DAY 9---MANTA, ECUADOR (DAY 2)

                             Yes, still in Manta.  Overcast and 84 humid degrees outside today.

 LAST EVENING

This is a new appetizer.  Scallop mousse and black mussels in a saffron broth.  Didn't know if we would like it but it was very good.

I ordered escargot as a backup in case I did not like the above.

                               This is a nice carmenere from the Maule Valley in Chile.

We both enjoy this beef bourguignon on tagliatelle pasta with pearl onions, mushrooms, bacon.

Chocolate profiteroles for my dessert.  Stopped at Mariner Lounge bar to get a Happy Happy drink before heading back to the suite to watch the football game on tv.

TODAY

        This huge tuna fishing boat was docked next to us this morning as the Seabourn Quest departed at 6pm yesterday.  Tour buses lined up for today's tours.

        After our usual double shot Americano coffees that I went down to get, we then headed to Compass Rose for the Sunday caviar/champagne breakfast.

                                                   This is where the waiters serve the caviar.

I told Joseph, one of our favorite waiters, that I wanted a big serving.  He certainly brought me a HUGE serving.  Almost too much!

Yesterday I ordered lobster eggs Benedict for today's breakfast.  They were yummy.  Rebecca has two eggs over medium with some sausage links.  The eggs are very nice ones with big bright yellow yolks.  As I was raised on a farm and have a pre-veterinarian degree, I can tell by the color of the yolks what was fed to the chickens.  Bright yellow yolks tells me the chickens were fed quality feeds.

        Rebecca went to do treadmill but I went up on deck 12 track to do an hour walk (3.5 miles).  It was almost too hot however.  I took these photos from up there.

Two photos of the large fishing boat next to our balcony.  Lots of nets on front and top.  I saw at least two of these fuel trucks fueling it.

                                                         Sure would love a tour of it.

The pier for docking extends out from town.  This is the road in to town and the cruise terminal.

                                            There is a beach of sorts on one side of the road.

                                      This cargo ship is docked on the other side of our ship.

I took my binoculars up to see if I could tell what was being unloaded into semi-trailer trucks.  Hard to tell exactly but appears to be either soy beans or corn.

        Two guys were out hosing down and cleaning balconies this morning.  The crew does a great job of keeping the ship clean both inside and out.

         One of our first officers supervising the lowering of a life boat.  Training all the time.

        After some spaghetti up in La Veranda for lunch we returned to our suite to watch the Buffalo/Miami NFL playoff game this afternoon.  Giants/Vikings game will be at 4pm then tonight will be Cincinnati/Baltimore game.

        Beginning at 2pm they will begin to transform the pool deck into a dinner venue for tonight.  They call it "The Grand Deck Barbeque".  Dinner under the stars is what it's billed as but it's partly cloudy skies this afternoon.  I will go up and take some photos of it but we never dine up there.  We have asked the chef to prepare some veal osso bucco with polenta for our dinner in Compass Rose.

                     Nothing on the menu above grabbed us so made the request for osso bucco.

        Entertainment tonight is by a local folk performance group up on pool deck after dinner.  I have booked a tour for tomorrow morning at 7:15.  Will be up early!

DAY 8---MANTA, ECUADOR (FIRST DAY)

REMEMBER TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOS BY CLICKING ON THEM FOR MUCH BETTER VIEWING.  ALSO, YOU CAN USE THE "BLOG ARCHIVE" ON THE RIGHT SIDE TO PULL UP POSTS YOU MAY NOT HAVE VIEWED.

Today and for the next two days we will be docked here in Manta, Ecuador.  At 7am it is 75 degrees.  I was supposed to go on 3 hour tour at 7:45 this morning but reread the tour description and decided not to go.  It involved a 45 minute bus ride each way to Montecristi and do 1 1/2 hours of shopping there.  Not my idea of a tour!

Overview of Ecuador

        The Andes mountain range pretty much divides the country into three regions:  coastal plains on the West, mountains in the center, and rainforests in the East.  The rivers in the east flow into the Amazon River which flows past Manaus, Brazil, into the Atlantic Ocean near Macapa, Brazil.  (We have been to both these places a few times).  The Ecuadorian Andes are almost 20,000 feet high. 

        Ecuador is the smallest country in South America and about the size of our state, Colorado.  Early on in history peoples came from basically all around:  Central America on rafts, up the Amazon basin, and from both northern and southern South America.  The best known of the Ecuadorians are the Incas Indians.  Highland Ecuador became part of the Inca Empire in 1463.  The Spanish explorer, Pizarro, arrived in 1563 and marched over the mountains trying to make the Incas into Catholics.  This did not go over very big.  But the Spanish also brought their diseases which the Incas did not have immunity causing many fatalities. 

        Ecuador gained its independence from Spain in 1822 but the early years were marked by instability and the rulers changed many times.  In 1972 a military junta overthrew the government and ruled until 1979, when an election was held and new constitution adopted.  The current President of Ecuador is Guillermo Lasso.  The population of Ecuador is presently 18 million.

        Despite its small size Ecuador has the 8^th largest economy in Latin America.  Oil accounts for 40% of its exports.  In the agricultural sector it is a major exporter of bananas, flowers, and cocoa.  It also produces shrimp, coffee, sugar cane, rice, cotton, and corn.  The country also has a vast resource of timber.  Tourism is on the increase because of its biodiversity.  Many tourists come here to visit the Galapagos Islands which lie 600 miles off its coast.  Our friends, John & Cathi Begg, were among those who left this morning early for the Galapagos.

 Overview of Manta

        Today we are docked in Manta which is the largest port in Ecuador.  It has a population of approximately 200,000 and possesses one of the best economies in the country.  The main industries are fishing and tuna processing.  Processed tuna is exported to Europe and the USA.  You may recognize one of the recipients of their tuna-Bumble Bee.  There are many large ocean going fishing boats in this harbor.  Probably the most famous thing produced in the country comes from the town of Montecristi which is nearby.  It is the official “Panama” hat.  No, the hat does not come from Panama.  This is the favorite souvenir in Manta.  Also 70% of the roses imported by the US comes from Ecuador.  Other good buys are:  hand knit sweaters made from sheep or alpaca wool,  colorful ponchos, and patterned scarves.  Tourism is becoming increasingly important for Manta’s economy.  Various cruise ships call on this port.  Due to the Humboldt Current Manta has an arid climate despite being just 60 miles from the Equator.  The average rainfall in Manta is just 10 inches annually and the average temperature is in the mid 80’s.  Believe it or not, the currency here is the US dollar!

 LAST NIGHT

I started with an order of escargot followed by us both having a Caesar salad.  Then we both enjoyed this pan seared veal liver.  It was perfectly cooked and delicious.

                                          This is my apple tart with vanilla ice cream.

Tonight's featured red wine was this Spanish tempranillo.  It was a medium bodied red that went well with the liver.

                             Manish, the Compass Rose chef, stopped by to say hello.

TODAY

This is our view today from our balcony.  It is the Seabourn Quest.  I believe it is on its way around South America.  It is also a luxury cruise ship with only 458 passenger capacity.  Our ship has a capacity of 700 but there are less than 600 on board now.

                                                 Our tour buses lined up this morning.

This is the open air "chiva" bus I was to ride 45 minutes each way in to Montecristi.  By the way, the Panama hat did not come from Panama.  It originated here at Montecristi, Ecuador.

Our world cruise jackets were delivered last evening.  Very nice but Rebecca ordered a small size and it is too small.  The Executive Concierge is ordering a medium for her.  Doubt we will need a jacket on this itinerary.

        After hitting the treadmills we decided to head off the ship before getting cleaned up as there is a shopping mall a short distance from the cruise terminal.  There are shuttle buses from the ship to the cruise terminal and back.  

On the way to the terminal we passed by numerous huge ocean going fishing boats.  As I mentioned earlier on this post tuna fishing and processing is a huge industry here in Manta.

The cruise terminal was very nice inside.  Several crew members were seated inside using the terminal's internet.  Regent charges crew members for internet.  It's free in terminals.

                                                        The outside of the terminal.

         The Pacifico Mall was just no more than a ten minute walk from the cruise terminal.

It was a huge and very nice three story mall.  Very clean with good variety of shops.  First we stopped at a pharmacy to get a bottle of nasonex nasal spray for Rebecca.  It is $120 a bottle in the US and we paid $20 for it here.  We also got a big bottle of finger nail polish remover.  Rebecca is happy again now!

            I had this chili-honey glazed salmon with fried rice and broccoli for my lunch today. 

        

        They will be televising all the NFL playoff games and Super Bowl again on this year's world cruise.  The Super Bowl will be shown on the big screen in the theater with all kinds of football foods and drinks.  We are most interested in Monday night's Cowboys/Tampa Bay game.

        We have been advised by our Miami attorney friend that this port (Manta) is a huge drug smuggling port and not real safe to be walking around in.  Makes sense as the mall today was full of police and stores had security people.

        Same plan as usual for this evening.  At lunch I ordered jalapeno poppers for our cocktail hour in the Mariner Lounge.  As tomorrow is Sunday and caviar at breakfast, I also asked for lobster Benedict.

        Here is the Compass Rose dinner menu.  The beef bourguignon is a favorite of ours.  Tonight's entertainment in the theater is featuring Katie Clarke, a pianist.  Not my cup of tea so will head back and watch football on our tv.

DAY 7---AT SEA OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA & ECUADOR

 

Our position at noon today is cruising off the coast of Colombia approaching the Ecuador coastline.  It is mostly cloudy and 80 degrees with 75% humidity outside.  There are rain showers building for the afternoon hours.  We will be docking in Manta, Ecuador, at 5am tomorrow.

LAST NIGHT

       I started with this Alaska crab & avocado with bloody Mary sauce.  Rebecca had escargot.

                                      I had this second appetizer.  pan seared fole gras.

I asked for the panko coated shrimp again for a 3rd night.  Rebecca had lemon-thyme marinated shrimp which was on the menu.

              Love this dessert--banana & macadamia nut pudding with chocolate ice cream.

        We did not go to the show as found out the entertainer was just one of the ship's orchestra members.  So we stopped as we passed by the Mariner Lounge bar and I ordered a "Happy Happy" drink.  It is like a dessert drink.

TODAY

        Up at 7:15 and I headed down to coffee connection so Rommel could make our double shot Americano coffees with heavy cream.  I also picked up a muffin for my breakfast.  Room service delivered Rebecca's cereal at 8:00.  I went back down the have Kus, internet mgr, connect Rebecca's phone up to the streaming quality internet.  We then did our treadmill time and got cleaned up. So now she is watching her soaps--Bold and Beautiful plus Young and Restless.  It is streaming much better than it did back in Sept & Oct.

        Tonight around 1:00am we will be crossing the Equator.  Of course, we have crossed it many times on previous cruises.  This afternoon at 2:15 there will be an Equator crossing ceremony up on the pool deck.  King Neptune and his court will conduct the ceremony for "Tadpoles" (those who have not crossed before by sea).  We, and others who have crossed before, are called :Shellbacks".

                                 Captain Aivo and our General Manager, Nickie Sheils

Some crew members who are crossing the Equator for the first time and being tried for crimes against us passengers and punished.

         The last two are Thay, Executive Concierge, and Nino, Food & Beverage Manager.

This is the court that will try the crew for their transgressions.  Our Captain, King Neptune and Queen Aquafina.

They were all found guilty and "slimmed" with colorful goop, spaghetti, raw eggs, and other slimes.

After being slimmed they are led to the pool when they have to kiss a real fish before being shoved into the pool.

                                                                     Kissing the fish.

                               Backside of Captain Aivo, King Neptune, and Queen Aquafina.

        Rebecca has been bingeing on catching up on watching her soaps all day.  So our plan for this evening is same as usual.  Cocktails and pigs in a blanket in the Mariner Lounge at 6pm followed by dinner in Compass Rose.

        There are a couple entrees we both like on tonight's menu---the pan seared veal liver and the chicken parmesan.

        Tonight's show is featuring Jeff Nease, for his second and last show before leaving the ship tomorrow.  Pretty sure Rebecca will not attend.  I might for a while.

        I have a 7:45 tour tomorrow morning in Manta.