Manta Ecuador

I love being in port! This is what I cruise for. Unfortunately I took a ship's tour which I was not impressed with. I should have booked the independent. But between the ships tour and the free shuttle bus I had a nice time. I recommend the free shuttle bus. It takes you to a hotel, a set of vendors set up as a marketplace where they apparently do the same demos you see on the ships tour and then a mall where I am typing this from the Internet cafe. Others on the same tour but a different bus really enjoyed theirs so opinions are different but I just threw $60 into the wind with that tour. We went to a loofwah (?) making place where our guide said no shopping (other guides told them to shop and helped them). Then had 15 min. after a hat making demo to shop in Montechristie (the same hat demo can be seen at the free market on the shuttle bus) and then went to a ship building area where the other bus guide gave a talk. Ours lead us down to a
dirty beach where we stared at the ocean and each other and then walked back. Oh, we also went to an enclosed courtyard where they sold carved nut items and demoed the carving process. They had a similar set up at the market with the free shuttle.

However I had a glorious day and got some great deals on some wonderful stuff, an alpaca sweater for $15, carved nut necklace and braclet for $3 and a silver and shell chain pendant combo for $43.