Manta and Isla Corazon, Ecuador

My excursion today was a two hour drive to Bahia de Carquez.   The countryside was covered in plantations (rice, bananas, etc.).  The tour arrived at the hotel/restaurant, and the group was met by two small motorboats for a trip to the heart-shaped island that is a bird sanctuary.  The local fisherman were casting their nets, crabbing, and fishing.  Birds were everywhere.
The second part of our adventure was lunch when we arrived back from the bird watching.  The food was great.  It consisted of a vegetarian meal:  appetizer - peanuts and plantains vegetable soup; main course - sautéed “vegetarian” meat, rice, mixed vegetables, baked sweet banana; and dessert of tiramisu. 

Next stop on the tour was to learn about the “Panama Hat” which is actually an Ecuador product.  The hats were originally shipped from Ecuador to Panama during the construction of the canal.  Therefore, it became known as the Panama hat instead of the Ecuador Hat.

The bus arrived back at the port in time to see tuna, which is one of the main catches in Manta, being unloaded into a truck. 

The countryside of Ecuador includes lots of farmland.  The trees are interesting looking and have fat trunks.

The interior of the hotel/restaurant where the tour used as a base for birdwatching.



The pier and our boats showed up in a few minutes after arriving.  Time for a snack of local delicacies.

The birds at the hotel were happy to see us.

A pelican taking it easy.

These fishermen are taking a nap while waiting for their nets to fill.  We woke them up as we sailed by.

The terrain around Isla Corazon.



A view of Boat #2.  I was in the first boat, and we sailed close so our guide could speak to both groups.

Here I cam on Boat #1 with Boat #2 in the background.

Local fishermen filling their nets.  The pelicans seem to be hoping for a few being given up by the fishermen.

The birds are everywhere.  The leaves are white from bird poop.

It was great to see the birds perched in the mangrove trees.

These guys were crabbing.  They felt for holes.  Only males can be harvested at this time of year.



Birds were everywhere on this estuary near the Pacific Ocean.

Our two boats returned to the hotel for lunch.

We learned about the construction of Panama Hats.



The weavers spend about two hours each day in this position weaving the hats.

Both males and females weave.

Note the intricate detail on this hat (hearts).

A well-made Panama Hat will hold water.

This guy is sizing the hats with different molds.

Panama hats for sale is always part of the tour.

When returning to the ship, a large load of tuna was being unloaded.  Tuna is one of the many fish that are taken from the waters off of Manta.