Good Bye Bali

We are on our 6th and final day living with a local family out in the countryside of rice fields. Their home made up of several bungalows... one a kitchen, another a shower room, bedrooms and now the recent addition of two guest bungalows all set in a lush garden of hellaconia, torch- ginger, orchids, banana, coffee and coco trees. It has been just delightful staying with our hosts Wayan, Ayu and their 2 sons, Argus 14 and Anta 10. They have treated us like family, enjoying sharing stories, Balinese meals, and day-to-day living. Ayu gave Ron a 'one on one' lesson for making the delicious chicken soup... it's all in the spices, several of which we are not familiar with, however Ayu made a special trip to the store and presented us with them, hopefully I will be able to get them through customs. Fido, their dog, enjoys stiring up the cats/roosters.. and is always eager to join us on our walks through the rice fields.

Speaking of which, remember those eels I mentioned living in the muddy rice fields....well, they are pretty tasty when 'crispy fried!' Which is more than can be said for the durian fruit... outward appearance - spikey hard melon shape, firm fleshy interior, revealing a soft pearly pocket of pus, smells awful, but just relished by the locals .... I had only a small taste which continued to repeat for hours, giving the illusion I had ingested cow dung! - I think that about sums it up.


Yesterday, was the big New Years Celebration (this year it's 1935!) an anticipated event for many months. The making of the offerings, which normally is a daily event, became a huge preparation. The morning of March 11th we joined all the villagers in their temple for the rituals of prayers, music and dance with elaborate costume and makeup for both females and males alike.



Ayu loaned us traditional clothing and although we still stood out (being THE ONLY non-villagers) we were totally embraced by the community. Arriving at the village crossroads, where the main temple is situated, as guests, we were invited (informed it was an honor) to partake in the sharing of special coffee/steamed - cake made from rice, coconut and banana - normally reserved for the elders/organizers. Everyone sits cross legged on the road with a small backet of flowers, food and incense, the lady beside me happily shared her basket and showed me how to pray and 'wash my face' in the spiralling incense. Lastly we were blessed with holy water which was administered via soaked grass, similar to having a mini shower... all this took several hours, but the young did not cry/complain just patiently sitting alongside their elders.




The 'Ogoh- Ogoh'- huge molded figures, depicting grotesque monsters, their appearance based on traditional demons, are celebrated in a Madi Gras fashion later in the evening. Each village collects donations months prior to making these elaborate Ogoh Ogoh. The skill of making them being passed down to the young boys from the old men, and the cost throughout Bali runs in the thousands of dollars.



The object of this ceremony is to attract all the evil spirits, acknowledging and giving them 'their day'. This annual (a calandar of 420 days) 'parade' starting at dusk and lasting 3-4 hours. One just mingled in the sea of sweat from the thousands of closely packed bodies. Late that night, after a most welcome cold shower, we sat on our porch as the heavens opened and pelted the ground with the hardest rain we have seen... our hosts exclaimed at breakfast the following day, that the Gods were well pleased with all the offerings/ celebrations of the previous day.

Then came the time of "Nyepi" - a 24 hour time of quietness, where the whole population stays indoors, keeping silent in order to fool any wandering bad spirits that had not been scared away by the Ogoh Ogoh the previous evening. For 24 hours, Bali stops, businesses/airports are closed, streets free of traffic, lights off, no cooking, no work, and guests are urged to remain in their hotels in the cities. The food we eat this day was all prepared in the previous days.

Our three weeks in Bali have been a wonderful adventure. We have become familiar with a culture that appears to be stuck-in-time and fully dedicated to perserving their connections to their past. Daily life absorbed with sacred rituals devoted to mantaining a life balanced between good and evil.

Gili Trawangan

Taking Ketut's advise, we took a 3 day detour to Gili Trawangan, the largest of the 3 Gili islands with a local population of 800. It was quite the adventure... after a 90 min 'fast boat' ride we disembarked not alongside a pier, but in the shallow waters of the harbor - best to be barefoot - I quickly whiped off my sandals, however, my capris were quite soaked. We retrieved our luggage from the beach before taking a horse drawn cart ride (which is the main transportation) along the bechside road to our hotel. We were quite delighted with our ride, hanging on to the sides as the cart navigated the many potholes. A storm 24 hr previously had disrupted electricity causing the a/c and lighting to be off, thankfully, connection was resumed several hours later.
Having a 4 hr wait before checking into our room, we set off to explore the town, comprised of muliple eating options (all on the beach front with the hotels on the opposite side of the road). Eating our chicken kebabs, overlooking the Indian Ocean and listening to the 'calls to prayer' from the mosque immediately behind us, we were more than content to be in this tranquil setting.




Later we enjoyed lounging by the hotel pool. That first evening out we had not thought to pick up an umbrella from the lobby and had the fun of walking back to our hotel in what we came to know as one of the many unpredictable rain showers, making shoes obsolete, we were ankle deep in muddy water!




Considering absolutely everything has to be transported by boat - water, propane, food, etc... we were very impressed with the meals we ate here and they were reasonably priced too. The main attraction for escaping to this small paradise island is the snorkling and thriving diving idustry
Though walking is the prefered method of getting around, the following day we rented bicycles for the day and took the 90-120 min ride around the perimeter of the island, though many times it was more like taking the bike for a walk as it was too difficuilt to ride the sandy footpath. The interior of the island is where most of the locals live in shack style homes, it's also where the cows and chickens reside.




In the 90's Gili Trawangan was very much ' the party' island for the young backpackers who at that time slept mainly on the beaches. But since 2005 there was a massive development boom producing upscale hotels and restaurants. However, there are still regular party nights to be found, if that's your desire, but there are warnings to be careful not to drink the locally produced spirits as they contain methanol, causing serious injury and even death among tourists and locals alike.... sticking to beer is advised.
Gili is Muslim, like most of Indonesia, (while Bali is mainly Hindu), however, we have found ALL people to be genuinely kind, treating tourists and each other as family. Life is simple and non-stressful, a lifestyle that the Western world should try to incorporate.

Bali Culture

Hands

Every hand movement should be graceful and calm. A handshake is a light touch of humanity not a show of strength. Hands are sacred, a gift is offered or received with the right hand cupped by the left. Both hands united in greeting or prayer fingers pointed up for God, forward for humans and down for the devil. The hypnotic fingers of the Balinese dancer reflects their importance in spiritual life. Pleasing the Gods is a daily full time job, not just special events or church on Sunday.




In Bali the training for the "Legong" dance begins at age 5 and is performed by girls who have not yet reached puberty. We greatly enjoyed an evening of dance but not so enthralled with the accompanying music.




Parks and Temples

Bali Bird Park (also known as "Heaven on Earth Park") is an absolute must to see when visiting Bali. This park provides a sanctuary for some of the rarest of exotic birds, totalling almost a 1000 birds of 250 different species from Indonesia, Africa and S. America. One needs at least 3 hours here as there is so much to experience. Adjacent is the reptile park, mainly snakes and of the smaller very poisionous variety, however, we were somewhat in awe of the albino boa, just huge, and the cobra. When driving throught the countryside, Ketut pointed out some unusual cage like woven structures atop poles at the corners of the houses.. these are there to prevent the snake from entering the home!



We have toured the exotic gardens of Tita Gangga, otherwise known as The Kings Water Park, both tranquil and beautiful. The Tanahlot Temple situated beside one of the lakes in the mountains is by far the most picturesque. The Botanical Gardens is a favorite place of Ketut's where he frequently brings his family for picnics. Each garden is unique, preserving the beauty of this country, in conjunction with remembering to honor the spirits with daily offerings. It is said that the women spend 1800 hours a year making offerings for the deceased.

Teeth filing

Teeth are seen as the 'seat of feelings' ie lust, anger, greed and the teeth filing cermony marks a time when adolesents become adults - a total of 8 are filed - six front and two back. The file (not the size of an emery board, but similar to one a carpenter would use!) and small hammer are purified first with holy water, special clothing is worn and an instrument similar to a xylophone is played to induce harmony, cloves are provided to dull the pain,- Ketut, our guide, shared that he needed cloves for 2 days! Afterwards, of course a great feast is shared with the families.

Catering to the tourists

One cannot walk the streets without a non-stop stream of offers for a massage, manicure/pedicure (I resisted the temptation to plunge my feet into the sidewalk tanks of fish touted as a great way to rid yourself of dead skin!) There is also the abundunt offer for taxis.... however the one time we needed a taxi there were non to be found... it was at night, and not in the normal tourist area, a kindly motorcyclist sensing our discomfort, rustled up a private car ride back to our accomodation.

The outdoor markets are crammed, each stall looking the same as the next. Browsing is impossible as one is immediately hustled to purchase sarongs, eyeglasses, even rolex watches. The fruits and vegtables, however, are displayed beautifully, with fresh lemongrass and abundant spices.



New experiences

We had the opportinity to peel the bark of a cinnamon tree on one of our drives in the country. Snakefruit is popular but the harvesting has to be a challenge, as they grow in dark nut like clusters amongst the most thorny and lethal looking trees. We were surprised to learn that rattan too is covered by a similar thorny exterior, and the farmers wait for this outter layer to burst open first before gathering the smooth pliable cane. I learned also that the crushed leaves of the hibiscus plant is an excellent hair conditioner.

Bali - Villages and Countryside

We had not realized how diverse Bali is, each village or area specializing in one commodity only, from brick making to silver jewlery. We have visited the villages renouned for their woodcarving, basket and material weaving, having the honor of meeting "The Master Carver", I Made Ade.

The growing of flowers, fruits and vegetables being more suited in the higher altitudes with the rich volcanic earth. It was a welcome relief for us to spend some time away from the heat and traffic of Ubad.

The countryside is rich and lush with rice terraces, the irrigation schedule is arranged through a communal system in order for all the farmers to have an equal share. Because this irrigation is free flowing there are no mosquitoes in the rice fields. Egrets ignore the scarecrows and gently dot the landscape, while broods of ducks huddle in muddy waters searching for the eels and bugs... it's a good eco system. The crops are harvested by hand and carried (mainly by women, and on their heads) in bamboo baskets. For added income, in addition to farming, a family will also raise a pig (new definition of having a piggy bank!) and a cow. It's the women's responsibility to raise the pig, while the man raises the cow. Some men also take great pride in raising roosters for cock fighting, we were told that some wives become jealous of these roosters, as the husbands spend so much time fussing over them... moving them frequently throughout the day so they have access to fresh grass and bugs, in addition to giving daily massages to these birds!




Each village is very different too, some unkempt with chickens, half starved dogs, wandering oxen followed by a gaggle of geese. Yet peek behind the entrance to the homes and one is greeted with open smiling faces, a woman sitting weaving cloth one thread at a time, another making thin rice cakes for offerings. We stumbled across a village thanksgiving cermony whose purpose apparently had something to do with interfering with the bad karma of a recently deceased relative, thus ensuring harmony for their future happiness (or something like that!). The elder was very gracious, trying to explain, in passable English, the purpose of this cermony. Over in a corner we couldn't help but notice the young girls and children playing on their smartphones!







Then there was the extreme, a very clean, orderly village with brick homes, bamboo roofs and smooth stoned roads... no animals wandering anywhere. Future ownership of a home here is strictly controlled as it is restricted to the offspring of present owners, no outsider is permitted to move here.

There is one village famous for the roosting of the herons (hundreds!) who return each evening around 6 pm. Ketut, our guide, took us there to see them returning for the night. The smell from the bird droppings was quite offensive, these poor villagers apparently have tried to get the herons to relocate to another area, even if it were just a field or two away, but to no avail, they prefer to perch in the trees on the main road alongside their homes.

Ketut... our Bali guide

It did not take us long to realize how very fortunate we are to have had Ketut, recommended to us as our personal taxi driver, he is in great demand, and thankfully we took the precaution of contacting him prior to our arrival as we have several full day trips planned. His English is excellent and his stories bring the Balinese culture to life, not to mention he knows where to go for the best quality and prices. Prior to being a taxi driver he was a rice farmer and plans to return to that way of life once he retires!



Sun 24th was our first guided 8 hr day where we walked among several of the islands 20,000 temples. It is custom to wear a sarong before entering any temple (to keep the knees covered?) naturally there are many vendors vying for your attention, this I found to be most intimidating as they refuse to understand 'no thank you' and this comes from one who has had many similar experiences in Central America, these ladies take the award for persistence.

Even though we consider ourselves fairly fit and used to walking, we found ourselves quite challenged by the steps at times. Perhaps the most intruguing temple was 'Tirtha Empul' which is a" Holy Spring Temple" where, after the locals have placed their thanksgiving offerings at the shrine, they enter the waist deep pools fully clothed (very orderly, reminding me of the lines in Disneyworld) to pray and have water cascade over their heads from stone spouts. Each spout represents a different thanksgiving, it could be for the recovery of an illness, birth of a child, honoring the dead, a new possession such as a house/car ... later the families eat a prepared meal brought from home in special baskets reserved only for these occasions.



In the countryside of Tegalalang, there are many beautifully laid out rice terraces on the way to Batur Lake and Batur Volcano. The cooler air was a welcome reprieve from the sticky humid atmosphere of our town, Ubud.

In the name of progress, much of Bali has been westernized, the towns choked with trucks and motorcycles, where it is a common sight to see a family of five on a bike built for two. The market shrine is shrouded in clouds of incense and frangipani flowers, while dogs scavenge for food which they find on the hundreds of food offering plates no larger than the palm of your hand. Row upon row of vendors add to the confusion and bustle of the towns, while women straight backed, balance incredibly large and heavy loads with apparent ease upon their heads. Navigating the sidewalks is a challenge... raised blocks of uneven loose and missing tile, covering water gullies, one definitely needs to keep a watchful eye while walking. But look beyond this and one can see that the black and white (representing life/ death) checkered cloths wrapped around the trees, are there to honor the spirits in conjunction with the flowers, leaves and fruit offerings. Bali is all about harmony and balance.

Arrival in Singapore and Bali

Our 29 hours of travel and 3 flights to get to Singapore, turned out not so bad after all... the last 8 hr flight from Tokyo was only half full so we were able to stretch out on 3 seats each, which made for a welcome relief. Our 12 hr layover in Singapore, before our final flight to Bali, was spent in the airport transit hotel, didn't have to worry about retrieving our checked in luggage and enjoyed the best shower and sleep.

If one has to be stuck at an airport, THIS is the one to be in... Changi is spacious, clean and tranquil, with many small gardens to enjoy... our favorite being the butterfly garden. Then there is the movie theatre, gym, swimming pool, abundant flowers and pools... very enjoyable, but it was time to move on to Bali...




Kebun Indah... translated .... "Beautiful Garden" and this is our accomodation for our first 10 days. Comprised of many individual bungalows set into a small hillside, ours happens to be located alongside 2 small rice fields. It is hard to believe we are steps away from the busy road in the town of Ubad, as one feels totally surrounded by tranquility. Each 'bungalow' has it's own porch where breakfast is served each day. A welcome addition is the pool set among the gardens and of course the massage spa.

Great care is taken to keep everything in balance/harmony with the spirits of those who have already passed from this life onto the next, as " offering" baskets made from the palm leaf containing flowers, rice and incense are placed in small shrines in the trees and at the entrance to each bungalow.




Late afternoon mosquito coils are placed either side of our door... geckos are encouraged to scamper in and out as they bring good luck to the house. Mosquito netting surrounds our bed, but thankfully seems to be unnecessary (the coils are doing the job).

Each morning we are awakened to the gentle swish-swish of the palm frond brush as our porch and patch of grass alongside us is being swept, this combined with multiple bird songs and distant roosters make for a fine 'wake up call'.

The Balinese staff greet us with gentle courtsey and beautiful smiles so open and friendly, we feel as though we are family. Several have worked here for years and are delighted to see the photos we have on our laptop and hear about our friends who have visited here before us, and were it not for them, we would have missed out on this very special location.

Ecuador, Vilcabamba and Banos

Vilcabamba, is a small 'Hippy Village' with an elevation of 5500 ft and is nestled in what is called 'The Valley of Longevity' It is only 142 miles from the city of Cuenca, however, it took a good 6 hrs getting there, via various shuttle buses, and taxies. The scenery was just beautiful as we drove up/down and around the mountains, very green and lush. It's quiet and laid back, the attraction to this area is....it's perfect year round weather, crisp clean air, very low cost of living, and friendly people. The main attractions for tourists are horseback riding (many of the locals ride into town, hitch the horse to a post, do their shopping (fresh veg/fruit market at the w/e). There are not many privately owned cars. There are some great hikes, the most famous being. 'The Sacret Mt of Mandango' but unfortunately closed a couple of weeks ago due to some random attacks on tourists, when 4 men with machetes attacked and robbed them of their money, cameras and i-phones. So, we just kept ourselves safe by walking mainly in and around the village. We only had a 3 day stay there before moving on to our last stop.... Banos.




Banos
Well, It seems we saved the best till last. Situated in a valley of waterfalls and hotsprings, Baños has become a mecca for international travelers seeking year-round temperate weather, a small town atmosphere, and a base for exploring the great Ecuadorian outdoors. Located four hours by bus from Quito, Baños offers many hotsprings, best time to soak is in the am when it is still misty and cooler. Again horseback riding is popular, then there is rafting, climbing and mountain biking. We ended up doing a very challenging hike, which according to the guide books should have taken an hour and a half..... well, it took us two just to climb the vertical part! However, the views from the ridge at the top were spectacular and we rewarded ourselves with a great lunch back in the town for $3 followed by a marvellous massage back at our very comfortable lodgings. Yesterday, Ron and I took the bus to Puyo (60 km) to visit the Botanical Gardens (really nice) and a monkey rehabilation center. It was a fun day and I captured a great vidieo of one of the larger monkeys leaping into Ron's lap and giving him this big old hug (keep in mind these are wild, not domestic) so the volunteers were fairly quick to distract him (the monkey, not Ron) with some food. Another little fellow decided it was OK to be craddled in my arms while giving himself a 'bath' ..rubbing himself all over with a lime, afterwards my shirt and arms were very sticky, not to mention, smelly but it was so fun.



Ron, ever on the look out for "the" place to relocate to, loves this place, however, it's main drawback is it's rather remote location...3-4 hrs from a hospital and airport.

And so, our adventure in Central/South America has come to an end. We are presently waiting for our taxi to take us back to the sprawling city of Quito our international airport for our flight to Miami tomorrow. However, for one last quick treat, immediately after breakfast we spent a couple of hours soaking in one of the nearby outdoor hot tubs, which was almost as good as our massage.

There are always places you wish you could have seen, the Galapagos being one, but we have to save something for a return trip!!

Ecuador, Cuenca

We chose to take a bus back to Quito, rather than risk the possibility of a repeat nightmare taxi drive, then boarded a flight to Cuenca. Again, another city but smaller than Quito, which in recent years, attracted 3500 expatriates. During our 5 day stay (this time we were renting a room in a young couples home, she was Ecadorian and he, Canadian). We had ample opportunity to speak with several expats who were more thanwilling to share their stories and reasons for relocating to this much gentler city with it's 4 rivers flowing through it, and grassy pathway alongside. And here were some of those reasons:

The mountains
The rivers
The people
The culture
The architecture
Sunshine
Cost of living
Parks
Cafes
Critters (lack of)

To give a little history.... Cuenca means 'River Basin' and has an elevation of 8500 ft. The Incas conquered Cuenca in the late 1400's, prior to that the Canari' had been living here since 500 AD. There is an abundance of museums, so we chose best part of a day to explore the most famous ... 'Museum del Banco Central' which had been constructed over what was previously, an Inca Palace. Attached was an archaeological site along with some lovely Botanical Gardens.

This museum has re-creations of typical dwellings from the various regions of Ecuador and a section devoted to the chronicles of the country's currency. Along with the history of the Incas, there were several real, shrunken heads. It was interesting to note that the "white man" was not thought worthy of having their heads shrunk!



We also wandered around The Panama Hat factory .... because, as we all know, Panama Hats come from Ecuador NOT Panama. We were quite tempted to purchase a couple, but discovered the most popular hats that the tourists prefer, sell here for $25, and are categorized as being only a grade 1 ... when in actual fact, a truly decent hat (a grade 20) sells for several thousand dollars and can be more easily purchased online.


We enjoyed our usual bus tour around Cuenca, but despite this we found that we walked 30 miles over our 4 days, enjoyed decent cups of coffee, good quality, tasty, inexpensive food. Saw local indians washing their laundry in the rivers (interestingly, in many cases it is the men who actually wash the clothes, while the women supervise) It is evident that a high priority is to have clean shoes, and there are shoeshinners set up everywhere, one even tried to persuade Ron to have his Keen walking sandals cleaned, Traffic still has the right of way here, and crosswalks are totally disregarded, if anything the drivers speed up if they see you using them! It definitely felt a much safer city despite there always being a guard with a sawn off shotgun standing outside every bank.

Ecuador, Quito and Otavalo

It took all day to get ourselves relocated from Panama to the huge sprawling city of Quito, temp barely 60 degrees and raining.... could we really be on the equator? But, with an altitude of 9000 ft we found ourselves wearing multiple warm layers and our rain gear, oh yes, and where was the oxgyen ....the air seemed so thin, this was to be 'home' for the next 4 days. As always, when we are in cities, we find ourselves walking 7, 8 or 10 miles a day as we explored museums, churches and generally get the feel of the place. We found that it did warm up between 11- 3, and our day packs would be full of clothing, as we peeled our layers off. Although Quito was very easy on our wallets, large $1beers, full meal $3 each, alpaca yarn for $5/100gm, Ron had a haircut for $2.75, generally I did not care for this city - it didn't feel safe. We were constantly being warned to be vigilant for pickpockets, not to be out walking after dark. One local lady even discouraged us from walking in a certain tourist area, saying' don't look, don't smile, don't speak to anyone, they could (and here she indicates something being placed over our nose) do to your body what ever they want" .... Well .... that was enough to put me off, and this was in broad daylight! The traffic was crazy, pedestrains second class citizens, and the buses belch out black clouds of exhaust fumes.

Our Quito experience was topped off with a 2 hr taxi ride from hell, the driver, a maniac. The man beside me kept crossing himself, Ron and I were white knuckled in an attempt to prevent ourselves being hurtled all over the place. There were 5 of us jammed in like sardines, luggage strapped on the roof, the driver seemed possessed, overtaking everything, ignoring the double yellow lines on the hair raising bends on what seemed like two wheels. We were most thankful to finally reach our destination, Otavalo, a small town nestled amongst lush mountains. Our accomodation was a cabin a couple of miles out of town, with scenery that can best be described as ' Little Switzerland'...llamas, donkeys, cows, dogs, clean air and oh so tranquil.



Our main reason for coming to this area was to experience "the world famous artisans market", which was somewhat overwhelming but really impressive, especially the live stock section, where locals were buying, selling and exchanging just about everything imaginable, from your everyday farm animal to guinea pigs (on the menu here!) and llamas of course. On Saturdays the venders set up stalls on every available speck of sidewalk and alleyway, and one can literally spend all day browsing and bargaining for treasures.


On Easter Sunday I attended a Catholic church service conducted in Latin and found myself to be the only tourist. Not only that, but the only grey haired person (and I was by no means the eldest) feeling like a giant beside the 4 ft, and under, local indians, who smiled their toothless smiles with bright eyes set in weather beaten faces. We were packed in like sardines standing, shoulders touching, and during the Easter Service, several groups of local indians brought bunches of corn stalks to the alter to receive a blessing for a good harvest. It really was a unique and unforgetable service. Later in the day I went horseriding, something I had not done for 25 years.... Now what on earth made me think I could just step up and swing my leg over the saddle as I had last done! but, I managed on the second attempt with some assistance that time. The horse was no fool he knew he didn't have an equestrian on his back, but we plodded on even through the pouring rain.



After the w/e we chose to take a bus back to Quito instead of a taxi, which turned out to be not only much cheaper but more comfortable too, and then a flight to Cuenca.......but that's another posting.

Panama City/Embera Village

After spending 10 days in two quiet mountain locations, we drove to Panama City dropping off the car we had rented for the previous week, and found our next lodging, a rather quirky hostel for the next few nights. The city seemed noisy, stiffling and hot after the cool mountain air and we were thankful to have a small pool we could dip into. Our first day in the City we did our usual "hop-on/hop-off" Bus Tour in order to get a feel for the city's sights, and then explore on foot the areas which appealed. Naturally, one of the highlights was visiting the locks of theCanal, which as most people I'm sure, we found to be really intriguing. Another nice area we walked was along the city waterfront, which ended up being an 8 mile walk, and our aching legs certainly confirmed that.

Amazing Day Trip to the Embera' Village


We were picked up at 7:30 by Anne Gordon - who was an animal trainer for film & TV for over 20 years when she was hired in early 2004 to work on a film "The End of the Spear" which was shot in the jungles of Panama. The production company had contracted to use the Embera' tribe as their actors for this real life story. During the months it took to film this movie Anne became friends with many of the Embera' people and fell in love with their quality of life and how warm and open hearted they are, and as fate would have it, she is now married to one of the Embera' men from the village, so we really felt fortunate as she was the perfect guide.

Anyway, to get back to our memorable day, after picking up another couple of Americans the 5 of us drove for an hour out of the city, before climbing into a hand dug out canoe with an outboard engine for the 90 min ride up the river, we were told it would have taken a day to paddle the same distance! It was really quite a challenge for our 3 native men to navigate the river against a strong current and in places the river was so shallow it was necessary to lift the outboard engine out of the water while we all climbed out and pushed the canoe through several of these low spots. That in itself was fun, and all so peaceful, seeing turtles gathered together warming themselves on rocks, and various birds gliding overhead.

There were about 100 total, counting the many children, living in this simple village consisting of about a dozen or so round open huts on stilts, with tree bark floors, and palm frond roofing. Each 'home' had it's own open wood fire set on a sand bed, simple pots for cooking, and a few hammocks for sleeping. Access up into the hut was by a log propped against the side with wedges cut for steps, when a family were away for the day then the log was simply turned round to show the smooth side!



Clothing for the women were brightly colored lengths of cloth just wrapped around their waist, the men wore only loin cloths, and all barefoot. No drawers or closets required for clothing, only a clothes line to dry the lenghts of cloth.

The river was used for bathing and washing their 'clothing' - with downstream as the bathroom area. Everywhere was tidy and picked even though there were kids, dogs and chickens everywhere.



We were able to roam the village freely, taking photos of the children swinging on woven ropes, playing kick ball, pretending to ride a horse, which was just a stick or pulling each other on a plastic 5 gallon container cut in half, which was their 'sled'. They all had big smiles and always wanted to see the photo you had just taken on your digital camera. The women weave
beautiful hand crafted baskets, or made jewlery from various pods/ seeds/ while the men wove monkey masks or did amazing carvings of birds, turtles, hummingbirds made from wood or hard nuts.

The men would also fish (meals were not set times, and as Anne said, you could never be quite sure what you would be served, she has learned to eat many things an American would not normally consider). Much of their time was spend 'body painting' each other with elaborate designs using the juice of a special fruit. These designs only last 10 days so it was a constant upkeep.

We were introduced to an elder who was the herbalist and took us on a tour informing us, via Anne as our interpretor, of the properties of the various plants, he was a gentle, quietly spoken man.

We were given a simple but delicious lunch of cooked fish/plantains/fruit, served in large palm leaves formed into a pouch, and afterwards treated to some traditional dancing, singing and the playing of simple handmade instruments. Our return trip down river was much quicker but just as enjoyable.

It was easy to see why Anne fell in love with these warmhearted friendly people and their easy going lifestyle, and we were all a little sad when it came time to leave.

Note: The majority of this tribe lives about 300 miles further into the jungle.

El Valle de Anton, Panama

Despite recommendations for us to visit Bocas Del Toro (Panama's principle tourist draw to some of the most beautiful beaches) we decided to continue to seek out the quieter more remote mountainous areas, and so found ourselves in 'El Valle de Anton' elevation 2000 ft, nestled in the crater of a giant extinct volcano, last active some three million years ago! To be fair it is a popular, second home 'weekend get away' for the folk who live in Panama City, approx 2 hr drive away. Our lodging has been a modest hotel with the big attraction of having a large covered roof patio, hammocks, comfortable bamboo furniture, great views of the mountains/creater rim, along with warm breezes, so when we want to read, relax, or enjoy our breakfast of fresh fruit this is the spot to be. (Speaking of fruit....huge local pineapples for $1...perfectly ripe and juicy....what a treat!)



The charm here is once again the cooler climate, the lush scenery and clean air - though one finds 'pockets' of smoldering trash which is not so pleasant - a frequent occurance throughout Panama it seems. And the reason we are not at the coastline at this time of the year..... the comfortable 70 degree temps. Like Boquete, this is a popular place for hiking.....we did over extend ourselves a bit on a 3 hr strenuous and challenging walk one day with our legs feeling like jelly at the end, but we enjoyed ourselves and slept well.
Another shorter and kinder walk for our legs boasted of it's unique square trees along with their square growth rings. - We read that saplings from these trees were being grown in FL to see if they retain their squareness in a different environment, however, it is believed that the shape is probably due to some unknown but purely local condition.

Other attractions include horseback riding and warm thermal pools with the added attraction of indulging in a mud bath with supposed curitive properties all located in a remote forested area.....we restrained ourselves and just did a facial!


El Valley de Anton is pristine, quiet, and lacks a town center, however there is no evidence of trash, shacks (or worse) dwellings for the poor, for this is not an area where the indigenous people live. What does strike one as being unusual here is the number of bicyles due to the extensive flatness of the crater. However the cyclists could benefit from a couple of safety tips, such as, don't ride down the center of the roads at night without a flashlight or any kind of reflector on your bike, and the preferred dark clothing only makes you blend into the inky blackness of the night.

At times clouds DO tend to roll on down the mountain sides, almost reaching the town, feels a bit like being wrapped up in cotton wool, then the warm breeze becomes a little cooler and chases us indoors for a while. Several times today we heard a vehicle drive by with a loud booming megaphone making what we thought was some important announcement..... such as to the impending eruption of the volcano maybe? ... only later to learn it was a truck full of watermelons that someone was trying to sell!..... that's the problem of having an over active imagination.



There is an extensive choice of places to eat, from a road side stand that prepares the most delicious chicken or beef tacos $1.50 to a fancy Irish pub, that looks more like a country estate with it's stone walls, and upscale landscaping, where one can purchase fish/chips or sheperds pie for less than $10 and a beers $1.

Tomorrow (28th) we exchange our peace and quiet for Panama City.... better get the ear plugs out.