Diario las Américas., 1958-06-19
Know thy
Neighbor
sy o RUIZ

ECUADOR-Several ocean resorts,
all accessible from Guayaquil,
offer some of the finest fishing and
bathing in South America Espe-
cially attractive to tourists is Pla-
vas sixty miles from Guayaquil,
on a good paved road. At the spa
ciouS and modern Hotel Humboldt,
one can relax in comfort on broad
sun-decks overlooking the Gulf OF
Guayaquil, or take advantage of the
Hotels unsurpassed sport facili-
ties. Another nearby resort fire.
quented by Guayaquilenos is Po-
sorja, south east of Playas, OPP
posite the island of Puma.
Salinas, located on Santa Elena
Peninsula, IS miles from Guaya-
yaquil, is the largest of Ecuador's
resorts, long noted for its fine bea-
ches and wonderful fishing, and ba-
thed by the calm blue-green wa
tiers of Santa Elena Bay. On the
Southern side, the rocky promon-
tory is lashed by rough breakers.
The visitor enjoys walking through
the picturesque fishermen's sec
ton to La Puntilla, at the end of
the peninsula, where there are a
lighthouse and extensive salt depo-
sits, from which the port of Salinas
takes its name, Fishing for sword
fish and others is exciting sport du
ring the season, April to Deem
Der; tourists may charter special
cruisers for fishing trips.
Many visitors indulge in the mo-
re leisurely and intriguing pastime
of hunting treasures in the form of
ancient Spanish pesos and dou-
blons, which are still washed-up on
the beach from sunken Spanish ga
Icons by the easter Tides" during
the spring. The nearby port of Ii
bertad is an important refining
and shipping center for petroleum
products from the Ancon Oilfields
on the peninsula. For hot sulphur
baths, visitors can stop at the small
spa of San Vicente, on the Guaya-
quill road, about half an hour drive
from Salinas.
To the north, in Manabi Provin-
ce, is the busy port of Mania, which
exports large shipments of cacao,
tagua, coffee, and the countrys fl
mes "toquilla" hats. Although not
primarily a resort, Manta's exec
llent beaches and big-game fishing
on a ship which calls on that port,
may be there long enough to ma
Ike an interesting tour by car to the
nearby towns of Montecristi and
Jipijapa, original home of the world
famous Panama hats, an to the
Provincial capital, Puerto Viejo,
founded by the Spaniards on the
coast but moved inland in 1923 to
escape the depradations of pirates
From this remote area of the
Ecuadorean tropics come the choi-
cest of Panama" hats retailed in
the smartest New York shpos for
a hundred dollars or more. Vast
plantations of 'toquilla" palm, in
digenous to- the humid coastal low
lands, can be seen, as well as the
processing of its fibers into straw
for weaving. Unless the visitor ma
kes a pre-dawn excursion of the
area, he is not likely to see the
weavers at work on the best hats,
for these are woven in the damp
atmosphere of the early morning
or after shutdown, but not under
water as it is believed.
Entire families engage in this
home industry. A hat may take one
person anywhere from n week to
three months to make, the three
hundred dollars variety taking the
longest. Most Of the exported pro-
ducts receive their final blocking
in New York, to conform to the
dictates Of designers, who will ha-
We previously indicated to their
agents in Ecuador the required 81.
re and shape of crown and brim.
The test Of a superior hat is the
absence of small knots, fine textu-
re, and whether or not it can be 70.
lied up and passed through a regu-
Lar ring.