This and That from Here and There: El Pescado

The last time I was in Ecuador (in 2007), Eli and I visited Don W, Sra. M and their daughter, G in El Pescado. That visit made a huge impression on me. After returning home, when people asked me about Ecuador, I often told of the short time we spent in that home. The story would go something like this:

The bus dropped Eli and me off at the entrance of a dirt path that led off into who knows where (or what). After walking for about an hour, we arrived at the home of Don W and Sra. M. The house was made of cane and was elevated as many homes in the area are. There was a type of "ladder staircase" to enter the front door. Chickens were everywhere, both in and out of the house. I later learned that the restroom was across the yard and through the cow pen. Tarp wrapped around four posts gave semi-privacy to the hole in the ground that was the toilet. (One open side made it easy to figure out where the entrance was.) Since there was no electricity, our hosts insisted on having our Bible study first. We could eat in the dark, but it would be harder to read in the dark. There were two beds in the house - a double bed in the one bedroom and a single bed in the main living area. I assumed that Eli and I would share the double bed, if not the single, and be very glad for it. However, when bedtime came (quite early because of the lack of light), we were informed that we would each have a bed. The family would sleep in the kitchen. We were each given a margarine dish in case we didn't want to to "out" in the night. The next morning before leaving, Sra. M pressed 50 cents into my hand for bus fare. Perhaps I should explain something here. I was not yet in the work, and though I was by no means rich, I likely had more in my bank account than this lady would ever see in her entire life. I wanted to put the money right back in her hands, but I heard a little voice say, "Take it." I accepted her generous gift and have never been the same since. Don W escorted us back to the main road carrying both of our backpacks while helping us across the log bridges, walking through the streams himself. A memorable stay on the backside of nowhere!

Jill and I made our way to El Pescado a couple of weeks ago now. Things have changed a bit. A truck took us right to the door of Don W and Sra. M's new house. It's a cement structure and still under construction, so they're actually living in both houses at present. (They're side by side.) There's electricity, so we had some light by which to read for our Bible study. There are three small bedrooms, so everybody had a bed in which to sleep. The bathroom facilities are a bit more modern, though still outside. The hospitality remained outstandingly the same. If you ever have the opportunity to visit El Pescado, I would highly recommend that you take it.