Balsapamba and Babahoyo

We left Riobamba at about 10:30 am arriving at about 3:30 pm. In Balsapamba. To our surprise the streets were loaded with people. Our normal service sight had cars and pickup trucks blocking access. We saw Uvalde Domingues right away and he informed us it was a normal Sunday with many tourists from Guayaquil and other cities. He suggested we return in the morning. We agreed. While walking down the street Clarita noticed us and came running to give us a hug.

 

Clarita is a very happy and friendly girl of five years old.

 

There is a large water park in Balsapamba with slides and a wave machine. All others wanted to go swimming and did so. Avis and Walt decided against it because of the hassle of unloading our suitcase in the back of the truck.

 

Lisbeth, Eylin, and Milton enjoy time in the Balsapamba public pool.

 

Almost immediately we were befriended by an indigenous gentleman who could speak English quite well. He said his name is Rudy and spelled it our "R-U-D-Y". He had been to the US for three months as an invited guess of some professors studying the Kechwa language. He as a daughter living and working in New York city for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He invited us to his village which is located between Ambato and Banos.

So we walked began walking around. There were several booths set up for the sale of food and merchandise. One man was making what we guessed to be taffy. It was the size of a very thick rope. When questioned "Taffy?" he pulled off two pieces and gave them to Avis and I.

We had to then travel to Babahoyo for lodging at the Cachari Hotel. Again the hotel clerk made a fuss about how he could accommodate us. There are many rooms in the hotel and as far as we could tell only one other person was lodging there for the night. 

 

Hotel Cachari is a familiar hotel to the missionaries.

 

We had supper at a Chinese restaurant and then walked to a river side park where there were slides for the little kids. The city appears to be one that built up along a large river. There are nice park type areas along the river contrasted by shanties at the river's edge the floors of which were almost level with the river. The temperature was hot and humid. Apparently there has been a lot of rain because many of the rice fields were inundated and the ditches flowed like large rivers.

 

Thousands of acres of rice fields near Babayoho flood during the monsoon rains.

 

We will return to Balsapamba in the morning and continue on to Salinas for an afternoon service then back to Riobamba and the Hotel Monte Carlo.

Walt and Avis