Day 9 - Manta, Ecuador

Our first visit to Ecuador began at 5:00 am, when Viking Octantis docked in Manta.  We arrived so very early because 55 passengers needed to depart at 5:30 am for their overland excursions to Machu Picchu and/or the Galapagos.  Tim and I had considered one of these excursions, but we wanted to spend more time than was allocated.

Welcome to Manta, Ecuador

Instead, we stayed to visit Ecuador, and Tim and I once again went our separate ways. Tim chose an optional excursion, “Cerro Jaboncillo Archaeological Site,” to delve into the history of Ecuador’s native people at the ruins of the ancient city of Cerro Jaboncillo.

I selected the included excursion, “Manta’s Timeless Treasures,” to encounter skilled weavers and carvers at work. This was the description:

Discover Ecuador’s craft industry and gain insight into the traditions that shape its local communities. Drive along the coast of Manta to arrive at the cabuya plant weaving factory. One of the last of its kind, this factory preserves the ancient craft of weaving with this special plant. Observe local artisans as they work, both to create their products and to maintain this tradition. Continue to Montecristi, the birthplace of the toquilla straw hat, also known as the "Panama Hat" after President Theodore Roosevelt wore it to inspect the Panama Canal. Watch as skilled weavers craft these iconic hats and peruse their goods for a keepsake to take home. To round out your understanding of Ecuadorian craftsmanship, enjoy a tagua nut carving demonstration. Often referred to as “vegetable ivory,” this nut can be utilized for many products, from simple buttons to intricate jewelry.

As we left the port, our guide gave us an introduction to Manta, known for its vibrant tuna-fishing industry and its close link to the sea. Approximately 300,000 tons of tuna are exported every year. Manta is the largest seaport in Ecuador, but the city is also famous for its bananas, coffee, and cocoa beans.

A Tuna Fishing Boat with Its Massive Nets Docked in Front of Our Ship

All types of fishing boats filled the waters, and we even saw several that were being locally made by hand. The catch of the day was being sold at the large Fish Market, which was bustling with activity.

Fish Market and Fishing Boats, Some Far Out in the Water and Others Docked

Our destination today was not Manta, however, but Montecristi, a town in the Manabí province of Ecuador known for its rich artisan tradition. Montecristi, not Panama, is also where the famous “Panama hat" originated, despite the hat’s name.

Monument to the Manabita Weaver

We headed to the Toquilla Straw Hat Museum to learn more about the production of these hats. The museum aims to preserve and promote the cultural value of this unique art, crafted by expert artisans from various communities in the area. Here in Montecristi, the finest toquilla straw hats in the world are produced. This craft is so significant that UNESCO recognized Toquilla Straw Weaving as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012.

Toquilla Straw Hat Museum

The museum provides demonstrations of the entire process of making a hat, from preparing and processing the toquilla palm leaves, to hand-weaving the dried straw into the hat body, to blocking the hat into its final shape using wooden molds. It’s no wonder the best hats are so expensive. Although lots of hats were available for sale, I resisted the urge to purchase one.

Preparing and Processing the Leaves

Drying the Straw and Weaving the Hats

Weaving Various Shaped Hats - The Position of the Body that Is Required to Weave
the Hats Looks Painful

Blocking and Finishing the Hats

Finished Hats

From the museum, we drove through Montecristi, where we saw many vendors on the sidewalks selling local fruit and other products. We learned that this is a very common sight here.

Fruit and Other Items for Sale

Our next stop was the Johanna Workshop in the nearby village of El Chorrillo, where the same family has perfected the art of making things with cabuya for more than 40 years. The plant cabuya is a cactus similar to agave, and the cabuya used here is a variety that is endemic to Ecuador. The fibers obtained from the leaves of the plant are used to make ropes, sacks, textiles, rugs, among others.

Johanna Workshop

Here, the workers demonstrated the process involved in producing cabuya, including preparing the leaves to extract the fibers, combing and spinning the fibers into threads, and weaving the final product. This was another exacting process.

Preparing the Cabuya Leaves and Extracting and Combing the Fibers

Spinning the Fibers into Threads, Plus a Finished Rug and Rope

Spinning the Fiber Threads

Weaving the Final Product

Our final stop, a Tagua Factory, introduced us to the process of producing items from tagua, referred to as vegetable ivory. Taguas are palm trees native to the tropical rainforests of South America, particularly Ecuador. The palms produce a fruit that grows in clusters and has a hard, spiny shell, similar to a pineapple. Inside are seeds or nuts, which must be dried naturally. The nuts are known as vegetable ivory due to their similarity to animal ivory when dried.

Tagua Factory (top), Tagua Fruit (center left), Tagua Nuts Drying (center right), Dried Tagua Nut
(bottom left), and Tagua Factory Equipment

The dried tagua nuts become white and hard, perfect for carving. We watched as artisans cut the seeds into the desired shape, first producing discs that would be turned into buttons.

Cutting the Tagua Nuts into Desired Shapes

We then watched William carve one of the nuts into the shape of an owl in less than two minutes. The owl was so cute that I asked if I could purchase it. Instead, he gave it to me as a gift, although I did tip him.

William Carving an Owl from a Tagua Nut

The products available for purchase included brilliantly polished animals, buttons, jewelry, and Christmas ornaments. I didn’t take photos, but I did succumb to temptation and purchased a few ornaments.

It’s always such a pleasure when an excursion exceeds one’s expectations, and today’s did just that. Our guide was excellent, the exposure to Ecuador’s traditional artisan culture was enriching, and the craftspeople we encountered were simply amazing. I also found Ecuador to be filled with very friendly people, many of whom waved at us as we drove by, and I’m so glad that our itinerary included Ecuador.

At lunch back on the ship, I saw another familiar face. Ralasha, a waitress from our World Cruise, and I recognized each other at the same time, and it was so nice to see her again. She had just boarded in Panama City and will be with us the rest of the cruise.

Ralasha and Sarah

This evening, Tim and I dined at The Restaurant, which is a specialty dining venue on Expedition ships. Dover sole was on the menu, and I loved watching our Nagesh filet the fish. It was a lovely evening, and although we will usually opt for the World Café, it was nice to be waited on again.

Dinner at The Restaurant - Goan Potato Chops, Grilled Dover Sole,
Nagesh Fileting Tim's Dover Sole, and Biscoff and Caramel Cheesecake