Banos (Ban-yos)

On Friday morning we set out for Banos eager to just have a bit of different scenery.  Of course the town only 30 miles away did not disappoint.   On our way there we stopped at the Twin Veils waterfalls toward which we took a suspended basket hanging from a cable.  This cable connected the two sides of the ridge with the Pastaza River flowing down below.  This is a picture of the waterfalls and if you look carefully, you'll see the cable that our basket clung to.  Speaking of clinging, we were doing that very thing as we went sailing across the gorge with much loud, nervous laughter.

Further down the road we also saw one of the most powerful sights we'd ever seen.  We hiked from the roadside to another waterfall and then we went down to near the bottom.  It was amazing to see the force with which the water came flying down over the cliff and into a narrow space where the water was so churning and torrential, nothing could have survived the ride.  After being mesmerized by that sight for a few minutes, we hiked up the side of the wall and walked nearly behind the powerful surge.  Though we had been to Niagara Falls in the past, this seemed even more amazing and awe inspiring.  Sadly, we didn't capture a picture of it on Jacobey's ipod.

When we reached Banos we enjoyed the touristy town nestled down inside the valley amidst the very high mountains which surround it.  One of the most active Ecuadorian volcanos looms only one mile from the center of town.  In 1999 it forced a full-city evacuation.  To this day it spits and spews whenever it sees fit to do so.

Here's Sethy in his traditional baseball attire.  No matter the season or country, he can always be found in it.

 

The streets of Banos are relatively clean and the storefronts have character and color. Doug likened it to being in Switzerland.  While there, we actually met some Swiss backpackers and asked them if it reminded them of home.  They smiled and said that they could see some similarities.

 

Here we found a street entertainer who dressed in all gold and captured the attention of many.  She pretended to be a statue for all passers by but smiled for us when we took her picture.

But nothing was more entertaining than this trio of guinea pigs that had been roasted over a fire.  They go for $10 each and are considered a delicacy.  No thanks.  I can't really bring myself to eating something that resembles a previous pet.

 

We stayed overnight at a very inexpensive hostel (where they sell sleeping space per person instead of by room) and slept on bunk beds.  In the morning we had breakfast up on the fourth floor terrace where the meals ranged from $2-$3.80.  Jacobey took our photo.

 

 

The quality of food was quite good and the scenery was just perfect.  Just over Jacobey's shoulder in the picture below you can see a waterfall cascading down.  In the foreground, notice how his pancakes were loaded with bananas, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. 

 

 

Other meals we had when we were there included some of our favorite things from back home in the US which we were so thankful to finally have:  burritos, tacos, nachos, fajitas.  (Ecuadorian food is nothing like Mexican or Tex-Mex.  Though it is good, it is the only food we eat in Shell.) We also discovered a very small store that sold thyme, cumin, basil, and chocolate, all things we've been living without. 

 

The highlight of the trip though was our visit to the Mega Bodega (Big Storeroom) which sold way more groceries than we had seen in one place in a long time.  There were more than four aisles of food and we found tortilla chips, walnuts and almonds reasonably priced, more than two types of cheese, inexpensive granola, and a few other things that would not cost us an arm and a leg.  We visited the store twice because we just couldn't get enough of seeing all that variety.

 

The best part, however, was meeting and chatting with the security guard of the store.  He was a relatively short, plain-clothed man that kept an eye on the customers as they sauntered along.  When I approached him to ask about store hours, he graciously answered my questions and then asked if I was a Christian.  I told him that I was and he completely lit up and began to inform me that he was a follower of Christ and that the Lord had saved his life.  Over the next few minutes (and then again on the next day when we returned to Mega Bodega to breathe in more of the wonderful wares they had on sale), I discovered that Carlos had previously been in prison.  Back then, he was a hardened criminal, completely strung out on drugs, sentenced to twelve years in jail.  Yet, the Lord made himself known to Carlos while he was locked up and three days later, he was a changed man.  Not only had Jesus set him free from his sins, he set him free from the penal system; Carlos was released.  His life is changed, he's a new man, and he's shocking the people of Banos who know of his past and see how he's living presently--clean and full of life.  People come into the store daily not believing their eyes.

 

A few weeks ago Carlos had been given a dream/vision in which the Lord told him that he needed to pray for a woman who he would encounter.  I think he said that on the next day while he was at work he noticed a woman who had hair that was beginning to show the effects of chemotherapy.  He approached her and asked if she had cancer.  She confirmed that she did but was surprised by the question.  How did he know?  He told her that the Lord had required him to find her and to pray over her.  So, she willingly accepted and they prayed there in one of the aisles of Mega Bodega.  A week later the woman came back to the store to report that her doctors could no longer locate the cancer cells in her body.  She had been healed!

 

At the conclusion of our chats, Carlos shared scripture verses that the Lord had given him.  He rattled them off from memory because they were so emblazoned on his heart and mind.  I asked him if I could write them down (they were not yet emblazoned on mine) and he gave me a pen and paper.  When we returned to Shell a few hours later and I was able to look them up, I was greatly encouraged and knew that this man had been like a needle in a haystack.  I'd gone to Banos to just experience something new, but what I got was something hard to find and very precious--a man whose life had been radically changed and who was going to live for God in a profound way.  What an inspiration!

 

In case you're interested, these are the verses the Lord told Carlos were for him: 

Isaiah 45:1-4

Exodus 34:10

Jeremiah 15:19

Genesis 28:15

 

So, life here continues to be interesting.  Really, never a dull moment. 

Thanks for hanging in there during this very long post. 

Blessings, kim