Our port of call today was Manta, Ecuador. The capital is Quito, very close to the Equator. The population is 15.7 million folks that speak mainly Spanish. A country of historic places, plazas, and 17th century churches, Ecuador offers much variety to travelers. Quito is described as a Spanish colonial stunner with churches, monasteries, and bell towers dating back centuries. Cobblestone streets take you to museums and restaurants that serve an array of local cuisine. Some of the favorites include arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), ceviche (marinated raw seafood), churrasco (beef, eggs, potatoes and rice), empanadas ( pastries stuffed with cheese), and hornados (roasted pig) to name a few.
And who hasn't heard of the Panama hat? Monticristi is the hat-making town of all. Dating back to the late 1800's, the locals created these hand-made toquilla-palm straw hats for the workers on the Panama Canal. They are extremely durable and can be quite affordable, except for the high-end ones that are very pricey. We each own one that we purchased here in a wooden box over 20 years ago.
One of the highlights in Ecuador is the Galapagos Islands, home to unique animals and birds that have evolved differently than their land-based cousins. Darwin discovered this many years ago with the discovery of sea-swimming iguanas, land tortoises, and the blue-footed boobys. Naturally there are a few overland tours offered through shore excursions. They range in duration from 4 to 7 days, and are priced from $5500 to $7300 per person. One of these tours take in both the Galapagos and Machu Picchu ending in Lima, Peru. These overland adventures had to be purchased at least two months prior to our arrival here. There is no doubt in our minds that the creative and well-traveled guests will do their own arrangements, and search for more affordable pricing. By the way, the Zuiderdam was docked at 4am in order for those tours to go off.
There were five tours in and around Manta today. They took in the best of Manta, Ila Corazon, Machalilla, Monticristi, and a coffee experience. The tour times ranged from 4 – 8 hours and cost from $90 to $ 160. We have done most of these excursions…..some more than twice. We did Monticristi on a chivas bus complete with a five-piece band on the roof which had to be the winner. Our tour guide stopped the bus, bought us $1 beers, and proceeded to open the bottles with her teeth. That was well before the bottles with twist tops. Funny how you never forget those things.
We went back to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast this morning and watched as our view was blocked by a giant tanker that would be bunkering fuel on the port side. There was no smoking allowed on this side of the ship while that was happening. On a side note, smoking is allowed on the port side of the Sea View Pool, on the opposite side of the bar.
We waited until 10:30am before venturing off. There were plenty of buses to take the guests to the fairly new cruise terminal. In the old days, we used to walk past the fishing boats, where we could watch the frozen tuna being off-loaded from the hull of the boats. Now you cannot get that close, but it appeared their catch of the day had already been taken off as we saw no action there today. Years ago while sailing on the Seven Seas Mariner (Radisson), we rode the ship's elevator with a load of giant frozen tuna. The chef had traded some bottles of alcohol for these prize fish. Still frozen solid, one of them slipped off of the trolley and was deposited right at our feet with a thud. Another amusing memory that stayed in our minds forever.
We were greeted by the nicest local ambassadors as we entered the large building. One young fellow engaged us with lots of interesting info when we asked him questions. Then there was an info desk where we were given a local city map. It was better and more up to date than the one the ship supplied. For some reason, we thought we had heard there might be another shuttle to a large craft market, but it was not there. One of the docents mentioned that the arts and crafts market was gone. The terminal building did have an array of nice things which we would check out later.
As in any big city, we had a safety advisory on the front page of today's newsletter. Be careful how you handle money, do not share personal info with anyone, and hold on to your valuables such as purses, back packs, wallets, and cameras. And don't wear flashy jewelry or expensive watches. This will apply to most everywhere we travel from here on.
Walking out of the terminal, we took a right turn and passed by several street vendors selling sunglasses, belts, jewelry, and trinkets. Taking a right turn off of the main street, we headed to the string of beaches with water sports, fresh seafood stalls, tented restaurants, and rows of beach chairs with umbrellas. Crossing the main street, we found ourselves close to a nice mall called Mall del Pacifico. It looked fairly new and we sure do not remember this being here on or last visit. Since it was warm and humid, we decided to take advantage of the air-conditioned building. There were three or four levels of very nice stores and a food court with familiar names of eateries. And since it was Saturday, many families were out and about. We mostly window-shopped, although if we needed anything in the way of clothing, supplies, or a pharmacy, it was all here. As in most modern malls these days, the upper level was dedicated to a multi-movie cinema. Judging from the line of folks waiting to place their food orders, we think KFC was number one, followed by Burger King. Their prices were not unreasonable either. We should mention here that the currency used in Ecuador is the US dollar……easy for a change.
After spending an hour or so strolling the mall, we went back outside and headed back to the Malecon or main drive. Thinking we would check out what was in this part of the city, we did not get too far. There were very few people walking the road which led to a cement factory for instance. So we turned around, carefully crossing the 4 lane highway, and back to the cruise terminal. While there, we looked over each and every souvenir stand, some of which were pricey. One display had very pretty silver and precious stone jewelry in the way of pendants and earrings. The price was based on the weight of the silver (925) as well as the stones used and the artistry of each piece. One large condor pendant with a heavy stone-studded chain cost over $400 US dollars. Of course, the vendor was willing to bargain, but we were just looking, not buying. Well almost not buying. One of the displays had a collection of native stone and gourd jewelry. Usually we only see the gourd pieces in Cartagena, Colombia. The young and pretty vendor had a few gourd earrings that caught our eye, possibly matching a necklace already owned. The matching earrings to that estate sale set had been lost, along with many other sets. But that will be a future story to share.
The line was forming to pass through the terminal xray, so we decided it was time to leave. That was shortly before 3pm, and it turned out to be a fortunate decision. The three minute bus ride took us back to the gangway, which was becoming quite steep due to high tides and a lot of turbulence. We had to go through the ship's xray again before going back to our room. At 3pm, it was announced that the Zuiderdam was going to move away from the dock, since conditions were not safe for us to stay there. The Captain later explained that some ropes had broken as well as some equipment damaged. His option was to move offshore, drop anchor, and send the tenders out. Once again, we were glad we had decided to come back when we did, because the tender operation may not have been easy.
A lido lunch was in order, and again we had problems getting sandwiches made. Today there were some platters of pre-made rolls with mystery fillings. None of the trays were labeled. And there was no sign of the sandwich-maker. This is quite unusual because we have never run into this situation on any other ship. Could this be a sign of fewer crew members that are onboard now? Eventually someone showed up and made tiny sandwiches on tiny rolls. Since we had already enjoyed nice salads, we were not all that hungry anyway. But we do intend to ask whoever is in charge why the wait staff doesn't even know where the mustard and mayo are located? After being onboard about 8 days now, we feel the kinks should have been worked out. Two sugar cones with a scoop of ice cream helped unruffle our feathers.
All aboard today was 10pm. Why so late, we do not know and this is not a port where one might wish to go out in the dark. Captain Friso announced that once all of the guests were back onboard, we would leave. Well, that did not happen. At our dinnertime, there was a call for a missing passenger. But there must have been more folks still onshore, because we did not leave until after 10pm. We also learned that there had been an accident with a fellow passenger who slipped into the water between the dock and the tender boat. A couple sitting near us confirmed they were witness to the trained crew who lifted him immediately out of the water. Lucky for him, as this could have been fatal.
On a lighter note, the dinner choices were good. Starters were salads and a chicken appetizer. Mains were one Salisbury steak and one chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. Both good and served piping hot. While we were waiting for our desserts, the Sous Chef (from Turkey) came by for a visit. One of us brought up the "not noodle " room service chicken soup. He explained that the pasta used is not exactly spaghetti, but a thin noodle. However when we described the chicken soup on the Zaandam, he admitted they were using a different recipe here. Not a big deal, we thanked him for the explanation. There may be some hope yet for those better smaller noodles to be used. Taking down our room number, he said the soup would be available for us when we wished. He did thank us for our input, and encouraged us to keep him informed with any other concerns.
A guitarist by the name of Diego Figueiredo was the entertainer this evening. His show was titled The Art of Improvisation. We went back to our room right after dinner, so we could watch the sailing out of the harbor. The lights of the city made it look much nicer as we headed towards the next port of Callao, Peru. We will have a few days at sea before we arrive there…..thank goodness.
Bill & Mary Ann
