SCENES AROUND SOUTH AMERICA - SERIES # 17

"Travel, in the younger sort, is apart education, in the elder, a part experience." - Francis Bacon 

MANTA, ECUADOR - March 6, 2013

Hola from Manta, Ecuador! Ecuador, of course, is the Spanish word for Equator. Its an apt name for the smallest Hispanic nation in South America. I was a young freshman high school girl when I first heard about a  distant country named Ecuador. I was in a home Bible Study when I heard the tragic news about 5 American missionaries murdered in Ecuador by the Auca Indians in 1956. The story captured the world's imagination including mine, concerning the five martyrs. It was a story I'll never forget.

I never expected that more than fifty years after this tragic event, that I would have the chance to visit Ecuador.  I came not as a missionary but as a tourist. Of course we didn't venture to the Ecuadorian jungles. Our  short trip was mostly confined to the city of Manta.  It was a wonderful to experience a part of this country that I had known when I was a young girl.

                  Port Of Manta, Ecuador From The Grand Princess

Another View Of Manta, Ecuador From The Ship (Grand Princess)

 

Fish Icon Of Manta, Ecuador  

 

First Tour Stop Was A Muddy Fishing Village. It Rained That Morning, So The Village  Was Muddy, Muddy Like A Mud Pie.

Colorful Fishing Boats

 

Next Stop Was A Typical Local Panama Hat Cottage Industry.

Our Friendly Ecuadorian Tour Guide. Thank God! Not a Descendant From The Auca Indian Tribe. He Demonstrated The Famous Hat Was Made From Toquilla Straw, Hand-split Into Strands Not Much Thicker Than Thread.

Panama Hat Is Woven So Finely The Finished Product Seems To Be Made From The Softest Linen Or Silk.   

A Skilled  Ecuadorian Woman Demonstrating How The Panama Hat Are Made.

Ebb With Panama Hat Maker

 

Beautiful Handmade Panama Hats For Sale

 

Multi-colored Assorted Handmade Baskets For Sale Among The Panama Hats

 

A Very Cute Ecuadorian Girl Among The Straws 

 

Ebb- During A Stop At The Montecristi Main Square, Photographing Timeless Colonial Buildings And Historic Cathedral. 

Rhod At The Montecristi Main Square

 

The Village Of Montecristi Is Renowned For The Hand Woven Straw Hat That Originated Not In Panama But right Here In Ecuador. We splurged On Five Panama Hats, Which Are Quite  In The U.S. Bought A Ladies' Hat For My Self. Rhod Bought One Himself And Three More For Our Sons. Amazing To Watch How The Vendors Rolled And Packed the Hats Into A Smaller Hat Boxes. 

 

The Village Of Montecristi Lies At the Foot Of A Large Hill Of The Same Name. The Little Town Has The Fine Archeological Museum. Here's A View Of One Of The Colorful Murals.

  

Rhod W/ A Map Of Ecuador At The Museo Centro Cultural Of Manta

The Museum Has Collection Of Artifacts And Dioramas That Bring The Past To Life. One Of The Many Collections.

Another Example From The Collection That I Liked.

I remember this beautiful song...."When I was a little girl girl I asked my mother what will I be. Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Que sera sera, what ever will be will be." Now that I am grown up I feel blessed that I am A" HAPPY TRAVELER!