The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-17
THE BANGKOK OF ECUADOR
The City of Babahoyo and the Floating
Houses of the Guyas River.

ana devoted himself to me for the
day. Together we went to visit one of
the biggest plantations of Ecuador This
belonged to Mr.. Augustine Barrios,
man who owns thousands of cattle and
horses. and who sells something like
100000 pounds of chocolate beans every
year.
The plantation Is now all under wa
ter, and we had to take a canoe to visit
II. Our canoe was about thirty feet
long and not over thirty inches wide.
1t was dugout and was poled and
sculled by two luSty brown skinned
gondollers, one of whom stood at each
end of it. Mr.. Klein sat in the bottom,
ana L was given a place in the center
or the canoe, and told to hold myself
steady. Leaving the city we were
pushed along through the wide streets
of water. passing by huts which seem
ed to be floating on the waves, until
at last we moved on into the tropical
forest. We rowed for miles among the
tree tops, now grazing a great black
alligator, and again chartered at by
monkeys, who made faces at us as they
scampered away. The trees were full
OF strange birds. which fiuttered and
cried as we went by. Now we get a
shot at one, a guilareta, a beautiful
thing as big as pigeon with a bill like
blood, long legs of a golden yellow and
L try a shot at crocodile. but the
canoe tremples as 1 stand up in it and
the ugly monster gets away unframed.
There are wild ducks and other birds
which L have never seen before, and
Mr.: Klein tells me that he often bags
a deer on the highlands or has a shot
at a wild hog or a leopard. The ride
IS beyond description. Under us there
is twelve feet of water. where a few
weeks ago it was all dry land. The
trees make thick arbor-like shade
over US, and we wind in and out
through them, now making our way
along a, narrow canal of green and then
shooting out into great green walled
chamber Of water, the trees about
which are loaded down with orchids.
each of which in New York would bring
sum equal to the wages of the aver.
age workingman.
insects are plenty, bugs and ants Of
every description fall upon us as we
float onward, and Mr.. Klein tells me
now great snake once dropped down
into his boat from the branches above.
Inc trees are all strange and tropical
There are rubber trees, trees loaded
with alligator pears and here and there
great palm has hoisted its green head
above the others. Outside of the in
sects and birds the silence is almost
oppressive. The soft air is heavy with
peace and rest, and the ripple of the
water as our long canoe works it's way
onward seems to invite us to sleep.
Now canoe with a family of Indians
passes US. and again great cargo boat
loaded with cocoa is showed along on
its way to the markets
A MflliOnaire's Plantation.
Nearly all the land above which we
have been travelling belongs to the mil
Honaire planter whom we are to visit,
When we get out of the forest we come
directly into the grazing lands of his
plantation. The grass is now under
water, and his herds have been taken
to the high lands on the edge of the
Andes. We are in a wide waste of
waters, above which here and there the
tops of the wire fences are to be seen.
We sail right over these fences, now
and then passing tenant houses of
bamboo matched with palm leaves. The
houses are like those of Babahoyo.
built upon piles. Under each just over
the water there is platform on which
the chickens and pigs of the owner live
within six inches Of drowning
AS we near the great white house Of
the planter we see more and more of
these houses. We pass a butcher shop
resting on the water where are killed
the animals which furnish the meat
for the planter and go by a great barn
which is also on piles surrounded by
water. We sail over the front gate
and land amid lot Of long steel cocoa
boats on the second floor Of the house.
which is great three-story building