A few days ago I returned happy – after more than 40 years – to the San Antonio farm, located in the Baba canton of the Los Ríos province.
By Sergio Cedeño Amador *
My colleague Zamorano and illustrious writer from Costa Rica Santiago Porras Jiménez says that one always returns to the places where one has been happy.
A few days ago I returned happily –after more than 40 years– to the Hacienda San Antonio, located in the canton Baba from the province of Los Ríos, and that it was owned by Don Jorge Salinas, known as the Baba Chieftain for being one of the richest landowners in the area.
In the 70s and being the administrator of the famous Angélica ranch, every June 23 I attended on horseback and at full gallop, crossing pastures and old cocoa orchards at night, in a two-hour journey to enjoy the Baba village festivals and logically to the festivities of the nearby Hacienda San Antonio, which at that time had church with a park, 300,000 cacao trees and a huge herd of cattle on its 1,600 hectares.
I was lucky enough to meet Don Jorge Salinas and his seven children, all of them deceased, who always treated me as “Brother montuvio on horseback” and on one occasion they lent me a saddle for my horse, since in the parking lot of those animals from Baba’s party they stole my saddle, which was like saying “the wheels of the car.”
One of the sons, named Jorge and known as Olmedino had gone to Argentina to study agronomy and had married an Argentine lady known as “La Che” (Edith Ortiz) there. who came to live in Baba and drew attention for its beauty and its whiteness, and for knowing how to dance tango at the town festivals and on dirt floors, something never seen before in those parts, since we only danced guaracha until the dawn when the famous “aguado de pato” was already being offered to regain strength.
On my recent visit to San Antonio I met Abel, son of my remembered friend “la Che”. She was a child when I punctually attended these montuvian festivals and she told me that she, now a widow, about 30 years ago returned to live in Buenos Aires, but Three years ago, she returned to die on the farm since she was buried with her husband Olmedino in the Baba cemetery, where now I must go to visit them on my next journey through that montuvian area that taught “La Che” that great truth: one always returns to the places where one has been happy.
* Member of the Academy of History of Ecuador and proud Montuvio.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
