A Look At What Is Happening Today:
Our First Visit To Manta ✔ Enjoyed The Rest Of The Afternoon Back On The Crystal Serenity ✔ Dinner This Evening At Prego With Friends John And Linda ✔
Before dinner last evening we stopped by the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink. We were the only ones there so we enjoyed some quiet conversation.
Before the late dinner and later in the evening, Pianist and Singer Marcie Castro performs in the Avenue Saloon.
Afterwards we stopped by the Photo Studio and then sat with friends John and Linda in the Crystal Plaza.
Before dinner last evening we stopped by the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink. We were the only ones there so we enjoyed some quiet conversation.
Before the late dinner and later in the evening, Pianist and Singer Marcie Castro performs in the Avenue Saloon.
Afterwards we stopped by the Photo Studio and then sat with friends John and Linda in the Crystal Plaza.
These are dinner menus from last evening.
We had dinner with World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy and with Kinsey. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner as well as a terrific conversation and we could have stayed there for hours upon hours speaking with them. There never seemed to be a pause in the conversation as we covered so many nice topics with them.
We began the meal with Tuna Tartare which Head Waiter Augusto made for us which we ordered ahead of time for Keith, Elise and Kinsey. Anne Marie had a Shrimp Cocktail. It was very tasty as Augusto adds some very nice spices to add to its flavor.
We each had salad, but did not take a photo of our salads. We also had Swordfish as our entree. We always have it cooked just precisely the way that Jijo our Senior Waiter recommends so this one was prepared medium rare. It was topped with a Sesame Crust and it just added tremendous flavor to the Swordfish.
Kinsey had Chicken which is shown in the photo. The crust wsa Pecan and it was stuffed with Plantains and Prosciutto. Elise had a pasta entree which we didn't get a photo of.
Anne Marie had a sugar free Chocolate Swan for dessert and Keith had mixed berries. She enjoyed that Swan.
The wine was very nice as well. Anne Marie and Elise had white wine. There was another red for the evening but our Sommelier mentioned that we had missed out on a very nice French Bordeaux Wine that was served on the French Night so we went with Jiri's recommendation and Kinsey and Keith had the wine and it was a very nice full bodied wine.
We had a great time and were very glad that Elise and Kinsey dined with us.
Speaking of Elise, when we arrived back to our room on our bed was an invitation to the first of the two shoreside events with this one being held in Valparaiso on Friday, February 8. We will be going to the beautiful Casablanca Valley home to "Estancia el Cuadro" for the evening. Estancia el Cuadro is family run and is known for their hospitality, wine and hard work. They offer a unique winery. During the evening we will be introduced to various wines, and we will enjoy light dishes that are paired with the wines and also there will be heavy canapés served. There will be song and dance. The drive is about one hour each way. On previous trips we have visited the wine region twice and will also do this again on a private tour the next day.
We enjoyed another nights sleep as we sailed to Manta, Ecuador other then waking up to the bump in the night at 11:30 PM when we crossed the equator. Well, before we start any rumors about bumps we are just kidding. We did not feel a bump as we crossed the equator. We did sleep well and although we arrived to Manta at around 4:00 AM we didn't feel or hear anything as we arrived in port.
Speaking of the 4:00 AM arrival time this allowed for the one day tours to Galapagos to depart early. The Lido Cafe actually opened for breakfast at 3:00 AM this morning as approximately 100 people were going on the one day tour of the Galapagos. On another day, other guests will be going on a three Day Crystal Overland Tour of the Galapagos.
Keith was up early and back in the Fitness Center for his workout and as he does on all mornings had coffee in the Lido Cafe. He was assisted by Lido Deck Steward, Ed, and also spoke with others including Ross.
Ross was putting out some of the pastries and as Keith spoke with Ross he could smell that wonderful aroma of these breakfast treats. Similarly, when we were watching the staff prepared yesterday's buffet and we took the photo of the rolls we enjoyed the smell and aroma of all of those rolls. In both instances, it was similar to being in a bakery.
Anne Marie also got in a walk before we had breakfast this morning which we had one hour earlier then normal.
We did not book any tours today as on a long cruise we find that it is important to have balance between formal tours and also just seeing some places on our own. If you try to take a tour everyday before long you will tire of the tours. We also do not have a tour for tomorrow but have other tours coming up as soon as the next segment of the World Cruise begins in Lima, Peru.
Manta has a population of close to 900,000 people. The town is located about 15 to 20 minutes from the port. It is known for its beaches, and its fishing.
We chose to go to Montecristi which is located about 10 miles south of Manta. It is known for the production of Panama Hats with about 50 hat weavers.
We received advice from the local representative on board the ship as far as negotiating a price for a taxi to go to Montecristi. One option was to take the shuttle that Crystal provides from the port to a shopping centre in Manta and then get a cab from there (they are evidently regulated) or to take a small van from the ship over to the entrance of the port where taxis were located as we were not allowed to walk to the entrance on foot. We decided to negotiate for a taxi outside the port so we took the van to the port entrance.
Having a good feel for the price we negotiated with a person who spoke English while around twenty taxi drivers listened in. We came to agreement on price which included two way transportation and the driver waiting for us in Montecristi for a pre-determined amount of time and in minutes we were off for the 30 minute drive to Montecristi.
A little information about the taxi. We quickly realized that the seat belts did not work. There was some mist on the way to the town on the windshield and we are not so sure whether the windshield wipers worked. Also, there were no handles for the windows.
We have to say that the taxi driver drove well. He spoke very few words of English. He did walk with us throughout the town after we arrived there.
On the way to the town he pointed out some places to us as we drove through parts of Manta which included a fish market. He also handed us a map of Montecristi.
Our "mission" was to find a Panama Hat for Keith and possibly one for Anne Marie but Anne Marie decided to pass on one. We went to a factory and to several stores until we found the hat that Keith liked the best. At the store where we decided to purchase the hat we were assisted by a young man who spoke English better then anyone in the other stores and was very helpful. We learned previously from the talks given by the lecturers on the ship as well as by our tour guide in Panama that hats would range from $15.00 to as high as $600.00.
This was the hat that we purchased for Keith
We asked our salesman to show us the correct way to fold the hat and took some photos of him doing exactly that.
Then Anne Marie followed his directions and folded it as well.
Afterwards, we walked around the town for awhile. There was some type of festival and commemoration along witha downtown market.
Overall, it was a fun experience including the cab.
When we returned to the ship we saw one of the Crystal Dining Room Head Waiters, Frantz, getting ready to ride on his bicycle. Throughout last years World Cruise while Frantz was not our Head Waiter his area was nearby ours so on most evenings he would stop by our table and one of the topics we would discuss was whether or not he took his bicycle out in port.
Once back on the ship we spoke with dancers Beverly and Curtis and then we chatted with Chief Concierge Johann as we had a couple of questions about an upcoming port of call which Johann help answer for us.
While we were sitting at the Crystal Plaza near the entrance where guests were returning back to the ship it seemed that every third guest had purchased a Panama Hat.
We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe and in the afternoon Anne Marie walked and also took a Yoga Class.
Keith played Paddle Tennis and then met up with friend Bob and he also worked on his iMovie.
This evening we will be dining in Prego with friends John and Linda.
We began the meal with Tuna Tartare which Head Waiter Augusto made for us which we ordered ahead of time for Keith, Elise and Kinsey. Anne Marie had a Shrimp Cocktail. It was very tasty as Augusto adds some very nice spices to add to its flavor.
We each had salad, but did not take a photo of our salads. We also had Swordfish as our entree. We always have it cooked just precisely the way that Jijo our Senior Waiter recommends so this one was prepared medium rare. It was topped with a Sesame Crust and it just added tremendous flavor to the Swordfish.
Kinsey had Chicken which is shown in the photo. The crust wsa Pecan and it was stuffed with Plantains and Prosciutto. Elise had a pasta entree which we didn't get a photo of.
Anne Marie had a sugar free Chocolate Swan for dessert and Keith had mixed berries. She enjoyed that Swan.
The wine was very nice as well. Anne Marie and Elise had white wine. There was another red for the evening but our Sommelier mentioned that we had missed out on a very nice French Bordeaux Wine that was served on the French Night so we went with Jiri's recommendation and Kinsey and Keith had the wine and it was a very nice full bodied wine.
We had a great time and were very glad that Elise and Kinsey dined with us.
Speaking of Elise, when we arrived back to our room on our bed was an invitation to the first of the two shoreside events with this one being held in Valparaiso on Friday, February 8. We will be going to the beautiful Casablanca Valley home to "Estancia el Cuadro" for the evening. Estancia el Cuadro is family run and is known for their hospitality, wine and hard work. They offer a unique winery. During the evening we will be introduced to various wines, and we will enjoy light dishes that are paired with the wines and also there will be heavy canapés served. There will be song and dance. The drive is about one hour each way. On previous trips we have visited the wine region twice and will also do this again on a private tour the next day.
We enjoyed another nights sleep as we sailed to Manta, Ecuador other then waking up to the bump in the night at 11:30 PM when we crossed the equator. Well, before we start any rumors about bumps we are just kidding. We did not feel a bump as we crossed the equator. We did sleep well and although we arrived to Manta at around 4:00 AM we didn't feel or hear anything as we arrived in port.
Speaking of the 4:00 AM arrival time this allowed for the one day tours to Galapagos to depart early. The Lido Cafe actually opened for breakfast at 3:00 AM this morning as approximately 100 people were going on the one day tour of the Galapagos. On another day, other guests will be going on a three Day Crystal Overland Tour of the Galapagos.
Keith was up early and back in the Fitness Center for his workout and as he does on all mornings had coffee in the Lido Cafe. He was assisted by Lido Deck Steward, Ed, and also spoke with others including Ross.
Ross was putting out some of the pastries and as Keith spoke with Ross he could smell that wonderful aroma of these breakfast treats. Similarly, when we were watching the staff prepared yesterday's buffet and we took the photo of the rolls we enjoyed the smell and aroma of all of those rolls. In both instances, it was similar to being in a bakery.
Anne Marie also got in a walk before we had breakfast this morning which we had one hour earlier then normal.
We did not book any tours today as on a long cruise we find that it is important to have balance between formal tours and also just seeing some places on our own. If you try to take a tour everyday before long you will tire of the tours. We also do not have a tour for tomorrow but have other tours coming up as soon as the next segment of the World Cruise begins in Lima, Peru.
Manta has a population of close to 900,000 people. The town is located about 15 to 20 minutes from the port. It is known for its beaches, and its fishing.
We chose to go to Montecristi which is located about 10 miles south of Manta. It is known for the production of Panama Hats with about 50 hat weavers.
We received advice from the local representative on board the ship as far as negotiating a price for a taxi to go to Montecristi. One option was to take the shuttle that Crystal provides from the port to a shopping centre in Manta and then get a cab from there (they are evidently regulated) or to take a small van from the ship over to the entrance of the port where taxis were located as we were not allowed to walk to the entrance on foot. We decided to negotiate for a taxi outside the port so we took the van to the port entrance.
Having a good feel for the price we negotiated with a person who spoke English while around twenty taxi drivers listened in. We came to agreement on price which included two way transportation and the driver waiting for us in Montecristi for a pre-determined amount of time and in minutes we were off for the 30 minute drive to Montecristi.
A little information about the taxi. We quickly realized that the seat belts did not work. There was some mist on the way to the town on the windshield and we are not so sure whether the windshield wipers worked. Also, there were no handles for the windows.
We have to say that the taxi driver drove well. He spoke very few words of English. He did walk with us throughout the town after we arrived there.
On the way to the town he pointed out some places to us as we drove through parts of Manta which included a fish market. He also handed us a map of Montecristi.
Our "mission" was to find a Panama Hat for Keith and possibly one for Anne Marie but Anne Marie decided to pass on one. We went to a factory and to several stores until we found the hat that Keith liked the best. At the store where we decided to purchase the hat we were assisted by a young man who spoke English better then anyone in the other stores and was very helpful. We learned previously from the talks given by the lecturers on the ship as well as by our tour guide in Panama that hats would range from $15.00 to as high as $600.00.
This was the hat that we purchased for Keith
We asked our salesman to show us the correct way to fold the hat and took some photos of him doing exactly that.
Then Anne Marie followed his directions and folded it as well.
Afterwards, we walked around the town for awhile. There was some type of festival and commemoration along witha downtown market.
Overall, it was a fun experience including the cab.
When we returned to the ship we saw one of the Crystal Dining Room Head Waiters, Frantz, getting ready to ride on his bicycle. Throughout last years World Cruise while Frantz was not our Head Waiter his area was nearby ours so on most evenings he would stop by our table and one of the topics we would discuss was whether or not he took his bicycle out in port.
Once back on the ship we spoke with dancers Beverly and Curtis and then we chatted with Chief Concierge Johann as we had a couple of questions about an upcoming port of call which Johann help answer for us.
While we were sitting at the Crystal Plaza near the entrance where guests were returning back to the ship it seemed that every third guest had purchased a Panama Hat.
We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe and in the afternoon Anne Marie walked and also took a Yoga Class.
Keith played Paddle Tennis and then met up with friend Bob and he also worked on his iMovie.
This evening we will be dining in Prego with friends John and Linda.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
"Friendship... is not
something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of
friendship, you really haven't learned anything" - Muhammad Ali
Keith and Anne Marie
Keith,
ReplyDeleteI'm a little tardy in asking this, please bear with me. In the WC13 thread on CC, I believe you mentioned that about 100 folks got off the ship in Panama City. Were you referring to crew? I ask because I don't see any officially "sub-divided" cruise options ending in PC on the Crystal website, so if these were passengers, do they somehow have the ability to disembark even at a port not so identified?
As always, thanks.
Ken