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Montecristi, Ecuador
December 11, 2022
Montecristi, Ecuador: founded in 1536/1537 when the indigenous people living in the Manta region ran away from the Spanish invaders. Apparently, the official name of the town is Ciudad Alfaro. The population is about 46,000. Montecristi is famous for it Panama Hats. Montecristi is the original birthplace of Panama Hats, not the country of Panama, or anywhere else for that matter. I saw more hat shops in this little town than I've ever seen anywhere. And, I had the opportunity to talk with the two men in town who actually hand-craft the hats. They have a large hat press machine and dozens of molds for different shapes. If you're ever in Montecristi look for Modesto Hats, modestohats.com. The two men there speak English. The climate is very nice: the daytime high average 27° C (81° F), and nighttime lows average 22° C (71° F).
Read MorePortoviejo, Ecuador
December 10, 2022
Portoviejo, Ecuador: Founded in March 1535 which makes it one of Ecuador's oldest cities. When it was founded it was located on the coast and was given the name "Villa Nueva de San Gregorio de Portoviejo." The city was moved inland 30 kilometers (19 miles) because of attacks from the indigenous people in 1628. Apparently, they didn't like the Spaniards taking over their lands. The city has a population of around 210,000. In 2016 there was a big 7.8 earthquake that killed more than 300 people here in Portoviego. In 2019 UNESCO recognized Portoviejo as part of its Creative Cities Network. They received that recognition because of their preservation of ancestral recipes and their gastronomy in general. I can attest to the delicious encellobado. Encellobado is a fish soup and is incredible. The climate is unbeatable: daytime highs average 29° C, (84° F); and nights average 22° C, (72° F).
Read MoreTosagua, Ecuador
December 7, 2022
Tosagua, Ecuador: a nothing-special, completely forgettable agricultural town of around 11,000 people. The area has been inhabited since long before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1534, but the town didn't become an official town until the 20th century. A little more of its history: in 1917 there was an outbreak of bubonic plague that decimated the population. Then in 1935 a giant fire just about wiped out the whole place. 1984 the city was finally founded. Then in 1998 there was a 5.7 earthquake on August 4 at 12:35pm which was followed by a 7.1 earthquake at 2pm. The city was hugely effected by those, as were just about every town and city in the western Ecuador. As for the weather: average daily highs are 31° C (87° F) and average nightly lows are 23° C (73° F).
Read MoreBahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
December 6, 2022
Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador, a city of about 21,000, is a tourist destination city on the Pacific coast. The city is actually two distinct halves separated by the new bridge. There is a new mall located at the end of the bridge, too. The city was founded in 1628, so you'd expect to see a lot of historical buildings, but no, there aren't any left after the various natural disasters that have hit the town. Anyway, the half of the town on the coast, with the beaches, condos, hotels, etc, is the new side (the tourists' side). The other side, to the east of the bridge, is the city-proper. It is long and narrow, sitting between the hills and the bay.
Read MoreSan Vicente, Ecuador
December 5, 2022
San Vicente, Ecuador—inhabited since the 1st century AD but not given status as a city until the early 20th century. The town has a population of around 20,000 and survives on agriculture and shrimp farming, with cattle ranching and fishing accounting for a smaller portion of the economy. The climate is pleasant year-round—daytime high year-round average: 28° C (83° F) and 22° C average nights (72° F) with a typical humidity of around 70%. But, being so close to the equator the UV is extremely high, pretty much always at 10 on the UV scale.
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I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.