Fuerte Amador

 

Oct 10, 2010  90’s sun/cloud/rain

We arrived in Fuerte Amador about 9am. It is the end of a peninsula about 1/2 hour from Panama City (pic 1 above). The peninsula is actually 3 bunkers built by the US when the canal was being built to give protection. They are no longer bunkers and are connected by a road and on to Panama and the rest of the former canal zone. Ruth is going on a tour to an Indian village. Joan has decided to stay around and just go to the marina area where there is a little shopping. I found out about the Indian village tour by connecting with folks online who were also on this ship and had arranged for this tour. I met with them after they got on the ship in San Diego. By the time this day has come around we ended up with 14 people for the tour. We drove about 40 minutes to a small village on the Cagres river. On the way we were stopped by the tourist police to find out where we are going, and they followed us to the village and stayed until the dugout canoes (pic 1 below) came for us, to be sure we were safe. We got into 2 canoes and set off for the camp. It was about a 35 minute canoe ride down the river and into Alhajuela Lake and across that. We arrived in the Embera tribe camp and were greeted by the men playing music on instruments they made from trees (pic 2 below), animals etc. from the jungle. We walked up to a very large open sided building with 3 sides lined with tables of the crafts they make. There were beautiful baskets, jewellery and carved ironwood. They put a price on the items of $1 per hour it took to make the item. Most items were over $20 each. We were served lunch (pic 2 above) of fried plantain and fish in a cone made of a leaf, and fruit. Next we sat on benches in the middle of the large building and were shown how they make the thin pieces fiber from the leaves, that they use to make the baskets and how they color them, using soil, parts of trees etc. They also showed the ironwood and how they carve with the knives they make and how they polish the wood. They also showed the nuts they use to carve animals out of to show their children all about the animals. Next they did a couple of dances and got us all up to dance. They are completely self sufficient and have no modern conveniences. They start their day at sunrise and end it at sunset. Their homes are made of wood and palm leaves for the roof. They are built on stilts (pic 3 below) because they have 9 months of rain and frequent flooding. There were about 25 children (pic 4 below) running around, helping or swinging in hammocks under the tables. It was all very educational and fascinating. We got back to the ship about 6 pm. Our guide Ivan was very knowledgeable. It was a great day. I went looking for Joan and found her fairly quickly, and we went for dinner. She had a good day too. She shopped a little at the marina, and spent the rest of the day at the pool, and reading. At dinner we sat with a couple from New Jersey, one from Minnesota, and one from Mexico. After dinner we went to the Lido to listen to a Marimba band brought on board for a few hours. They also had a fund raiser for the needy. They have been collecting money and clothing all cruise for the 10-10-10- event, so they took donations tonight and all who donated got to push an officer from the engineering dept into the pool. It was quite entertaining. They also had appies and chocolate fountains and fruit available. We decided to call it a night after a little fruit. Tomorrow the canal!!!