A Trip to the Village

Ripple2
Mon 6 Mar 2006 23:16
Here is a tale of our first visit to a Kuna village written by Darren.
 
Sat March 04
 
We set off in the dinghy at around 1.30pm to visit a small, really small (about 5 acres) island that was also a village called Nalunega.
 
When we got off the dinghy at the dock the first building we came to was a store/shed.
There was a sign the read "we sell cold beer" We looked in past "the bar area" and saw boxes. We got 24 beers, a large bag of small bags of chicken flavoured chips!!!!!( I love chicken chips and they don't have them in the BVI or even "down island'.) oh yes, and eggs and chicken stock. Cost $20.05 Did you notice the .05? Oh yes we now have 95 cents worth of Panamanian coins. We walked on, around a concrete primary school, and saw a small thached hut with an open doorway and a sign theat read "we sell cold beer". It was also the place that sold bread. We knew this because two Norwegen women had shown us there to buy bread. We got 20 small rolls for $1.50. Good thing we had some coins! I also got a can of cold pepsi.
 
We left the Norwegians and ambled off to look around. It was mostly thatched huts. The Kuna people have no furniture. Just hammocks. In the centre of the island was a basketball court where 2 children played. There was a large hut (the congresso) and then in every direction huts. A couple of trees.  But they only went back one or two rows and your were at the sea. This circumstance the people utilise by building elevated walkways over the water to outhouses. You guess the rest.
 
As we headed back from our furthest point ( we had seen only 3-4 people along the way) and came back the we way we had come, hey presto! a small stall was in front of a hut that was not there when we first walked past. By the time we were back to the basketball court ( 5 minutes) , molas had been strung up. We were back to the bread shop and noticed a clothes/cloth shop. Mola materials.
 
 Small childrens (maybe not, they are small people) dresses hung from the rafters. Ah! cloth, against the back wall. Annie wanted every colour of the rainbow, naturally. Half a yard each colour thanks. I'll pull it of the shelf (as there is a small language problem) and you measure and cut. Now that's half a yard. While this was going on I saw cotten over against the opposite wall. By the time we picked out the cotton reels and got back to where the fabric was......there were a couple of molas on the counter on the other side wall. We paid for the fabric and cotton$12.50. As we head to the door...ah molas and  now sunglass case mola designs ...could be a GPS case. There were lots of them. And then more. Wait. Now more. Parots, fish,turtles, dolphins, Toucans etc, $5 each. OK I saw a parot I liked. Oh wait, now there are pot-holders and oven mits. Lots of them. And some more. OK now I just needed to pay for my parrot GPS holder.
 
Outside now we head in way we haden't been yet. A big concrete buuilding. A shop. Looked around, spoke to a man who knew english a bit. Then we went out the back door. Although at the time we didn't realise it was the back door. Gardens, huts, flowers, live  whistling parrots (not on molas). Lovely. Paradise. That part of the island, that "backyard", was my favourite spot on the island. It was only yards back to the dock.
 
There is my account of our visit. Now we have moved to an unpopulated area with a lot of islands close to each other. From our boat I can see 10 small, low, palm covered islands. Thre are  3 other boats. All Norwegian.
 
The San Blas is a "I can't believe I'm here" kind of place. Many low islands with tall 100 foot plus coconut tress swaying in the 15-20 knot breeze. Kuna people all over the place paddling here and there. Truly beautiful and peaceful. This takes "life in the islands" to another level.