Evening star., 1939-12-10
Ships Return
Loaded With
Souvenirs
South American
Travellers Find
Wide Variety

NEW YORK, Dec. 9.-Among those
taking life a bit easier since the out
break of the war are the customs
inspectors, and yet they are by no
means idle. Hundreds OF travellers
are coming into New York from
cruises to the scores OF neutral
foreign ports in this half OF the
world-and they seem to find quite
as much to buy as travellers return
ing from the ports across the globe.
On the piers are suitcases and
trunks, boxes and native baskets
overHowing with bargains picked up
In the Caribbean countries and in
ports on the west coast of South
America. From Curacao they bring
perfumes, delftware from Holland
mems white linen suits and boxes
of liquor. The latter usually contain
at least one of those unique four
necked bottles containing four dif-
ferent kinds and colors of liqueur
each in its own compartment in the
bottle. Venezuelas best buys seem
to be riding crops and native sandals
called alpargatas.
Colombia Offers
Variety of Souvenirs.
Colombia contributes to incoming
suitcases articles cut from bone,
colorful bowls made from half
gourds, native groups nodded from
rubber and tinted, tortoise shell
articles of all kinds-cigarette cases,
earrings, necklaces, bracelets, belts.
One returning passenger even
brought in the head of tortoise
to be made into lamp.
Panama presents for inspection
Just about everything a globetrotter
would assemble on trip around
the world-carved chests, articles
carved from ivory, oriental kimonas,
mandarin suits, pajamas, lingerie
and jewelry, beautiful laces and
linens, perfumes and Panama hats.
In Haiti, the favorite buys seem
to be end tables, smoking sets and
trays made from mahogany and
articles woven from straw, such as
fans and highball-glass guards, and
sturdy handled double-lid baskets.
The latter come in amazingly large
sizes-and usually are used to catch
the overflow from trunks and bags.
Ecuador Provides
Many Novelties.
The west coast republics seem
quite as successful as the Caribbean
in tempting travellers to part with
their money. Ecuador bats them
with articles of all kinds fashioned
from alligator skins. tiny little
dishes. dolls and vases cleverly cut
from tagua nuts, the vegetable ivory
of commerce; gorgeous fabrics woven
by the Otavalo Indians, beautifully
woven baskets and Panama hats.
Ecuador is the original source OF
Panamas and the worlds best are
found there. some of them so fine
they can be passed through finger
ring.
Suitcases bearing Peru stickers in
variably disclose Spanish colonial
silver vases and cocktail sets, bowls
and pitchers bearing designs found
on the clay huacos and portrait
vases taken from the ancient tombs
of the Incas. If the passenger has
been fortunate enough to find them.
there'll be beautiful old wooden
stirrups, heavily embossed with
silver, and lavishly engraved silver
spurs worn by the Spanish con-
querors.
Visitors to Chile generally bring
back articles made from reptile skins,
beautiful woolens and heavy bar
baric coin jewelry and bright-color I'd
shawl and blankets made by the
Araucanian Indians.
Thus the traveller returning from
Southern cruises does his bit to keep
the customs inspector in training.