How to Make a Coffee Bean Bag (Ecuador)

In a little village near the coffee production plant, they still make special bags to store the beans.

Small market outside the bag manufacturing area.

These vendors (as we discovered in all of South America) were very polite and unassuming.

Preliminary cutting of the large leaves used in the process.

This woman was in perpetual motion as she dragged the prepared strands over the nails to make them even finer. (This explains the blurry photograph!)

After the strands were put through the nail routine, they were brought to this room for further processing to convert the strands into twine.

View from the other end of the room.

Then the twine was loaded onto spools and transferred to another room where they were woven into cloth by a gentleman working this loom. The weaving process was particularly labor intensive.

After the man finished the weaving process, another person stitched the cloth together to form a coffee bean bag.

Next:  Visiting the makers of "Panama" hats in Miraflores, Ecuador.

Manta, Ecuador

The port of Manta, Ecuador, has easy access for large cruise ships.

It is home to a large tuna fishing fleet.

Ecuador is home to a large American expat population.

We were told the primary export is:  flowers.

(Graphic Maps.com photo)

Views of the port area

Driving into town 

Taxi queue?

Driving into the countryside

Temperature -- 21 C

Quite arid.

Panama City, Panama

After we left the Panama Canal and entered into the Pacific Ocean, we headed south to Manta, Ecuador, passing Panama City.  We didn't have an opportunity to stop and visit (this time).

Click on photos for a much larger view!

This is the new Getty Museum!
Thanks, Jim O'Donnell for updating me!

I love the contrast--architecture and clouds.

Very intriguing!

Another favorite

Panama, Bridge of the Americas

Located at the Pacific Ocean approach to the Panama Canal, the Bridge of the Americas provided an easier access to cars traveling on the Pan American Highway, replacing the Thatcher Ferry.

35,000 vehicles cross the Panama Canal each day on the Pan American Highway.  It boggles the mind to think of having to use a ferry system now. Leaving the Panama Canal, if you sail to the north (turn right) you will be heading towards Acapulco, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

If you turn left, you will be sailing south to South America. That is where we will be going!