Manta, Ecuador

We docked in Manta just as the sun was rising. Manta is a major commercial center and the second major port of Ecuador. Manta’s main industries are fishing and tuna canning and processing. 

early morning photo from our balcony - many fishing boats in port

Manta Cruise Port

This is our second time to visit here. When we were here in 2023, our room was on the opposite side of the ship and I got some really nice photos of tuna unloading right from our balcony. Since tuna is such a vital industry here, I’ll post a photo I took from that visit.

 

tuna boats unloading tuna into trucks (from our balcony, 2023)

We decided to get off the ship for a few hours this morning before it began to get hot. The complimentary shuttle dropped us off at the port entrance where vendors had various items for sale, including the authentic Panama hats. I say "authentic" because some are now coming from China but without nearly the quality. The classic Ecuadorian Panama hats are made by hand in nearby Montecristi. Some from the ship took tours to visit there.

Panama hats are very expensive, but it’s easy to see why when you understand what is involved in making them. Here's another photo from our last trip of a lady weaving a Panama hat out of fiber made from the boiled and dried leaves of the toquilla palm. The tightness and uniformity of the weave determine the quality of the hat. Every step is done by hand and it can take months to make one hat.

skillful fingers weaving tiny fibers

We had planned to go to a market called Mercado Artisanal but were navigating with our phone and actually ended up going to a different large market. It was definitely not a tourist attraction but obviously where the locals shop for food. Oh well, it was probably much more authentic anyway.

 

plantains for sale

The central building was surrounded by blocks of smaller shops, some not much more than holes in the wall. Vendors sell not only food but just about anything one could possibly need. I walk along with my cell phone in hand and snap photos of anything I find interesting or colorful, in these cases.

legumes and rice by weight

area around the market

colorful produce

cheese & eggs

 

get your beef here

From there we walked to a very huge and modern mall where we cooled off while I enjoyed a Thai bubble tea. A few stores were names that we recognized, but the majority we did not. After walking around a bit, we headed back to the ship which was only about 15 minutes away. We skipped the beach because it was beginning to get hot. When we arrived back at the ship, Ronnie’s watch showed that we had walked about 3 miles.

 

dress shop in Mall del Pacifico

Here we go...

So it's Day 49 and we're at sea today. We're headed to Ecuador, then Costa Rica and after that Mexico. Then we are back in the U.S. This is an opportunity to purchase anything we need for the rest of our journey and it almost feels like home in that we were able to order a few things from Amazon and have them delivered to the port. Supposedly they will be delivered directly to our room after our arrival. 

Ronnie also figured out a way to get rid of some of the wine and champagne we're accumulating. He posted on the Facebook ATW group that he will trade for Dr. Peppers and Extra Toasty Cheez-its. He had a taker and he'll be collecting those in San Diego as well.👍

 

 

 

We're enjoying our cruise and so far it's been a nice mix of vacation and relaxation. We were off to somewhat of a slow start in meeting our shipmates because of the 3 weeks at the beginning that we were without our clothes. Sitting with other passengers over dinner is the best way to get to know other people, so we are behind on that. We also lost a little time due to both of us being sick (Ronnie one week, me the next). But we're slowly getting to meet other passengers and that will continue as time goes on.

Many new (120 day) passengers will join us in San Diego for the remainder of the voyage. We have already seen many come and go as the various segments have ended. 

Oceania employees are always super nice and ready to meet any need we might possibly have. Jose (one of our room stewards) enjoys listening to Ronnie's Spanish readings and speaks to him in Spanish as he is able to understand it. Prashant (butler) brings me diet cokes for my room "stash" because we both know they won't be available at some point. The young men and women who work in the restaurants and cafes are always so courteous and anxious to help. In short, we are quite spoiled!

Today has been a lazy sea day. The ocean is calm and we barely feel any movement in the ship. This morning we both worked on this week's Bible study and Ronnie later exercised while I napped (ha). We've also attended 2 lectures - one by Dr. James Kus on the excavation of royal tombs in northern Peru and another by Mike Reiss, writer of the Simpsons TV show. Ronnie also participated in team trivia.

Tonight we'll have dinner with a new couple in the Red Ginger specialty restaurant. All of our upcoming specialty dinners are booked for sharing tables, which means we'll always be seated with people we've not previously met. We do know one couple from New Braunfels who just returned from Machu Picchu, and hope to hear all about it soon. 

A lazy sea day makes for a boring post... Please let us hear from you!

Ceviche & Reed Boats - Salaverry, Peru

We docked in Salaverry early this morning and took off a little before noon for the ocean side town Huanchaco, located about 45 minutes from the port. The drive gave us ample opportunity to get a feel for what the coastal part of northern Peru looks like. As we rode, our guide talked to us about the crops they grow and pointed out fields of sugar cane, tomatoes, asparagus and blueberries. I’m not sure if it’s from rainfall or irrigation, but I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post that Lima has not had rain in 5 years! Lima does have areas of green of course, but they are irrigated from rivers and I suspect this area is much the same.

 

can you see the gulls floating in the water?

We also saw tons of trash all along the roads and walkways – it was truly disgusting. I thought Indonesia was the worst as far as trash everywhere, but I believe that Peru has Indonesia beat. Trust me, I could have taken much, much worse photos than these. They apparently have not figured out a way to deal with this and I suspect they have become somewhat blind to it. 

 

trash is EVERYWHERE!

We arrived in Huanchaco in time for lunch at a waterfront restaurant called Big Ben. We watched as a master chef demonstrated how to prepare Peru’s iconic cured fish, ceviche. Although its precise origin is disputed, this dish has deep roots in this region. According to the chef, fresh sea bass makes the best ceviche, although sole or tuna can be used as well. To the chopped fish he added lime juice, diced red onions, habanero peppers, cilantro, seaweed, celery water and salt. He explained the purpose of each ingredient as he added it to the dish. In the early days, the raw fish was cured in maize juice but today it is cured with lime juice.

 

fresh sea bass

various peppers and limes

The dish is usually served with cold sweet potatoes and cob corn. The cob corn looks and tastes very different from the corn we eat in the U.S. It’s hard to describe the texture; it's not at all similar to our fresh corn or hominy either. Actually, it doesn’t have much flavor at all to me. After he finished making the ceviche, he mixed up the alcoholic drink Pisco Sour, again explaining each ingredient he used. 

 

cobb corn, ceviche and sweet potatoes

 

Following his cooking demonstration, we moved to a different area where we were served a lunch of – you guessed it – ceviche and Pisco Sours. So I did a first – I tried both. I don’t care for alcohol so that didn’t appeal to me at all. However, I would have enjoyed it if he would have left out the alcohol, egg white and bitter whatever. ha! The ceviche tasted o.k. but it was hard for me to get past the idea of it being uncooked. I know, I know, the lime juice “cooks” it but it still had the texture of raw fish. But I tried it, which is more than I can say for Ronnie. After lunch, each guest was given a chef’s certificate and a reed boat souvenir to remember our visit by.

 

guests having lunch at Big Ben's restaurant

Afterwards, we moved down the beach a short distance to see a local fisherman show off his skills piloting a reed “caballito” or surf fishing boat. These boats are constructed and used by local fishermen to fish in the early morning hours. The reed boats are only good for 3-4 years before they have to be replaced. They are dried each day by standing them on end in the sand. Souvenir stands line the sidewalk between the street and the rocky beach. I was disappointed that my pictures weren’t better. For more info on the reed boats see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caballito_de_totora

 

families relax on a very rocky beach

paddle is made of split bamboo

 

fisherman straddles boat on knees

reed boats and nets drying after the morning's catch

 

As one can see from the photos, the beaches here are extremely rocky. It's hard to understand how sitting and lying on them could be that relaxing but this is what they are used to. Perhaps the biggest draw to these Peruvian beaches is the surfing. The waves are huge and perfect for that sport. There are many surf shops where boards are sold and surfing lessons can be purchased. 

I snapped a few bus window photos as we drove through the town on our way back to the ship. Most of the houses are built straight up - 2, 3 or possibly 4 floors for multi-generational living. Almost all are made of red brick. I suspect the bricks are not fired, as many of the older ones are badly deteriorated. Very few houses are finished, so most have rebar sticking out of the top floor. Our guide explained that if they finish their house, the taxes automatically double. Thus, the unfinished houses.

 

We were greeted all day with literally thousands of sea birds floating in the ocean water and standing and flying around the dock. I snapped a few more as we walked from the bus back to the ship. 

 

so many sea birds!

fishing boats resting in bay

The sun was setting as we pulled away from the dock. Goodnight and goodbye, Peru.

3-for-1 in Lima, Peru

Our excursion today was called Peruvian Art and we definitely felt we got our money’s worth. We left the ship around 9 am, skipping lunch and not returning to the ship until 2:30 pm. Our first stop was in the historic Pueblo Libre District at the Larco-Herrera Museum, housed in a viceroy’s former mansion. 

Museo Larco

property full of colorful bougainvillea & variety of cactus

The museum houses the world’s largest private collection of some 45,000 pieces of pre-Columbian ceramics and textile art. Did you get that? 45,000 pieces!! The history of this collection is most interesting. The site will allow you to translate to English.  https://www.museolarco.org/en/collection/

several rooms just like this

individual's faces on drink containers

mummy containing small child who died from hydrocephalus

this person buried with 7 lbs of solid gold 

burial headdresses

From there we were driven to The Museum of Contemporary Art of Lima, a collection of modern and contemporary Latin American art. We didn't spend a long time there, as it was a rather small museum. I confess I’m not much into modern art. Perhaps I’m not deep enough to figure out what messages the artists are trying to convey. Sometimes I suspect the artist isn’t sure either. I’m personally more into realism. 

 

 

 

The art on the Vista is modern as well and I feel the same way about it. In fact, we have one piece of art hanging in our room that only within the past week or so did I discover that it is a drawing of a woman. Prior to that I just thought it was lines and shapes. It’s safe to say that I’m just not that into modern art.

Much of our time was spent riding in an air conditioned coach between the 3 different museums. Peruvians work a half day on Saturday so the traffic was quite heavy. From there we traveled further south to the enclave of Barranco where we visited the private home of Javier and Yvonne Luna. 

life size pope in the living room

every wall in every room is absolutely full

Their personal home contains the art and treasures of the Luna Elias-Polo family who own and display an extensive collection of Niños Manuelitos (nativity scenes) from Peru and all over the world. Mrs. Luna conducted the tour of their home while sharing the history of different pieces they have collected. 

It’s safe to say that both she and her husband are serious collectors, evidenced by the fact that they have enough nativities to turn their home into a museum. They have a souvenir nativity that she and her husband are a part of along with tote bag they offer for sale at the end of the tour.

 

Yvonne Luna 

These photos are but a tiny sampling. There was one room that had entire miniature scenes with animated characters fishing, roasting a pig, woodworking with running water, music, lights, etc. I took a short video of it but unfortunately this blog site isn't allowing me to post videos. There really are no words to describe this place, and my photos don’t even begin to give you the full picture of what their home is like.

All in all it was an interesting day.