In Santa
Marta Columbia I took a trip into the mountains to a coffee plantation. The plantation and processing equipment are
more than 100 years old and the couple who run it were delightful. However, they make very little money on
coffee these days and it’s become difficult to find workers willing to
hand-pick coffee beans. This will likely
be the last generation to grow coffee.
In fact they have already begun a transition to growing corn. How sad.
Very pretty
up in the mountains. We took an hour or so walk out to one of the waterfalls
that supply pristine water to the farm amidst large stands of bamboo.
As a non-coffee drinker, when coffee was served I was
provided with a bottle of their self-produced beer. Pretty good too.
From Colon Panama I was off to visit one of the 7 indigenous
Indian tribes who reside in the country. In many ways, this tribe of Embera Indians still
live as they did years ago, but they had to reinvent themselves when their land
was designated as a national park. Now
living in Chagres National Park, the Indians were no longer able to hunt, clear
land and maintain other traditions necessary to their way of life. So, they became master weavers of grasses
making beautiful bowls, plates and masks as well as carvings and jewelry.
The children are educated by a teacher sent
to the village by the government and some have even gone off to college in
hopes of becoming better advocates for the village when seeking government
funding and services.
Some of the clothing worn when we were there was ceremonial. I was told that when there are no guests they
wear less than what we saw with women wearing only a sarong. They do, however, dress in more conventional
clothing when leaving the village to go into town.
Today we went through the Panama Canal. It was my third time to transit the canal and
my 4th time in Panama (the first being a land trip when I saw the
canal from a local’s perspective and from the air as I flew to the other side
of the country). The water is brown
these days due to the dredging for the new canal which runs parallel to this
one. It was to have opened by now but
they’re having issues with leaks. Seems
to me that they were better at mixing cement 100 years ago then they are today… I posted a photo of the locks on FB last year... won't bore you with all of that this time :).
We now have a day at sea before stopping in Costa Rica.