Tour Date: May 29, 2015
Tour Departure Time: 9:00am
Tour Return Time: 5:00pm
Tour Host: Donna McNicol
Tour Guide: Emilio Morocho
Locations Visited (in Ecuador): San Bartolome, Sigsig, Chordeleg, and Gualaceo
Cost Per Person: $24US plus Lunch and Shopping
We learned about this bus tour on an Ecuador Expats post that Donna posted. There were 4 seats remaining on the bus. I instantly private messaged her and told her we really wanted all four spots for Dan, Mama, Myself, and Robbin upstairs from our apartment. He is visiting Cuenca for a few weeks.
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| Our Tour Bus |
Since this was our first bus tour we really were not sure what type of bus we would be taking the tour in and we were pleasantly surprised to find a nice, big, and comfortable bus.
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| Heather and Mama |
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| On Our Way Out of Cuenca, Ecuador |
We left Cuenca at about 9:00am, our first stop on the tour was the town of San Bartolome.
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| Roadwork after a landslide |
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| Driving to San Bartolome |
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| Guitar Making Lesson and Shopping |
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| Guitar Making |
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| Guitar Making |
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| Guitar Design |
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| Guitar Lesson |
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| Newspaper Articles Related to this Shop and Making |
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| San Bartolome Sign and Our Bus |
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| More Guitar Designs |
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| Finished Guitars |
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| Window to the Shop |
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| View from the Guitar Shop |
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Local Little Doll
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Another Little Local Doll
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Handmade Items for Sale
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Hand Weaving Baskets and Such
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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View from the Guitar Shop
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Hand Weaving Items for the Table
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Cuties Eating a Snack
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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More Handmade Crafting
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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More Handmade Crafting
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
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Another View from the Shop
Photo Credit: http://ecuador-bound.blogspot.com/ |
Once everyone was done shopping we all boarded the bus to head to our next stop on the tour.
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| Welcome to Sigsig |
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| The Original Panama Hat Factory in Sigsig |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #1 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #2 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #3 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #4 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #5 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #6 |
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| Panama Hat Front Room Art Work #7 |
History Lesson:
First popularized by President Theadore Roosevelt and worn by countless
travelers ever since, the Panama hat has become a symbol of coastal and
tropical locales. Nothing screams
I’m on vacation somewhere warm!
quite like the straw hat, which is known for being breathable and able
to return to its original shape after being folded in a suitcase. But
what is not as well known is that Panama hats don’t actually come from
their namesake country. The hats actually originated in Ecuador
, but were mistakenly called Panama hats because they were shipped through the Isthmus of Panama
before making it to locations across the rest of the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Panama hats are still made throughout Ecuador, where Ecuadorians call the hats
sombreros de paja toquilla
(or “hats of toquilla straw”). Anyone selling the hats at markets or in
shopping malls, however, is well aware that tourists often ask for them
by the name “Panama Hat.” Several towns are famous for the production
of the hats, including the small town of Sigsig in the Andes Mountains
near the colonial city of Cuenca. The Panama Hat Company is owned and
operated by indigenous Ecuadorians who work directly with wholesalers.
Here at this factory you will see women with amazingly nimble fingers as they weave the
hats. Remarkably, each and every hat takes a single weaver several days to make.
While there, you can get a good deal on a hat of your own or purchase
other items made out of straw. There is also a nice photo op in front of a
giant Panama Hat in the courtyard of the warehouse.
History data is from:
http://gadling.com/2012/03/20/tour-a-panama-hat-factory-in-sigsig-ecuador/
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| "Correa's" Panama Hat |
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| Dropped off Hat's from the Local Women |
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| Ecuador Map |
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| Dyed Toquilla Straw |
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| Dyes Toquilla Straw |
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| Toquilla Straw Being Dyed |
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| Heather Checking Out Panama Hats |
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| Mama Checking Out Panama Hats |
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| Bird Wallhanging |
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| The Road that Leads to Chordeleg |
With hats in hand it was time to again board the bus and head to Chordeleg for lunch and some more shopping. Chordeleg is a Famous location for purchasing and making filigree jewelry.
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| Chordeleg |
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| Dan Being a Complete Gentleman During the Entire Trip |
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| Chordeleg City Centre |
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| Chordeleg City Centre Park |
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| Location of Our Tours Lunch |
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| Popcorn and Salsa |
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| Potato Soup |
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| Oatmeal Drink |
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| Lunch |
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| Dining Area Artwork |
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| View from Chordeleg's Main Shopping Area |
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| View from Chordeleg's Main Shopping Area |
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| Some Sad Looking Corn |
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| Filigree Earring Light Post Decoration |
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| Shop Window |
After lunch and shopping in Chordeleg we headed to Gualaceo to learn how they weave shawls, scarves, and blankets.
This was our last shop on the tour. We were planning to go to an orchid
farm however, it was being sprayed and it wasn't safe for us to visit.
In addition, we were planning to stop at a hand crafted leather making
area and according to the guide we ran out of time. Now, when we
arrived back in Cuenca it was only 4:12pm. Not really sure why it was
skipped and the reason we were given honestly made no sense.
Here are our shopping purchases:
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| Mama's New Wrap for $45US |
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| Handmade Trash Can and Cup |
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| Handmade Display |
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| Can, Cup, and Display $15US (we opted not to barter) |
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| Panama Hat Box |
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| Panama Hat Box |
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| Mama's New Panama Hat $20US |
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| Heather's New Panama Hat $20US |
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| I Love My New Hat...It was the exact one I was looking for! |
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| My Hubby surprised me today with Diamonds & Sapphires times 2 pairs. What a sweetheart! I Love You, Babe! |
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| Mama's Silver Diamond and Emerald Earrings |
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| My Hubby surprised me today with Diamonds & Sapphires times 2 pairs. What a sweetheart! I Love You, Babe! |
All in all
it was a fun shopping trip. We're looking forward to our next group
expat bus tour.
