January 11, 2024
Around 4:00 this morning we arrived in Manta the second largest city in Ecuador. For today we did not book any tours. After we had breakfast we walked off the ship. We kept following the Malecon, searching for an Artisan market. The artisan market was nowhere to be found, instead we decided to go for a coffee at a little cafe. We were lucky we had Google translate on our phone so we could start a conversation with the waitress regarding the market. She gave us directions towards something called a Central Market but to behold it was not really an artisan market at all, instead we found carcases of pigs and chickens hanging off the ceiling and there was also a market where they were selling produce. We noticed that we were the only non Equadorian people in this area of town, that made us decide to better walk back towards the beach.
The Bay was littered with large fishing vessels, I counted at least 60 of them. Apparently they are Tuna fishing boats. Some of the boats had helicopters parked on their deck to look for the fish. Arriving back at the terminal there was a small market setup. There they were selling souvenirs and a variety of other wares. I managed to get myself a Panama hat. Even though they are called Panama hats, they’re actually made in Ecuador. After the stop at the market we made it back to the ship safely. After lifting the anchor around 10:00 p.m, we were off on our way to our next stop.
Cheers
Cor and Carol
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