I forgot to mention yesterday that we saw the Crystal Palace while we were walking along the Malecon in Guayaquil. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower. It doesn’t look like a palace. It resembles a well designed train station. I took this from the city website.
Travel is broadening and not only in the physical sense. We are learning so much on this trip. The brief exposure to other cultures is entertaining and enlightening.
Bill stumbled and tripped this morning in our cabin and hurt his back. He didn’t feel like venturing out to discover Manta so I went with a lady I met at the pool. There isn’t much to see except statues of tuna. This statue was near the exit from the port.
There was a small flea market and it was well attended in spite of a light drizzle. Elizabeth bought a Panama hat for $20 at the first stall we came to. As we walked along, she discovered the same hat for $10 and felt cheated. We forget that we can barter here. I spent a few dollars on Christmas ornaments.
When I came back, I realized that the real show is right outside our window. They are loading up crates of large tuna mere feet from our ship. I went out on the promenade deck and took some pictures.
The HalCats did a great job last night even with a substitute drummer. The original drummer is sick. I hope that doesn’t bode ill for the return of the Gomboo. There are some severely talented musicians on this boat.
The entertainer last night played multiple odd instruments. Kuba (from Poland) was billed as a Multi Instrumentalist and Vibraphone Virtuoso. Both descriptions were true.
His most fascinating instrument was the one he played without touching it. It was two poles, one vertical and one horizontal that formed an electromagnetic field. The movement of his right hand controlled the pitch and his left hand controlled the volume.
It’s not a new instrument because we have all heard it in spooky movies including the original version of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” made in 1951. Bill knows the dates of all science fiction movies so I don’t have to look it up.
The vibraphone is also a remarkable instrument that can sound like a flute, an organ, a steel guitar, and more. I think I have seen a vibraphone before but I have never seen anyone play a thumb piano from Africa. It looks like he is playing with a small handheld electronic game but it is actually a small square board with strings on it.
He told us the proper names for these instruments but I don’t remember.
When I came back, I realized that the real show is right outside our window. They are loading up crates of large tuna mere feet from our ship. I went out on the promenade deck and took some pictures.
The HalCats did a great job last night even with a substitute drummer. The original drummer is sick. I hope that doesn’t bode ill for the return of the Gomboo. There are some severely talented musicians on this boat.
The entertainer last night played multiple odd instruments. Kuba (from Poland) was billed as a Multi Instrumentalist and Vibraphone Virtuoso. Both descriptions were true.
His most fascinating instrument was the one he played without touching it. It was two poles, one vertical and one horizontal that formed an electromagnetic field. The movement of his right hand controlled the pitch and his left hand controlled the volume.
It’s not a new instrument because we have all heard it in spooky movies including the original version of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” made in 1951. Bill knows the dates of all science fiction movies so I don’t have to look it up.
The vibraphone is also a remarkable instrument that can sound like a flute, an organ, a steel guitar, and more. I think I have seen a vibraphone before but I have never seen anyone play a thumb piano from Africa. It looks like he is playing with a small handheld electronic game but it is actually a small square board with strings on it.
He told us the proper names for these instruments but I don’t remember.
