Today I would like to talk about something new coming to Manta and to the Province of Manabí. It is a great new communication forum designed to address the needs of the rapidly growing expat community here.This new monthly magazine, “HiExpat,” will serve this expanding segment of the population scattered throughout the Manta area.
My name is Mark Bradbury, and I will be doing a monthly feature column that could, and will, address many of the things that make living here special. I have been designated as a “Senior Writer,” and I still haven’t figured out if they meant “Senior/Writer,” because I’m both! I am the owner and administrator of a Manta/Manabí Facebook group called “Expats and Amigos in Manta and Manabi,” and if you’re not already a member, please feel free to join our group! We feature daily information and try to have fun and keep a positive atmosphere about what’s going on in our province and in our main coastal city of Manta.
The two gentlemen behind this creative idea are not expats; they are local businessmen who saw a tremendous need to address the specific problems that we expats face on a daily basis. Marcos Chiluisa is the owner of EcuaAssist, an immigration and legal service, and Carlos Ramirez, who owns a great insurance brokerage called Blue Box Insurance are both extremely involved in servicing the needs of the expat community. In fact, their companies are leaders in the field here in Manta and Manabí, and in other cities around Ecuador. I’m proud to be involved with both Marcos and Carlos as we begin a new chapter of service to our growing community.
So, let’s talk about Manta and the beautiful Province of Manabí.
Manta is one of the fastest growing cities in Ecuador, and it sits right in the middle of Manabí, a province that offers over 350 km of incredible Pacific Ocean waterfront. Manta has been the center of power, an axis for trading, and home to several ancient cultures who have settled here over the centuries. Some of the earliest sailors in South America came from this province; they strapped large ceibo (balsa) trees together, added sails and rudders, and left the shores here to trade as far north as Mexico, and as far south as Chile.
They traded in salt, ceramics, gold, and the shells of the local mollusk called the spondylus which is an oyster-like treat from the cold-water areas along the coast. Today, Manta continues the legacy of their ancestors ranking as one of the world’s top exporters of canned albacore tuna. In fact, Manta claims to have as much as 70% of Ecuador’s commercial fishing fleet here in its harbor.
In line with their long history of fishing and trading, the City of Manta is home to the second largest deep-water port, welcoming ships from all over the world every day. It is an embarkation point for thousands of cars, trucks, and other vehicles that arrive here from Asia, the United States, and Europe. These vehicles are shipped to points throughout Ecuador and northern Peru.
What does this mean for Manta today?
Having an international port, and a large, sprawling industry like the tuna business, has been key to Manta’s development for years. The port allows Manta to have the ability to attract new business and development that would not come here without this access. The tuna and canning companies that rank highly in an international marketplace show the world that Manta has the knowledge and the workforce necessary to attract like-minded businesses to settle here and invest heavily in both infrastructure and employment. Investment is critical to any city’s growth, but even more so in these Covid-restricted times. And there will soon be an international airport that we can all use to travel home whenever we need or want to; it is being worked on now and will be a tremendous addition to the City of Manta!
Let’s talk about Manta’s changes for a minute....
I arrived in Ecuador six years ago, and I chose to live in a small beach town south of Manta. About a week after arriving, I was invited to take a trip to Manta, which I eagerly accepted. My host and I drove to Manta, and we spent most of the day driving all over the city. At the end of the day, I emphatically stated to my friend that I really did not care for Manta, and that I was happy to be living in my small town on the beach.