SEDENO, M.DHERIBERTO. VISITS SOUTH AMERICA, Part 1

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On October 19, 2011, Dr. Sedeno took a Holland
American 18-day South America cultural cruise in
the ms Veendam, departing from Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida and arriving in Valparaiso, Chile. The
ship passed within sight of the entire northeast
coast of Cuba, which for Dr. Sedeno was an
emotional experience seeing his native country
coastline. Heading south, the ship passed
between the Eastern tip of Cuba and western tip
of Haiti heading South in the Caribbean Sea
toward the first port of call at Santa Marta,
Colombia. Santa Marta is the capital of
Magdalena state. The Spaniards founded this city
in 1525. The cathedral built four years later by
the Dominicans, was named the Church of Santa
Ana. Close by, tucked into the Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta is Tyrona National Park. A wildlife
refuge and Ecohab preservation of the Tyronas
native culture.
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From here, a half-day cruise to San Blas Islands,
Panama home of the Kuna Indians. The Kuna are
famous for their bright molas, a colorful textile
art form made with the techniques of appliqué and
reverse appliqué. Mola panels are used to make
the blouses of the Kuna women's national dress,
which is worn daily by many Kuna women. Mola
means "clothing" in the Kuna language. The
following day, the ms Veendam arrived at Colon,
Panama on the Caribbean side, passed thru the
first locks (Gatun Locks) and for 10-hours
transited the Panama Canal ending at Fuerte
Amador in Panama City on the Pacific side if the
canal. After a shore excursion of Old Panama
City, ms Veendam headed south skirting the
western coast of South America.
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The first port of call in South America was
Manta, Ecuador. At this port, Dr. Sedeno
disembarks and takes a short flight to Quito,
Ecuador for a two-day shore excursion. Quito,
formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital
city of Ecuador, and at an elevation of 9,350
feet, it is the highest capital city in the world
housing the administrative, legislative and
judicial functions. With a local guide, Dr.
Sedeno visits several important cultural and
historic sites in Quito. Such as Independence
Square, where the Carondelet Palace (seat of
Government) is located, as well as the Jesuit
Church of La Compania de Jesus. The Church of
La Compania began construction in 1605 it took
160 years to be built. By 1765, the work was
completed with the construction of the facade.
This was done by local natives (Inca descendents)
who carefully shaped the Baroque style in one of
the most complete examples of this art in the
Americas.
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Sixteen miles north of Quito lies the Equator. A
monument and museum marking its location is known
locally as La Mitad del Mundo (the middle of
the World) to avoid confusion as the word Ecuador
is Spanish for equator. At this site, Dr. Sedeno
had the experience in standing in the North and
South Hemisphere at the same time. Quito along
with Krakow, Poland were the first World Cultural
Heritage Sites, declared by UNESCO in 1978. Five
road hours away from Quito, Dr. Sedeno visits the
Otavalo Valley located in northern Ecuador. This
area is known for its natural beauty and a very
famous indigenous market where local handmade
crafts and artwork are produced. From Quito,
Dr. Sedeno takes a short flight to the port of
Guayaquil, Ecuador where ms Veendam will continue
on its cruise. In Part 2, Dr. Sedeno will
describe his visit to Peru and Chile.