Montecristi, Ecuador - Polarsteps

Montecristi, Ecuador: founded in 1536/1537 when the indigenous people living in the Manta region ran away from the Spanish invaders. Apparently, the official name of the town is Ciudad Alfaro. The population is about 46,000. Montecristi is famous for its Panama Hats. Montecristi is the original birthplace of Panama Hats, not the country of Panama, or anywhere else for that matter. I saw more hat shops in this little town than I've ever seen anywhere. And, I had the opportunity to talk with the two men in town who actually hand-craft the hats. They have a large hat press machine and dozens of molds for different shapes. If you're ever in Montecristi look for Modesto Hats, at modestohats.com. The two men there speak English. The climate is very nice: the daytime highs average 27° C (81° F), and nighttime lows average 22° C (71° F). So, my impressions: I like this little town. Granted, it's not particularly beautiful and has very little historic architecture, but I like the downtown area and the location of the town at the bottom and going up the side of Mount Montecristi.