My Big Fat Panamanian Carnival

No photos for this blog. Read below to find out why.

Let me begin by saying that I have never favored big festivals. I relate much better to smaller groups. But, my Inner Festival Explorer, goaded by the local buzz, decided to travel into Panama*, to see what all the Hoo-Haw was about. *When people in Panama talk about going to Panama, what they mean is going to Panama City.

Travelling into the Emerald City on the day of Carnival proved to be a failure of logistical judgement on my part. The buses were all full – I had 3 full ones pass me by and even the 4^th was standing room only for the first hour of the trip, until I finally got a seat. The traffic inbound was HORRIFIC, unlike I’ve ever seen it. What is normally a 4 hour trip took almost 8 hours, including my wait at the bus stop. Even though this is the dry season, it started to rain as we got into the City.

When I finally got to the terminal and headed for the Metro, it was another mob scene. Trains were running at peak (3 minute) intervals and still packed. The walk from the Metro to my hotel was filled with honking horns and drizzle. And when I got there, they were full. Again, my bad for not calling ahead. I could have stayed in their Dorm room, but I’m just too old to enjoy sleeping in a room full of 20 year old backpackers who stay up drinking until 3am. Luckily, my back-up hotel is only 2 blocks away and had space, albeit in their annex, with a view of a concrete wall 4 ft away. More bad news:  I had already missed the main event downtown along the waterfront, though there would be other celebrations later that night. But, at least, the rain had stopped.

Things took a decided turn for the better when I went down to the crowded little restaurant for an early dinner and was seated next to a lovely lady from Switzerland. By sheer coincidence Marie-Law went to elementary school with Bertrand Picard (first to fly a solar plane around the world) , who I knew as a lad on Singer Island, FL. She filled me in on the big parade, including photos from her phone. It looked like quite a spectacle. Sorry I missed it. Of course, she grilled me about Trump. The whole world seems to think he’s a joke, but also very dangerous to the world’s peace and economy. She was keen to practice her Spanish and English, so we alternated language every other line or so. We also agreed to escort each other to the celebration in the nearby park, which everyone said was not the Big Deal, but still pretty good.

Dinner was a fixed plate, said to be “Carnival Tipico”. It consisted of lentils, which seem to be a universal Latin good-luck food, fried plantains, a Panama staple, small chunks of beef that had been cooked to almost jerky texture in a BBQ sauce and a side of what I can only describe as vegetable mush – WAY over-cooked mixed veggies – just the way Panamanians like them. And it was all delicious, although the beef taxed my chewing stamina. And a bargain at $4.00. Oh, and a single sardine was offered for burying on the beach for more good luck. I passed on that.

We re-convened at 7, and headed for the park, joining in with a small mass migration in that direction. As we arrived, a church procession was passing the park. Lots of little girls in white lace and little boys dressed in ill-fitting suits, with men in black carrying an icon, which I assumed was Mother Mary, adorned with flowers.

The park is the same one I saw lit-up the night I arrived. The Christmas ornaments were gone, leaving just the cascading white lights – quite spectacular. In some areas, there were big flood lights. And, boy was it packed. There was a trail of sorts that ran through the park, lined with all manner of vendors - popcorn, sandwiches, ice cream, banana chips, kabobs, hot dogs, big pretzels and especially beer vendors. There seemed to be a beer stand every 100 feet or so, mostly the local Atlas. Budweiser and Miller both had stands, so I partook of an MGD and later, a Bud. They only sold in cups, since we later discovered that a “tradition” is to throw your cup in the air when you finish a beer or applaud. Like throwing the champagne glasses into the fireplace, only safer and not as romantic.

I had a little bump-up against the arm of a large black fellow in a toga robe, who spilled his beer and looked like he wanted to fight. So, I threw up my arms and backed away as he muttered some choice words. “Pinche Gringo” was the only thing I recognized, along with an enraged middle finger. Definitely got my adrenaline running.

After that, we were propelled along the midway by the animated and inebriated crowd, eventually finding a place we could stand and watch the throng. It was quite a mixed bag. There were older folks dressed to the nines, like they were going to a ball. Some young men, dressed as men, but faces and hair made up like women. At least I’m pretty sure they were men. Some rather attractive. There was also a Kiss element – many faces and garb of that venerable rock group. LOTS of masks of all sorts, including glittery, feathery ones, superheros and several monsters and dragons. An absolute dearth of kids. This party is definitely “R” rated. Quite a scene.

It turns out there was no parade of floats, as I had hoped, at our location. Every so often the revelry was interrupted by various performing groups. There was a bunch of guys dancing on stilts, jugglers, body builders in very tiny bathing suits, fire-breathers, some folks with huge paper mache heads, clowns, of course , a rather risqué dancing group and one band of bagpipers. One of my favorites was a group of Jedis, who did a beautifully choreographed dance with their light sabers. A gang of four Trumps seemed to relish getting Booed and returning fire with “the finger”. (I would not suggest the The Donald visit Panama any time soon). All groups had people collecting money in the crowd. At least I think/hope that is what was happening. The most popular musical numbers, by far, were the Macarena (yes, it is still alive in Latin America) and Shaky, Shaky Shaky by the rap artist Daddy Yankee. And the crowd joined in with Mucho Gusto !! As the groups would stop and perform , the crowd gave them space and applauded with loud yelling, giving money and tossing empty cups and cans in the air. Duck & Cover. As Marie-Law sadly discovered, not all the cups are emptied before launch.

I have to say that the enthusiastic energy at an event like this is absolutely contagious. I was jumping up and down and screaming and laughing and cheering and tossing cups in the air with the best of them. It’s like some self-cast spell that the crowd places on itself. You’d have to be near death not to pick up the vibe and be transported by it. Maybe that’s the huge allure of this type of event. Or maybe it’s all the beer.

After a few hours, I went for the camera in my side pants pocket and found it missing. This caused Marie-Law to check her backpack slung over her arm and discover her cell phone missing, as well. We’d been picked clean as a whistle, though nothing else was taken. First time in my life I’ve had something stolen. In all fairness, I’d been warned about the gangs of pick-pockets that frequent these events. Peace Corps even sent out a timely reminder, which I failed to heed. This brought a sudden, sullen end to Carnival for us and we headed back to the hotel.  In retrospect, it really was a perfect site for pick-pockets – lots of bumping in the crowd and very few police, except on the streets.  I was told this morning that the police are all in plain clothes at these events. I was awakened about 11:30 by fireworks which lasted a full hour and seemed to be right outside my window, though they were about 1 KM away. Sound must have bounced off the building next door. I finally got dressed and went outside to watch. Since it was after midnight, I pretended the pyrotechnic display was for my birthday.

I’ll have to wait on my return until 10am this morning, when the Albrook Mall opens, to replace my camera. Not a big loss, though all the fabulous photos I took are gone.  Marie-Law will have to wait a couple of days for her uncle, who works for Samsung, to send her another phone. A much bigger loss.

So, let’s see – made a nice new friend, had good food, saw masses of drunken people dressed in wild costumes and masks, saw some very cool entertainment, did the “Shaky, Shaky, Shaky” ( the Macarena still eludes me), was verbally abused, was wonderfully excited, got pick-pocketed for the first time, saw good fireworks, endured horrendous bus ride. On balance, slightly positive. And good experience.

I still retain my driving thirst for new experiences, places. people and activities. But the next time my Inner Festival Explorer gets any bright ideas about attending a huge event like this, I think I’ll just remind it of Panama Carnival 2017. And maybe we’ll give it a second thought.

Home Construction – Panama Style

After 15 days, the house is topped off with a zinc roof

As a FL Building Contractor for many years, I’m always looking at construction styles wherever I go. The neighbors down the street are building a new little house for one of the brothers. He just got married and this will give him and the new bride some privacy. The brothers and father run a garage and

The ridge vent will allow heat from the metal roof to escape

body shop beside their house. This would never be allowed in the US, but perfectly natural here. But, I digress.

Construction started on Feb 4^th.  Just when I arrived at the cottage, they were leveling the ground (by hand). No fancy surveying tools, just a long clear plastic tube filled with water for a level. Hand dug footings quickly were filled with block walls and a zinc roof, which was finished on 19 Feb – a mere 2 weeks of building. The roof is actually zinc-plated steel, but everyone here calls it zinc.

The bathroom is a little too narrow for me.
But, a flush toilet and indoor shower are great

The house is small – about 800 sq ft, but certainly enough space for the couple and even a possible new arrival. Total cost will be about $5000, plus $6000 for the lot. No mortgage. Unless you are wealthy, loans are hard to get and interest runs about 15%.

They are doing a lot of very smart things. First is a ridge vent on the uninsulated zinc roof, which will vent out some of the heat. They will plant trees all around for future shade. Next, they are doing good wiring in conduits, instead of the usual bare wires strung across the ceiling and joins with masking tape. Very safe.

Lastly, they will have standard indoor plumbing – flush toilet with septic tank. Better yet, they are separating the “black” toilet water into the septic tank and sending “grey” water from the

A small plastic septic tank will do the job

sinks and shower to a holding tank that can be used for watering the plants and washing cars. Because of this, they can use a rather small septic tank. This is how septic tanks started, but somewhere along the way, folks decided to run ALL the household water into the tank, causing problems and pump-outs.

                                  Another construction

Floors will be hand mixed and poured after other construction is done

oddity is that instead of pouring a slab, the floors will be poured (mixed and poured by hand) after everything else is completed. The builders expect they will be done and the couple can move in in about 2 more weeks.

30 days and $11,000 – you got yourself a house here in rural Panama !!

Return to Ipeti

This Bano unit gets honors for best landscaped

What a glorious morning, after a night rain and cold front. A perfect day to return to my beloved little village of Ipeti. All my old friends were warm and welcoming. Marco, Ilsa, Seciaro, Plablo, Jacinto, Mylin – all with big smiles and hugs. First thing all the artisan ladies wanted to know was when is my next buying spree.

The village looks very different with the 28 new

The Compleat Bano - nice and clean, with all supplies

government casitas. On that front, there is good new and bad. Good news is that the government has gotten the message about septic drain field problems and has put a halt to new construction until solutions can be found. Nice to have a government agency that listens to the people. The bad news is that this means no one in Ipeti can move into their totally completed houses yet, so a bit of frustration. I’ll be presenting ideas at a community meeting in 2 weeks.

Folks have added their own touches - dish drying rack atop
an emergency water barrel - very smart

The 46 Bano units (compost toilet, shower and big wash sink), that worked on last year with Global Brigades are mostly up and running well. I’ll do a complete survey later, but checking in with a few folks showed some use problems in the composting toilets – no sawdust or water flush bottle ready, no privacy curtain, guys pissing in the

The old community house lost in the hurricane of Nov 2016

dry chamber  or very dirty floor. So, more training needed on a case by case basis. Most were clean, well supplied and odor free – just as they should be. The other area that needs attention is the plumbing for the shower and sinks. Most common problem was clogged shower heads. I had to show 3 folks how to take apart the head and

The new, smaller casa comunal is almost finished

clean it. Also some of the valves already need new washers due to over-tightening and the same for some sink faucets. I didn’t include such issues in my training sessions last year – my bad. New training will address the problems.

The shining star is the water committee. I was there for the committee’s creation and trained the

Nice thatch work inside

group in administration, accounting and operations. They have taken the ball and REALLY run with it. Everyone says the water service has never been better and is now chlorinated daily. Even better – almost everyone in the village pays their water fee. The secret was simple; they just started cutting off service to families who got more than 3 months behind. They only had to cut off a few when word spread. Now, more than half pay at the office on Sunday and the others are collected door to door. Even better still – since so many folks are now paying, they reduced the monthly fee for $2 to $1. How’d you like that for a monthly water bill ? I am proud beyond words of these folks. They stepped up and did a thankless volunteer job with energy and love of community. BRAVO !!

Here's a surprise. First Catholic church ever in the village. Kuna
and Embera have their own "nature-based" religion. Not sure the
Pope will attract many here.

Another big change is the Casa Cumunal – community center – got heavily damaged by the hurricane last November. It was torn down and a new one is almost finished – stronger and prettier than the old one, albeit smaller.

Universidad de Cloro and Mini "Honey Wagon"

 

Prof Goyo teaches the class

Universidad de Cloro , con Prof. Goyo

Last year, when the water crew in Pueblo Nuevo found out that Ipeti had their own machine to make chlorine… well, they were jealous and wanted their own. Today they got it. I found a nice compact unit that they could afford ($50). It will take them about 30 minutes to make a gallon of chlorine solution from salt and water, but that’s way better than going into Panama City to buy it. So, after a brief

Paulo takes a turn while Ligorio and Benildo supervise

explanation and demonstration from Prof. Goyo, the boys took over and were proud to produce their first test batch. Paulo and Benildo did fine, but Ligorio had a bad electrical shock as a child and would't touch it. They also learned how to test it and test the tap water.  That gallon will treat their water supply for about a week. I can’t tell you how proud they are that their water will be potable right from the tap, just like in the City !!  Of course, they will also be doing their regular tank cleaning/disinfection and

Paulo finishes the water test with excellent results

system disinfection. And with the sand filters that we re-habbed last year, they are good to go.

Mini Honey Wagon

The small hand pump that I found in Panama City will serve as a mini pump-out unt for those septic tanks in Pueblo Nuevo that have

Ligorio uses the small hand pump to clear a backed-up tank

backed up. The long term solution is to make secondary drain fields, like they (mostly) have in Piriati. Another helpful technique will be to plant trees near the drain fields to transpire even more effluent. They should grow like crazy, with the added fertilizer.  I met with the village presidente today and arranged to have a meeting for all the families that have the new casitas to educate about the drain fields and about good septic tank maintenance in general. This is the essence of what I do – finding workable, practical solutions to community problems that can be implemented by the locals. I love my “job”.

Goyo Slaw

On a totally different note, I made my first batch of Goyo Slaw this year. In Peru, it was Ensalada de Col and I had to add cilantro to get anyone to eat it. Here, it is Ensalada Repollo, with cilantro hard to find. But, cloeslaw by any other name tastes just as sweet.

Government Housing

The casitas are small, but adorable. First addition is
always a TV dish

The Panamanian government is building nice little two bedroom houses in rural areas all over Panama. They are free, but only to folks who own their land and tear down their existing traditional houses. They have good standard wiring and indoor plumbing, with flush toilet, which is a HUGE step up for most folks. The walls are poured concrete, using slick plastic forms. The contractor uses mobile concrete trucks, which produce continuous concrete on site

An overflowing septic tank, due to bad drain-field design

One of my projects this service tour is to help solve the issues of heat and septic problems. The houses have tin roofs, instead of the much cooler thatch roofs. The plumbing and fixtures and septic tank are all good, but some of the drain fields are grossly inadequate, causing back-up into the house.

My friend Jonathon shows off his living room - only 1/2"
of insulation, Nice louvered windows

So far, heat solutions include covering the metal roof with a thatch roof, planting trees for shade and opening all interior doors. This cuts down on privacy, but allows good cross ventilation.

Typical kitchen. Small but good sink, stove and fridge

Septic solutions are harder. The drain field area MUST be increased from the current 25 sq ft to at least 80 sq ft. I've acquired some bilge pumps to give temporary relief, but that is a short-term fix. The good news is that only about 20% of the drainfields were badly installed. Obviously, those folks are mad as Hell.

This nice lady LOVES her new house and is proudly planting
shrubs and a garden out back, near the drainfield

But, I spoke with many who are delighted with their brand new housing. Their lives are easier and cleaner and many have taken to planting and landscaping around the homes.

Shopping in Torti

This is what Saturday shopping looks like for me in greater metropolitan downtown Torti, just 7 km from the cottage.

After walking the 1.4 km from the cottage
to the PanAm Hwy, this is the bus stop. Bench
is the block of wood at left

A ride comes along every 20 minutes or so. My options are:
Coaster bus, taxi or covered pick-up truck. Today was the truck

The "old" shopping center, includes pharmacia, ag supply, bank
and super market

The "New" center has another bank/ATM, restaurant and
department store

Supermarket with ladies selling lottery tickets out front

The meat counter. Mostly beef, ranging in price from $2/lb to
$3.65/lb for premium steaks, cut to order

The grocery section is about the size of a 7-11

The hardware section has just about anything in a very small space

No register. No scanner. Just a hand calculator

The "new new" center is under construction. Stores are all
owned and operated by Chinese folks.

The government built bus stops are all along the PanAm
and often double as impromptu markets

Hiking the Piriati Trail

Crossing one of many rivers enroute to the tanks

What a great morning to hike with the Water Gang up and out to the Piriati water tanks. The trail was wide open – no machetes required. We forded 6 streams and rivers, through the jungle canopy. 

The main goal was to walk the line – we found 2 sizable leaks – and inspect the tanks and sand filters. 

Tanks are at left. The spring is over that second hill

The tanks have about 4” of mud at the bottom, which is a big reason their water is a tad dirty. A cleaning party is scheduled for a week from Saturday.








The filters are another story. They have been out of service for 10 years. They got clogged with silt and no one knew how to back-flush them, so they just cut them out of the system.

Sand filters unused for 10 years, but in good shape

The new Water Committee is raring to get them cleaned and back on-line, so their town can enjoy crystal water again. Even getting into the building where the filters are located presented challenges.






First, there were several large nests of wasps. No problem – we wrapped some plastic around the end of a stick, covered it with PCV glue

burning out the wasps

and lit it up. All wasps were gone in minutes. Then the door lock was stuck, so we broke open one of the vents and sent the smallest guy in with a hammer. Open Sesame.

GPS map of the water line, with altitudes in meters

 I took GPS and altimeter reading all along the route, so we’ll have a nice map and profile of the line. The only other issue is that there are 4 points where the water line crosses rivers. At each point, the

some of the 6" of dried silt in the filters

tube is reduced from 4” to 2” on the cross-over.










The best part of the hike was that I can still keep up with the 20 year olds. The difference is, I pay a higher price the next morning.

Black Palm, with nuts

Porcupine Palms
Along the trail , we passed several of these bizarre palm trees, properly called Black palm. Spikes like crazy and an edible nut, which was hard and not very tasty.

close up of the spikes = YIKES !!

Bananas and Speed

A 6 hand bunch on the tree

First bananas at the cottage this year. Going from on the tree to MacGuyver ripening racks. Then after 4 days, yellowing starts on the first 2 hands of a "6 hand bunch". Ready to eat in another 2-3 days.
Unlike the American standard Cavendish banana, on which all hands ripen at the same time, my fat little nanners ripen hand by hand, spreading out the joy. I'll still share with the neighbors - way more than I can consume.

Cut from the tree and drained of sap

After 4 days, yellowing begins on first 2 hands

E Ticket

Usually, the other passengers are what make my bus rides interesting. Today, it was the driver. I mean, this man was an artist, who turned what is normally a 4+ hour drive into a 2 ½ hour ballet of 2-lane passing, swooping into bus stops and weaving through downtown traffic like an NFL half-back. That included 3 police check=points and a pit stop for gas !!  He was a solid professional who could teach NASCAR drivers a trick or two. I haven’t seen such a display of focused, aggressive, high-speed driving since I last rode with Diego Shoobridge in Peru, or my Pappy on the old Hwy 301.  Or me on Hwy 1 in Big Sur. Yes, there were a few who gasped and suffered from white knuckle syndrome. But, I enjoyed the ride. Definitely an “E” Ticket. Or maybe I’m just easily entertained.

Piriati - My New Service site

My newest service community is the town of Piriati. Unlike my previous service sites, village doesn’t describe this sprawling community of about 1,200. Global Brigades is building two demonstration Bano units at the Community Center, which includes a large dance hall, vendor booths, big kitchen and offices, which are air conditioned and shared by many organizations. I’ll be doing the training and education on the Bano units, working with the Water Committee and advising on solutions to the heat and septic problems in the government casitas. 

Part of the Water Committee
Ezekiel, Jonathon and Rigoberto

The good news on the Casitas front is that my survey of 10 of the houses showed only 2 that has backed up septic, due to inadequate or poor designed drain fields. Only 4 folks complained about heat, since there are lots of trees here, unlike Pueblo Nuevo. It’s about a 45 min commute from the cottage on the Coaster bus. Friday, I’ll be doing the 2 hour hike up to the water tanks, where they have inoperative sand filters.

Colorful Embera skirts

Cecilio and his crew are building 2 composting toilets at the Community Center

A working pay phone, courtesy of good old Cable & Wireless

This lady is VERY happy with her new government house