Manta, Ecuador
Our first stop in Ecuador was to the city of Manta, a fishing town known as the Tuna Capital of the World. The small boats in the Manta harbor are almost entirely fishing boats. Other things Manta is known for are the large Manta Rays which can be found in the harbor and the nearby town of Montecristi, home to the original and official Panama Hat.
Our excursion today took us to a beautiful private golf resort in Montecristi where we saw a local family of Ecuadorian artisans demonstrate the entire process of constructing Panama hats in the painstaking process from pulling fibers from the toquilla palm to the final shaping of the hat. These had made hats can take from a few weeks to a year to construct and can cost up to $2000. We each purchased beautiful hats but they were nowhere near that price. Almost everyone of the guests on our excursion also purchased a hat.
Following the hat making demonstration we enjoyed a light snack of some local specialties. The ceviche and chocolate were excellent as was everything they served. While we enjoyed our food we were entertained by a local group of dancers. The dancing was energetic and the costumes colorful and beautifully constructed. The skirts in the dresses are composed of over 5 years of fabric. We enjoyed the performance despite the room being a little small for it and the distracting golf resort posters behind the dancers.
The last dance performed was a dance used to celebrate the cocoa harvest. At the end of the performance everyone on our tour was encouraged to join in the dancing. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this excursion.
