A Trip to the Village
Ripple2
Mon 6 Mar 2006 23:16
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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. |