women who make Panama Hats.
Okay, when is a Panama Hat not a Panama Hat? When it is made in Panama, at least according to the residents of Montecristi. The name of the hat does not derive from its geographical origin, but rather its publicity.
In 1906, then President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Panama to drum up support for construction of the Panama Canal. (BTW, he was the first US president to leave the country while in office.) During his visit, he was photographed numerous times, including this iconic shot...
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| No, I did not take it. |
...wearing a white hat that came from Ecuador. Demand for the hat skyrocketed and not knowing what to call it, it was dubbed the Panama Hat.
Montecristi is the epicenter of where the hat as made in Ecuador.
After we got off our bus, we were shown how it was made.
After we got off our bus, we were shown how it was made.
The hats are all about the number of weaves to the square inch. This involves the thinness of the straw material used and the tightness of the weave. There are numerous other criteria, but the weave is the key metric. The two-for-$20 hats are a course weave. From there the scale goes up to "superfine". Hats in this category can run $400 or much, much more. Our guide told us of one famous hat maker who makes only three hats a year, selling them for $15,000 per hat. [NOTE: Prices are in US dollars, which is the official currency of Ecuador.]
While women do most of the weaving, men have various rolls in the production process. These include gathering raw materials and pounding finished hats to increase their suppleness. And some of the most prestigious hats are made by men.
For more information on the making of a Panama Hat, visit...
After the demonstration, there was a 'buying opportunity'. I verbalized an interest. I was immediately culled from the herd of tire-kickers, a young girl being charged with leading me from the courtyard where the weaving demonstration was conducted to a shop about a block away. A short time later, I walked out with a box containing my new hat.
Jesus (the guide, not the one pictured on the back of the bus) soon found me, expressing a friendly interest in my purchase, including a query about how much I paid after negotiating the price. I have done this dance before with guides all over the world. I knew his interest in what I paid was about computing his commission for setting the stage for the sale by positioning himself in front of a specific vendor's table. Regardless, I was pleased with my acquisition.
Mingling with SIRENA passengers who had arrived using more conventional transportation, we wandered around a plaza full of stalls taking in the sights and climbed the stairs to visit was proved to be a pleasant, airy and recently built church.
George (aka Jesus) rounded up our group and herded us to the bus.
Did I mention that for parties they remove the seats. In addition to massive audio speakers and numerous strobe lights, the bus is equipped for pole dancing. Catchy sayings on the roof's cross-members translated to "I like my beer cold and my women hot." et cetera.
We were on the land side of the bus going on Montecristi, so when we reached the road along the beach, we were on the sea side this time. We passed quite a crew of people net-fishing from the beach.
Some good-sized boats were being beach-built.
By the time we got back to SIRENA, I was ready to take a 10-pound sledgehammer to the plastic whistles we had been given at the start of our tour.
We had lunch aboard, then caught a shuttle to the port entrance. We walked from there to a nearby beach just to take in the sights.
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| Fountain just outside port gates honoring tuna fishing industry. |
Back at SIRENA, we watched tuna boats coming in and a dredge working the area in front of the piers until it was time to get underway for Guayaquil.
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