Puppies, Pigs and Chlorine

The puppies next door are up and rolling. They stay within 20 feet of their birth-spot. Hard to get photos since the little fur-balls move constantly. So, a short video of puppies doing the puppy wrassle thing.
Apparently, Momma is no longer in ultra fierce protector mode. She let me get as close as I wanted and didn't move or make a sound. 
Click here for puppy video

In the US, folks enjoy (and take for granted) that they will always have nice filtered and treated water when they turn the faucet. Not so in other places, like Panama. In Torti, I am lucky to have water 24/7/365. The treated and filtered part - not so much.
I add a dash of chlorine every time I fill the reserve tank for treatment. I have a crude filter, but still some crud gets through and kept plugging the shower head.
Channeling MacGyver, I came up with the Goyo-No-Plug shower head. Simple and effective. Just drill a 3/16" hole in a threaded 1/2" PVC cap and done. 
I have manufactured them in bulk for my friends in Ipeti and Pueblo Nuevo, who had the same head-clogging problem.

Chlorine College with Prof Goyo yesterday morning in greater metropolitan downtown Curti. A well behaved class. Lots of laughs and we made some wicked-good chlorine from just salt and water = MAGIC !!
The device uses 12VDC, so we had to make do with a car engine for laboratory this morning. They are making a nice table at Leo's house and

will buy a 12V car battery.

When you are a pig farming family, butchering a hog is part of the game. Mother Mylin teaches the boys how it's done. Another big feast for Easter tonight. After last party "miscommunication",
Mylin made it VERY clear that I am invited - laughing "Do you want a printed invitation?" And, yes, we need your table again.

Ant Aftermath, Teak Economicsand Human Compost

Delayed Errands

After the Great Ant Event of yesterday, the swelling is all gone and like nothing ever happened. So, off to do what was intended to be done yesterday. First stop was Pueblo Nuevo to deliver the official receipt of their Solicitude (request) for water testing. First time the Water Committee has EVER gotten anything from the government, so they treated it like the Magna Carta.

Nice new plastic seat on composting toilet

Then, up the PanAm (have I mentioned lately how WONDERFUL it is to have the road all paved and smooth?) to picturesque Embera Puru to do a demonstration of the planned Bano upgrades – nice new plastic seat, etc. The sample Bano I chose had a plugged urine drain line, so it was MacGyver Plumbing Co to the rescue – found a nice thin strip of wood that would rotate in the ¾” PVC and roto-rootered it clear.

Lovely daughter confirms compost is "Numero Uno"

Then, we opened up the fully ripened compost chamber. It was funny to watch the family stand WAY back and cover their faces, expecting the worst. But, when I started pulling out the beautiful compost, they were pleasantly surprised. No smell, just a rich organic soil amendment. Folks at Home Depot paying top dollar for this stuff in the US.

Then back to Torti for some shopping and a very interesting lunch conversation.

This is the very nice, odor-free compost that comes out of a composting toilet.
They used rice husks for the drying/aerating material. Sawdust gives a finer texture

New teak plantation. Last year, this was a cattle ranch.

Talkin’ Teak

After a good morning back in the saddle after the Ant Incident, I treated myself to a nice lunch at the only upscale restaurant in Torti. It was delicious as always (tender beef, potatoes in a cheesy sauce and a nice cucumber, tomato, onion salad), but more interesting was the gang at the next table. One of the nicely dressed men come over to me and said in a distinct Texan accent “What part of the States are y’all from?”. Turns out, he was educated (undergrad and Biz School) at Univ of Texas Austin and is the son of one of the local cattle ranchers. Or, more appropriately WAS the son of a cattle rancher. He and his Dad decided to quit the cattle business and turn their 500 hectare ranch (1200 acres) over to the teak cartel.

Now, I understand why so many cattle fields are being planted to teak. The economics are hard to beat : The Teak Cartel charges foreigners $80K for 5 Ha of teak ($16K/Ha). The family will get an up-front signing bonus of about $500K for their land – more money than they could dream of. Plus about $500/Ha/Yr for the next 20 years – about the same as they would make raising cattle – some years less, some more. AND they do NO work – the Cartel foresters handle everything. Then, the teak is harvested. The investors get about $150K (at current prices) return for their $80K after 20 years. I’ll let my finance friends comment on that end of the deal. Except it also comes with Panama Permanent Resident status and the opportunity for Panamanian citizenship in 5 years.

The only thing that could queer the deal for the family is, as Daniel says “Fucking Climate Change”. If there is less rain than expected, the trees may require and extra 5 or 10 years to mature. Which means, they go 5 to 10 years with no income – unless they invest that up-front money wisely. And, they have no guarantee that the Teak deal will still be going in 20 years.

The father is not altogether happy about the deal. I think he really enjoyed riding the range and playing cowboy. Now he will “only sit and watch trees grow – like a farmer”. He spat as he said the word “farmer”. But, he looks about ready to get out of the saddle anyway.

Anyway, a fascinating glimpse into the Teak business and a little better understanding of why teak plantations are being planted like crazy all along the PanAm Hwy in Darien and Torti-Chepo areas.

Oh say, can you See ?

Oh say, can you See ?

By the dawn’s early light, I could just make out the shape of a quarter of a peanut butter and honey sandwich I’d not eaten the night before. My pre-coffee, awake-but-not-alert, fuzzy mind thought it would make a tasty snack while I heated water for coffee. Something didn’t feel quite right as I popped it in my mouth and reached for the water pot. My hand never made it to the pot. Everything came to a dead stop, as my mind took a moment to parse the rather strong and very odd signals that were incoming. Shock. Fear. Confusion. Danger. PAIN. Burning. Itching. Small things moving in mouth and hands.

Yep. That tasty bite had been covered in the little “piss” ants that are my only serious insect nemesis here in Panama. I figure there were at least a couple hundred that made it inside my mouth. As they all gasped their last breath of Earthly air, they ALL made a point of simultaneously biting and injecting whatever toxin they inject. The net result was a sensation that was so new and novel, that it really did take a few seconds to figure it all out.

Luckily, my sub-conscious survival neurons were well ahead of that and instantly spun around, spat and turned on the water and rinsed like crazy. Even after maybe 5 rinses, I still thought something was moving. After my logical mind caught up and figured out what had happened, the pain really started to kick-in. It was a burning, hot itching pain that only seemed to get worse with cold water, or lemon or salt.

And then the swelling started. I don’t usually have big reactions to insect bites, but I think the sheer numbers did the trick in this case. It felt like my mouth had been hit with Novocain, especially the upper lip. I grabbed my handy Peace Corps medical kit and popped some Antihistamine while I called the PCMO hot line. Two rings and I had an MD on the line. She suggested (duh) antihistamine and an immediate visit to the Clinic in Torti. So, I took a fast shower and headed off to catch the bus, feeling a tad woozy. Also took 2 aspirin just for fun. The pain had gotten so bad that it actually felt numb.

Short story – 2 hours later, I was back home after a $6 Clinic visit. They sent me home with (duh) 2 antihistamines. I went to bed and slept for 3 hours.  It’s now been about 14 hours since the “incident” and swelling and pain are both pretty well subsided. PCMO called to check up on me, which was really nice. And I do have these swell photos that Marco took of me on the bus to remind me:

1)      Do not leave food out on the counter.

2)      If you violate #1, DO NOT eat said food.

3)      EVER.

Post script : I think what made this experience so intriguing for me was the novelty of it. I watched as my mind tried to match this sensation against other similar events in the database and come up blank. Then, it felt like a few seconds before a logical thesis was provided (Holy Shit, I just put a couple hundred ants in my mouth and they bit me) and verified. Fortunately, by that time, instinct had already acted to minimize damage. At my age, with my wealth of experiences, it is a real treat to enjoy that sensation of novelty. Even if it comes with a little (or a lot) of pain. It doesn’t happen as often as it did as a youngster. Kids get to have that feeling of  ”new and novel” many times a day. Maybe that means I get to savor it more.

Baseball, Toilets and Explorations

Panama Baseball

In honor of MLB Opening Day in the US, I can’t offer jet fly-overs or fireworks. Merely, this old and sadly neglected baseball field in a remote village of Panama that I walked by this morning. Even in this condition, its shape and size says “America’s Game” and holds a special place in my heart. While the Americans were in control of the Canal, they actively promoted the game and many great MLB players came from Panama. Some of the better known: Mariano Riviera, Rod Carew, Carlos Lee, Manny Sanguillen, Ben Oglivie, Roberto Kelly and Hector Lopez. (46 in all)
Since the Americans left in 1999, soccer has become more popular. But, those old fields still remain. And my heart still jumps a beat whenever I see one. And, if I can, I walk out to home plate and look out across the field and just let the memories flow……..

First geese I've seen in Panama

Lots of Cashew trees aroun d town

I LOVE this guy's drip irrigation - used  soda bottles

Not everybody has indoor plumbing . But everybody has
at least one sat dish

My new project with Global Brigades is a Water & Sanitation assessment of 20 potential new project sites in the Torti and Darien areas of Panama. Walk around new villages, mapping, observing, asking questions – sounds like a perfect job for me. Plus, I get to hang with my friend Cecilio.

First village was Ipeti Colono, near my dear village of Ipeti Embera. Much more developed, houses “nicer” and more spread out. Good water system. Most folks have indoor flush toilets, though not all use septic tanks. Lots of cars and trucks. Big shopping center with a motel and nice restaurant. They even have their own baseball field – nice one, too. Not much help needed here.

While Ipeti Colono seems more economically advanced, it lacks the sense of Community I find in Ipeti Embera or Pueblo Nuevo. Here, there is no Casa Comunal, no “center” of village, no people just walking about and chatting with their neighbors. Just (very nice) disconnected houses strung out along a road.

Did I just describe America ??

Why am I showing a photo of my toilet? Two reasons. First, I heard a frantic splashing noise inside the tank this morning and discovered one of my froggie friends had gotten into the tank, but couldn’t get out. I left the tank top open all day and problem was solved.

More importantly, this is an ultra low flush toilet, which saves large amounts of water. It uses only 5 liters (about 1.25 gallons) per flush and does a wonderful job. It really chaps my lips when folks decry low flush toilets (yes, you know who you are). “Oh, they never work.” “I always have to flush twice.” they whine. BULLFINGSHIT !! They work fine – IF these people would bother to read the directions. You do not simply press the lever and scamper merrily away. You hold the button down “for about 3 seconds or until the bowl is cleared” LIKE THE DIRECTIONS SAY. That 3 seconds can save THOUSANDS of gallons of water a year, per person. End of rant.

Two more new indigenous communities surveyed and mapped today, with the help of my good friend and compadre Cecilio.

Arimae (or Arimay) sits between the PanAm Hwy and the Santa Fe River. Very poor water service ( 3 days per week for 2 – 3 hours) That means you can’t use toilets or spigots. So, you

Standing septic water in Arimae = not good

Old concrete composting toilet seat, like I built in Peru

dip water out of a plastic barrel and hope like Hell that nobody has contaminated it already. Unlikely you will waste the water or bleach to clean the barrels, so they will probably stay contaminated. Sanitation is even worse, in places – like the large bowl shaped part of the village where everybody’s sewage flows into the center. Some nasty bugs hiding in there I’ll bet. There are a few old composting toilets that have fallen into total disuse , but could be rehabilitated (my specialty).  To make things totally insane, the government chose to build 40 of the new Casitas here in a village of 100 houses, with no water and bad drainage. We could only find 4 houses that used their bathrooms. They can only use about once per week, since the tank and drainfield are already backed up. All the other folks are sure theirs will back up, as well, so just don’t use them – what a waste of $18K per house.

Embera Puru – Is a much smaller Embera village, with many more traditional houses, zero government Casitas, great water supply and almost everyone has a nice composting toilet (older design, with concrete seat). They certainly need a refresher course on how to use the dry toilets and we will pull out a TON of sweet compost when we give them a needed “make-over”. But, other than fine tuning the toilets, this adorable (and very friendly)  little village is in pretty good shape.

PVC, Clean Water & Police

Out comes the dirt from the bottom of the tank

The lads of the Pueblo Nuevo Water Crew like to start the day early, as do I. So, I caught the bus before sunrise and rode on the new and improved Pan American Hwy – newly graded and paved – for most of the way. Today was our last best shot at waterline work, since yesterday’s rain will be headed down from the hills soon. Indeed, pressure was rising as we worked. We carried materials up a new road, cut by loggers, up to the water tanks. A little longer, but nice and smooth.

Ligorio pushes mud to the clean out drain

The team passed the tank cleaning test (without any guidance from me) with honors. They hated to flush the last 18 inches of water in the tank, but about half of it was mud and needed to be cleaned and more water is on the way. At the same time, we repaired the broken flush line and did a permanent (as permanent as anything is here) fix to the tank by-pass line. This Team is a PVC laying, water tank cleaning MACHINE !! As we left the tank area, we could hear the happy sound of water splashing into the nice clean tank. A solid day’s work and home before noon, soaking wet, tired and content. Oh, my shower, how I do love thee.

Atsa way - Uh-huh, Uh-huh. - I like it. Uh-huh, Uh-huh.

Interesting chat with the Senafront Police Captain on the way home this morning. I’ve gotten to know Capt. Alew pretty well – as soon as he hears Cuerpo de Paz, he tells his guys to wave me through and I make a point of thanking him. They stop and inspect all vehicles crossing the border to/from Darien – Panama’s Heart of Darkness. They used to make everybody get off the bus and do a pat-down, baggage and passport check. Recently, they started just stepping on the bus and asking to see documents.

I asked if this was because FARC (Columbian rebels) is no longer hiding out in Darien. He said without FARC, things are actually worse, since they provided a certain amount of order in the Darien Gap. Now, it’s just the drug people “and they are much worse”. The Police have stepped up patrols in the jungle near the border, since they were not catching anyone at the check-point. Anyone with something to hide knows to avoid it.

He has mixed emotions about the drug trade. He knows it is his job to “try” and stop it. But, “that is impossible”. He also said he would not put the lives of his men at risk to stop it. Sounds reasonable to me.

Follow up to above: My neighbor Tomas served with the Senafront (Border Police) for 2 years in his younger days. He said it was a great job – hot uniform with gun (“women love this”), pay is OK and you mostly “sit with a finger in your nose”. He said they never really tried to stop the drugs and that many Police took bribes to allow drugs to pass. He says the game was – drug people would “give” the Police a few token arrests, so it looks like Police are doing their jobs. Then those arrested are tried and convicted so numbers look good to international observers. Then prisoners are released on “technicalities”. He thinks it is still the same today.

Dogs, Chickens and Failure to Communicate

They’re All Such Animals

I have come to the conclusion that I far prefer dogs to chickens for overall yard behavior. Mind you, I only observe their actions during the day, leaving what they do in the privacy of night beyond judgement. Perhaps dogs seem more civilized because they have spent more intimate time with humans. Or maybe it’s because we generally don’t eat them or steal their unborn young.

For the most part, I base my favoritism on eating manners. Chickens remind me of Republicans – what’s mine is mine and what’s yours should be mine, as well. As soon as a food scrap hits the ground, chickens will swoop in from all directions to greedily snatch it. If a rooster is nearby, he generally gets a free pass and will knock chicks and hens out of the way with his powerful legs to enforce his superiority. When a hen beats the flock to the morsel, the race is not done, as others will try and take the food from her mouth or dash off with it should she drop it to the ground. This snatching can go on for quite some time, until the flock grows weary or one hen gets some serious distance from the flock.

The Dogs are much more sedate, strolling casually up on the porch, usually announcing their arrival with nothing more than lapping water from the bowl. Lately, Momma has been coming alone. But, when Dad joins her, he sits patiently by while she eats – like the gentleman that he is. None of the “Me First” chauvinism I see in the roosters.

While I won’t speak to Doggie style sex, Dad does wander back to see the pups on occasion. Last year, he spent lots of time wandering off in the fields with the pups. I assume training them in some way, if only by example.

Chicken sex, on the other hand, is more like chicken rape. The rooster comes up from behind, without any discernable warning or foreplay, pins her tail feathers forward, slams her neck to the ground with his beak and then VERY quickly completes his act and jumps off. Though, I admit they rarely fall asleep afterwards. While the hens provide no post-natal nutrients directly, they do watch over their young for a couple of weeks, showing them the basics of the scratch and peck system of feeding.

I must admit that I likely began this analysis with a doggy bias. So, if any of you chicken lovers out there care to defend your avian friends, please, be my guest.

Failure to Communicate

It happens, especially when Spanish is not your native tongue. A little something gets lost and we have that infamous Struther Martin Failure to Communicate.

My red-neck neighbors were clearly getting ready for a party yesterday afternoon. Fire pits were being laid and there was great and agonized squealing coming from their pig pen. When the oldest son came up to borrow my table and stools, I was a bit surprised that he didn’t invite me to the shindig. As the trucks started to arrive, I could make out many of the same guests from another party last year. But, still, no invitation. So, I played on the computer until it got dark, had some dinner and went to bed – listening to the chatter and smelling the roasting pork and feeling just a little miffed. I mean, what kind of person borrows your table and then doesn’t invite you to the party ?? I know I may have not been the perfect guest last year, but I don’t think my behavior warranted banishment. As I recall, folks didn’t like it that I worked with the Kuna “they are animals”, and my story about Roof Dogs was proclaimed “stupid” and my grammar was constantly corrected – but other than that, I was well behaved.

Come morning, Mylin, the Mom came up with a big hunk of pork. Her son right behind her with my table. She seemed a tad angry “Why didn’t you come to the party last night?” “I wasn’t invited.” “Of course you were – we borrowed your table and Martin (son) invited you”. Martin sheepishly nods his head in agreement. “Well,  I didn’t hear it”, say I. She just threw her hands up like What kind of a dumb Gringo are you? We have a party 100 feet from your house and borrow your table and you don’t come? Sheesh !!!

So, I guess I went to bed mad for no good reason. I’m pretty sure Martin didn’t say anything. Or, if he did it was one of those mumbled teenage things. And I misread the cultural significance of the borrowed table. Like I say – It happens.

Anyway, the pork was delicious and the whole thing gets written up as “Failure to Communicate”.

Don Alberto- Rice Cleaner

Don Alberto, sporting the classic Panama hat with stripes

On my way to Torti, I stopped by a curious little building, wherein Don Alberto cleans rice for families all over the Torti and Darien areas. His family has been providing the service for “many” years. Alberto was closing up for the day, but turned the machine on for me since I was so interested. In goes the (semi-clean) raw rice in husk, the machine does its thing and nice brown rice (arroz integral) comes out the side, husks go to a pile out back. All for only 15 cents per kilo. During the main harvest months of December, January and

Raw rice, still in the husk

finished clean brown rice

February, he runs just about 24/7 to keep up with demand. He also sells the rice he grows, so I bought a kilo for 75 cents. And here I thought I could only get brown rice in Panama City at the big supermarket.

It turns out we were born just 1 month apart – he'll be 66 tomorrow. Another coincidence - He visited a friend in Ipeti and used one of the GB Banos - "no smell and VERY big" he said. He said he would like one better than his flush toilet “Why waste all that water?” Alberto says he is never sick because he eats ONLY brown rice, 3 times a day – he says the white rice has “no meat – like eating air”. I couldn’t agree more.

I find so many sweet and interesting folks out there. All it takes is a little curiosity and interest in people.

Or maybe, they find me.click for video

The heliconia (not Bird of Paradise) that I saved from the trash heap is blooming nicely. Steady watering, with an added boost from my special horse manure elixir. Stirred, not shaken. Still waiting on the rains to transplant.

While Momma was chowing and watering down at the cottage, I snuck down to have a look at her pups, since she won’t let me come close to them, if she’s there – snarls and growls like a mad dog.. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you…. 
Anyway, the pups look fat and happy and sound asleep.

I harvested my first SEVEN hand bunch of bananas today. (Yes, I sang the “Day-O” song as I did it.) Just about needed a crane to get it out of the tree. But, it yielded and is now resting comfortably on the ripening racks. When I get that 8 hand bunch, I’ll feel like a real Banana-Mon.

click for video