Oct. 27, 2011 - Manta, Ecuador

This morning while we slept, we crossed the equator at about 12.30 in the morning. Now we are in the southern hemisphere. We received a certificate today verifying that we had made this crossing on this day.
We went on an early morning shore excursion to see Manta and Montecristi. Manta was once a small trading post for the Mantas and the Incans before it was conquered by the Spanish. In the last 50 years, the population has risen to 192,322 inhabitants. Its main activity is tuna fishing. Other activities are tourism and chemical industry with products from cleaning supplies to oil and margarine.
We visited the museum where we were told of the original inhabitants and how they lived. Then we went to a factory that produced Tauga buttons and cocoa beans. Next we went to a small operation that made mats and clothing items from the Aguara cactus. After this we traveled to Montecristi where we saw how panama hats were made. Of course I bought a nice white panama hat. Dorothy bought a beautiful table lace table cloth that we will use when our dining room table is extended for special dinners.
After this we returned to Manta to see how wooden boats are being built and where the boats come in every day after a morning of fishing. We also saw many tuna fishing ship that were in the harbour.

Fruit that produces many tauga nuts.

Tauga nuts are sliced for buttons.

Cocoa nuts being dried on a concrete slab by the hot sun

A manual loom making mats from cactus threads.

Dorothy buying scarfs from a woman in native dress.

A woman weaving a panama hat.

The cathedral of Montecristi on a high hill.

Market area next to cathedral.

Wooden fishing boats being constructed.

Port and beach in Manta.