Wednesday, our port of call was Manta, Equator. This is our first time in this port. We docked here earlier than normal because there were excursions going to the Galapagos Islands and to Machu Pichu leaving (Not us) there needed to get to the airport for early flights. Manta is famous for Tuna fishing and possessing. It has a population of about 250,000. Our excursion today was "Traditional Coffee Experience". We went to a coffee plantation 1 1/2 hours south-east of Manta.
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| May boats, mostly fishing boats at anchor in the bar |
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| The Lido restaurant was quiet at 5;30 in the morning. |
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| The first of many excursion and shuttle busses waiting for us. |
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| The bay in the early light |
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| A US Coast Guard cutter (the James), docked next to us. Not sure why this Charleston South Carolina based ship was here. |
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| A Statue showing the important of Tuna to this city |
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| We passes a fish market |
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| A boat building site. |
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| Pottery and ceramics shop. |
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| Items made of wood. |
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| A fruit seller on the street. |
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| There were many places that appeared unfinished. We we told that many are this way becauseproperty taxes don't start until the building is finished. |
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| Something I have not seen working in many many years. A road grader. It was working on a section of road near the coffee plantation we went to. |
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| Th coffee plantation |
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| They spray the vehicles to prevent diseases that would hurt the coffee plants from coming in. |
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| The road we came in on |
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| Our guide |
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| Showing us the coffee plant and beans |
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| Walking through to plantings of coffee plants |
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| We were shown 5 varieties of coffee grown here. |
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| Where the picked beans are dried. Not in use at this time of the season. |
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| We had to step in these trays of chemicals to prevent us from tracking in diseases |
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| Sorting beans by size |
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| Roasting the coffee beans. |
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| They provided snacks and samples of coffer to taste. Also selling packages of their beans. They said they are hoping to be exporting them to the USA later in the year. |
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| A barista explaining best way to brew the coffee. He has won national and international barista competitions. |
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| On the way back to the ship, we passed a cemetary. |
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| The US Coast Guard Cutter left later in the afternoon |
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| Sunset approaches |
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| Late afternoon sun shining on boats in the bay. |
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| Late afternoon view of the local beach near the city. |
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| The sun setting. |
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| Getting ready to leave. Taking the gangway down. |
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| Pulling away from the pier. There way a number of tuna boats all lite up at the piers. |
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| Sailing away. |
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