Ngobe Bugle Girl in El Salto

Amistad International Park is in C. America’s Talamanca Mountains. Amistad is home to the largest virgin forest remaining in C. America. Amistad is a fitting name since it straddles the Costa Rica – Panama border and Amistad is Spanish for “friendship”. The park is home to stunning biodiversity with the following species counts: 600 bird species, 250 amphibians and reptiles 180 endemic plants, 115 fish, and 215 species of mammals including cats such as Jaguars, Ocelots, and Pumas.

Human habitation in Amistad dates back 12,000 years according to pre-ceramic sites discovered near Volcan Baru in Chiriqui, Panama. According to UNESCO, “such sites are extremely rare in C. America and represent some of C. America’s earliest human inhabitants”.  About early inhabitants on the Costa Rica side of the park, UNESCO notes that “skillfully created elaborate gold ornaments, jewelry, and huge symmetrical stone spheres are the most outstanding evidence of the cultural development of pre-Colombian man over the last 3,000 years”.

UNESCO speaks of the indigenous Teribe residing in Amistad. However, my visits to Amistad’s Rio Teribe in 2007 revealed a tribe calling itself the Naso, a monarchy governed by a King.  The Spanish likely called the tribe by the name of the river ‘Teribe’ which runs through the 7 Naso villages.  The Naso are small tribe of 3,500 people living in villages connected by footpaths. The river provides for the primary traffic route to the Caribbean coast.  Naso use rafts to trade fruit such as cacao in Bocas del Toro for the few items they do not produce in the rainforest themselves, such as machetes.  I had the pleasure of meeting a university professor who has recently launched an eco-lodge to help the Naso capitalize on adventure tourism opportunities. It is called Wekso.

There are much smaller tribes that live in or near Amistad, such as the Bribri, Boruca, and Cabesar. All the Talamanca peoples maintain their ancient folklore, customs, agricultural and hunter/gatherer traditions.   They also maintain their languages which are now supplemented with Spanish. By far the largest indigenous tribe is the Guaymi, which is a bit of a misnomer created by the Spanish who called many tribes Guaymi, such as the Ngobe and the tiny Bugle tribe. The Ngobe are the most populous indigenous tribe in the region with 200,000 members in Costa Rica and Panama. ‘Guaymi’ is based on the Buglere term for the Ngobe, which was ‘Guaymiri’, shortened by the Spanish.

The Spanish found three distinct tribes which they called Guaymi. At that time each tribe was known by the name of its current chief and each spoke a different language. The chiefs were Nata, Parita, and Urraca. Urraca is famous for never having been conquered by the Spanish who tried too many times and grew to fear all “Guaymi” because they didn’t learn to distinguish the tribes.  Urraca forced Spanish Captian Diego de Albitez to sign a peace treaty in 1522. Urraca was later betrayed by his successor and captured by the Spanish, but he escaped and died a free man and legendary figure.

In 1997 the descendents of the blended ‘Guaymi’ tribes, calling themselves Ngobe-Bugle, joined forces to obtain a Comarca (autonomous lands) that comprises roughly 10% of Panama’s land area. Many Ngobe-Bugle live outside their Comarca near Amistad around the Chiriqui-Bocas del Toro-Costa Rica borders.  In Costa Rica and a few places in Panama they still use the name Guaymi.  I have the privilege of serving as an English tutor to a young Ngobe woman attending university in Chiriqui. Many of her tribe’s women speak very little Spanish and no English; the men speak Spanish for work and use their native tongues at home.  Women wear brightly colored traditional handmade dresses called naguas and men wear trousers and, often, shirts made from manta-sucia.

This is a warm and friendly culture, cohesive and unchanged by modern neighbors with whom they co-exist peacefully.  The dominant Hispanic culture tends to be a bit cynical regarding the indigenous, perhaps because they live apart from the mainstream culture.  The growing European and N. American expatriate cultures near Amistad tend to view the indigenous with fascination.  Many indigenous peoples migrate to pick coffee for half the year and live on the Comarca for the balance of the year. Others manage coffee farms or other fincas year round. If you drink coffee in this region, you are certainly benefiting from the efforts of its indigenous peoples.

Cacao was brought from the Amazon Basin to Central America by the Maya 2,600 years ago, according to analysis of residue in Maya pottery.  Aztec royalty drank cocoa all day and night to fuel stamina for attending to their many wives and concubines.

Cacao was introduced to Europe by the Spanish around 1585, the date of the first recorded commercial shipment of chocolate from Veracruz, Mexico to Seville. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus named the tree ‘Theobroma’ which means “food of the gods”.  Cacao beans were historically used as a currency, serving in the place of small coins as recently as 1840 on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula.

The largest producers of cacao in the Americas are Brazil, Ecuador & Venezuela with a combined market share of 10%.

The best quality cocoa beans are from the Criollo variety. Criollo cacao can be enjoyed directly from the pod and, properly fermented, maintains natural sweetness. When used commercially, the Criollo variety requires less sugar which is why 70% – 85% cacao dark chocolate bars are possible.  Gourmet chocolate represents roughly 4% of the world’s annual cacao production, a market of 160,000 short tons per year.

The main source for Criollo beans today is Venezuela’s Hacienda San José, www.cacaosanjose.com , with representatives in France, Switzerland and Spain. This hacienda has 200 hectares of Criollo cacao with an average density of 1,000 trees per hectare.

Criollo cacao is prevalent throughout C. America, with crop development occurring from Guatemala to Panama.

In Panama, cacao cultivated by indigenous growers produces a superior product preferred by chocolate aficionados over products produced by newcomers to this exotic crop, according to French Cacao Broker Mathilde Grand of Isla Colon’s Starfish Cafe.

Grand’s “Citizens Chocolate” markets tribal cocoa spheres, a hand-crafted organic product from a cooperative in Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean coast of Panama.  This region is home to the Ngobe-Buglé whose autonomous lands stretch between International Park Amistad to the coast of the Caribbean Bastimento Nature Reserve.   In the shade of their jungles, cacao is cared for and harvested using sustainable indigenous traditions.  After collecting the ripe pods, the seeds are removed, brought to fermentation then put out in the sun to dry for several days.  Once dried, the seeds are roasted over a fire, ground and rolled into spheres that are perfect for baking or melting into water, milk, and spices for a delicious drink.

For more details, enter a comment below!

This post is comprised of excerpts from the article “Cacao: a crop ready for new investment?”, written for Alternative Latin Investor’s next issue. Photos by Mathilde Grand ©

Las Lajas is the best family beach in Chiriqui.

Las Lajas Beach Resort has a sublime location, good facilities, and peaceful vistas in every direction.

This delightful little hotel has 12 rooms and a suite. The restaurant and bar are wonderful.  The food is delicious. The management and staff are warm and attentive. Lize de Garcia hails from Amsterdam and her husband, Gama Garcia Carrera, is from Panama.

Together they run Cocaleca Tours providing activities such  nature hikes, horeseback riding, Guaymi culture tours, boat tours, and rental of equipment for the beach.  Lize recommends the hills behind the mangrove for those who are comfortable on horses.  It is one of her favorites.  The Guaymi visit takes you to an indigenous family’s home with a waterfall behind the house that provides a swimming hole.  Lize recommends the Guaymi tour “because of its pureness and the women are so happy to have a possibility to sell their handy crafts”  (indigenous dresses, handmade bags, hats).

Access is by a very good road from San Felix, just two hours from Boquete.  The beach slopes very gently; you can walk on soft sand for a long time before its time to swim.  The beach runs for 22 kms and provides views of islands, many sea birds, and sweet waves.  The beauty here has not been trampled by crowds, mega resorts, or the over development common on beaches closer to Panama City.

This resort is owned by Peter McNamee and Scot Arnolds from San Francisco, where they run a pizza business. Susan & Jonathon are your contacts in reception.  In the bar and restaurant you’ll be taken good care of by Julio, Reinaldo, Jorge & Tracy.

A serene setting is created by low tide leaving 500 meters of beach, one of the largest pure sand beaches in Panama. There is very little undertow so this beach is perfect for children riding boogie boards. This tranquil hideaway is a must for visitors to Chiriqui. There are many hammocks to choose from. Bring a good book, grab a fruity cocktail, and listen to bird songs in paradise.

For a calendar with small things you can do every day to celebrate a more peaceful world, visit www.PeaceProject.com

On the dawn of 2010, we find a vastly different world then we left last New Year’s Eve.

The world is still upside down, as Roger Cohen observed last year, “the developed world now depends on the developing world, rather than the other way around”.

This blog noted last December how Brazil & Mexico are emerging as leaders on global issues such as climate change and economic growth.  One year ago, President Bush was busy subverting California’s restrictions on auto pollution by blocking the law from taking effect.  We were in a “Great Recession”.

This New Year’s Eve, the world is more united toward caring for Mother Earth.  President Obama ordered the EPA to allow states such as California to limit their pollution beyond federal regulations.   He negotiated an important compromise in Copenhagen between China and other major world economies to take action against dangerous emissions.

Economically, this year ends with several Latin American nations posting GDP gains while N. American and European economies contracted.  However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended its downward spiral early in the year and has been climbing ever since.  The recession is officially over.  We end 2009 with a glimmer of hope and pride for 2010.

Congress is poised to pass the first meaningful health care reform in decades, banning insurance discrimination on the basis of medical history, helping tens of millions of families establish and maintain coverage.  In this regard, the USA is joining civilized nations late, and with a half-step, but it’s a move in a compassionate direction.  Meanwhile, quality health care in much of the developing world remains so affordable that health insurance is simply unnecessary.  Last New Year’s Eve my daughter had stitches in a Washington ER for over $1000; her father recently had the same procedure for a surprisingly similar wound in Panama for $34.  (She has a scar, her father does not.)

One of this year’s two big stories was Sonia Sotomayor, confirmed as first Hispanic justice on Supreme Court; and, Barack Obama, elected the first African American President of the USA.

President Obama recently began relaxing restrictions on travel to Cuba; his administration expedited visa requests for muscians performing in a concert promoting freedom there.  Cuban musician Carlos Varela sang for Congress, saying in DC, “Music is not going to move governments, but it might move people. And people can move governments.”

What do we hope for 2010?  Treehugger.com hopes Ford introduces an F75 Pickup, with half the horsepower of an F150, “because you really don’t need all that power in the suburbs”.  For my part, I hope we all take more time for one another in the New Year, online and off.  Please share your wishes for  2010 by commenting below, and may the New Year bring peace and sustainable prosperity for you all.

Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park no longer allows unguided hiking, which is not a bad thing.  Hiking with a local biologist is the best way to learn about wildlife in untamed places such as this lowland tropical rainforest.  And it is safer, especially when your guide was born and raised in the Corcovado.

To experience the Osa Peninsula’s incredible biodiversity, you’ll fly to Puerto Jimenez from San Jose or drive five hours out of Boquete, Panama and boat across Golfo Dulce after a border crossing right out of the ‘wild west’.  Deep sea fishing enthusiasts will want to stay more than one night in the port.  There are also excellent surfing and birding opportunities from this hub.

When you are ready to leave civilization, you’ll enjoy a two hour drive on dirt roads from the port to Carate, crossing several large rivers.  After this road, you’ll be ready for the 45 minute hike along a pristine beach bordered by tropical jungles to reach a comfortable eco-lodge with excellent food.  Your bags will follow by pony cart.  Here you are in paradise.

When you are ready to hike into the national park, it is important to time the tides.  It is six hours to the first ranger station and your biologist guide will point out animals, plants, and native burial grounds.  You’ll drink fresh coconut milk, enjoy crustaceans, and maybe even have fresh cacao for dessert.  You’ll see thousands of phyto-geographically unique plants, rare insects, and a stunning population of birds, mammals, reptiles, and marine life.

You’ll sleep at the ranger’s station (tents or dorms) and share meals unless you packed your own grub.  Now you have many exciting options.  You can explore the surrounding areas looking for tapirs, monkeys, scarlet macaws, crocodiles, anteaters, and snakes.  You can rest up for a night hike to see the jungle’s nocturnal side.  You can hike to the next ranger station for more camping, indigenous villages, and a different return route.   Or, you can return the way you came via the eco lodge.

The Osa has something for everyone’s thirst for adventure.  We recommend a week and will arrange for more or less comfort depending on how much wilderness you seek to explore.  This is an unforgettable journey with authentic jungle experiences within reach of all types of travelers.

Living next door to Colombia, it is a bit surprising to hear of Zumba via Bisbee, Arizona. Then again, that is the magic of Bisbee.  The magic of this blog, hopefully, is fusion where South America meets North America.   So, a bit more about Zumba…

Zumba is Colombian slang for “move fast and have fun”.  It is also an innovative exercise program created by Beto Perez (forefront in photo) whom dance diva Shakira chose as one of her choreographers.  Research suggests Zumba has taken the world by storm via Miami, where two entrepreneurs helped Sr. Perez promote his dynamic dance program.

Zumba involves Latin American cumbia, salsa, merengue, flamenco and samba -inspired dance.  ”Throw in a bit of African dance influence and some shimmy and you’ve got it.  GREAT fun and what a workout!” – June Cabat

See for yourself on YouTube, where Zumba receives millions of hits.  An excellent solo performance comes from Cathya whose first Zumba post is a year old.  Click here for a recent demo from this Latina who grew up with the dance moves Beto Perez has been working with professionally for more than a decade.

Colombians specialize in fun.  At least one Colombian is bringing his nation’s native disco culture into the bright light of the  day … all across the world.  Sounds like fusion.  Bravo Beto!  Want to visit Colombia?  Click here for photos and a few ideas. Enjoy!

Day of the Dead

If you’d like to participate in Dia de los Muertos ceremonies, there are several villages in Mexico with colorful celebrations worth attending. Most are in the Central Pacfic Coast states of Guerrero, Michoacan & Jalisco.

This festival honors the lives of dear departed ones with rich cultural traditions.  Planes full of tourists attend annually. This year, airfares to the best festival destinations are between $200 and $400 rountrip from the U.S.

“Dia de los Muertos” is a holiday celebrated primarily in Mexico but also in Hispanic and African communities worldwide. Families honor memories of their departed with music, costumes, festively decorated sugar skulls, and altars to the dead with many candles. Families visit graves to leave the favorite foods and drinks of their departed. Loved ones are celebrated with stories, feasts, dancing, iconic skeletons, and always with good humor.

These ceremonies date back thousands of years and began as a celebration of death as a voyage to a higher plane by the pre-Hispanic Olmecs & Zapotecs. The Aztecs celebrated for an entire month, honoring their goddess of death. The modern celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, fusing the pre-Hispanic celebration with two Catholic holidays – All Saint’s Day & All Souls’ Day. In Brazil it’s a public holiday and Spain holds parades and festivals.

Send a note for recommendations on the best festivals.  Even you don’t attend, remember the ancestors who influenced your life!

BIRDING IN PANAMA

Panama is a birder’s heaven.  This tiny isthmus is a nestled between two oceans, serving as a land bridge for birds migrating between two continents.  Panama has more species of birds than any other Central American nation including Costa Rica, which has built a reputation as an eco-tourism center.  With a land mass approximately equal to that of S. Carolina (and a much smaller human population), Panama is home to roughly 1000 species of birds including 150 migratory species, 50 species of raptors, 18 species of parrots, and 12 species found nowhere else in the world.

Where else will birders find, in a very small area, a dozen species of tanagers and trogons, the giant blue-and-gold macaw, keel-billed toucans (pictured here), and unique species such as ant birds, umbrella birds, harpy eagles, and quetzals?  With such a dizzying array of opportunities, where should birders new to Panama begin?

Birding near Panama City

Surprisingly, one of the best birding spots on the isthmus is a day trip from the cosmopolitan capital, Panama City.  The Canopy Tower at Parque Nacional Soberania is a logical starting point.  Where have ornithologists found more birds from their ‘life-lists’ in a single day than anywhere else on the planet?  Soberania’s pipeline trail holds the title.  Many of the bird species residing in the park’s 55,000 acres can be seen on this 10-mile hike.  There are too many species to list here!  There are also medium and short birding hikes featuring ant birds and waterfalls.

Leaving Panama City, there is a Canopy Lodge at El Valle de Anton that specializes in birding that provides an excellent stop over location in route the Azuero Peninsula.

Birding from the Azuero Peninsula

The remote Azuero is Panama’s heartland and home to another of the country’s top birding spots.  Playa El Agallito near the town of Chitre exposes mud flats at low tide.  Here you will find birds migrating between Alaska and Argentina.  Birders can contact Biologist Francisco Delgado at (507) 996-1725 for a guided tour to see spoonbills, terns, egrets, pharalopes, stilts, and thousand-member flocks of many shorebird species.

More than 160 migratory species can be found in Paque Nacional Sarigua, a 20,000 acre park with mangroves, lagoons, and ranger station with an excellent perch.  Visitors to the Azuero will also stop at Bahia de Parita and many refuges, islands, and reserves with freshwater wetlands and marshes that are home to fulvous whistling ducks, limpkins, glossy ibis, black-crowned night herons, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, and white ibises.  Visit www.anam.gob.pa for links to the Azuero’s many excellent birding sites. 

If you visit the Azuero during Carnaval, visit Las Tablas where you’ll find another elegant ‘bird’.  Graceful beauty queens parade in costumed bikinis and extravagant polleras.  Don’t try to arrive the week of Ash Wednesday without confirming lodging reservations well in advance.

This author’s favorite beach hideaway on the Azuero is Playa Venado.  Here there is excellent lodging on a pristine shore, a Smithsonian outpost, and day trips to islands that are home to herons, terns, noddies, and boobies.

Birding in Panama’s Northern Highlands

Boquete is the Valley of Eternal Spring.  Here you’ll find harpy eagles, violet-eared hummingbirds, three-wattled bellbirds, yellow-thighed finches, black-chested warblers, and many birders favorite trogan – quetzals – abound in the shadow of Volcan Baru, Panama’s highest elevation.   Boquete was settled by European immigrants and maintains the largest population of indigenous Ngobe peoples and expatriates living side-by-side.  Flower fincas and coffee plantations line this picturesque valley.

From Cerra Punta you’ll find the easiest access to the magnificent Parque Internacional La Amistad, 1,500 square miles that his home to 225 bird species, including the largest concentration of quetzals in C. America. 

In both of these locations, you can stay in birder-friendly lodging with nature trails onsite and balcony views of quetzals.  There are also many bird-rich, cloud forest hikes in the area, including the hike to summit the volcano and a hike to an eco-lodge with outstanding wildlife viewing.

Birding on Isla Coiba

Scarlet macaws make their home in this marine park comprised of 39-islands surrounding Panama’s largest island.  Mostly virgin rainforest, you’ll find 147 species of birds on Isla Coiba, including 21 that are native to the island.  The Coiba spinetail, crested eagles, white-faced monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, and whales are the scarlet macaw’s neighbors.  It is best to visit by private charter flights or charter boats which can be arranged from Chiriqui.  Boaters often choose to fish their way back to the mainland.

Birding in Bocas del Toro

There are many parks in this province but the best birding is in the transition zone between Parque Internacional La Amistad and the tourist-friend islands on the coast.  The options are Bosque Protector Palo Seco and Reserva Forestal Fortuna.  There are several ecological projects in this transition zone where reforestation is being implemented to mediate the effects of slash-and-burn agriculture, cattle-ranching, and illegal logging.  Contact a destination expert to arrange guided excursions into the best birding areas which are near Altos de Valle’s or check in at the area’s ANAM ranger station on the Fortuna highway.

Birding in the Darien

One of the most remote places on the planet, Parque Nacional Darien is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, and Panama’s birding mecca.  The Darien is home to 450 bird species including 6 species of macaws, parrots, ibises, and harpy eagles.  There are also poisonous dart frogs, crocodiles, big cats, and snakes.  Guides are required and access is limited, which is fortunate for endangered species.  Journeys require registration with the police prior to departure, due to the presence of smugglers in this border area between S. America and the Panama Canal. 

Sailing or kayaking the San Blas Islands provides birding along with glimpses into the indigenous Kuna Yale culture.  Perhaps the best option for birding in the Darien is the Kuna-run Burbayar Eco-lodge where the elevation is favorable and there are six trails on the lodge’s private reserve.  River journeys to the Darien should be booked with a destination expert. 

Timing Your Birding Visit

Despite Panama’s modest size, it is impossible to enjoy all the places listed here in less than three weeks time without feeling rushed.  Birders with one or two weeks can prioritize their destinations according to their other interests because each of these destinations offers world-class birding opportunities.  The rugged Darien is in stark contrast to the many first-world comforts to be discovered in Panama.  The best time to visit is between Christmas and Easter.

View from atop Volcán Barú

Volcan Baru is Central America’s most spectacular peak.  The Baru Volcano is at the heart of Parque Nacional Volcan Baru.  It is halfway between Belize and Bogota and adjacent to International Park Amistad, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  From its summit one can view the Pacific Ocean, southern Costa Rica, the Caribbean Sea, and a good portion of Panama’s northern highlands.  Dawn atop Volcan Baru is a photographer’s dream.

The whistles of the quetzal – so splendid it was worshipped by the Maya as a sacred bird – entertain the few hikers brave enough to ascend 6,100’ over eight miles to the volcano’s 11,400’ summit.  Many of Panama’s 50 species of raptors can be seen soaring for prey, as can hummingbirds – the main pollinators of the numerous and exotic species of Heliconias.  Five species of cats make their home in this cloud forest; pumas are most numerous.  One species in short supply is mankind.

The shortest ascent is via El Salto, the author’s home, at 5,000 feet.  Allow 5.5 hours in thin air, and plan to leave around midnight to navigate a crude path in the dark.  To enjoy vistas too magnificent for words, hikers must reach the summit before clouds and fog form mid-morning.  Hikers enjoy breakfast at the summit and descend in periodic or constant rains for well-deserved feasting and resting before posting photos on the Internet bragging of their accomplishment.

Insider’s tip from Dave at Hostal Boquete:  make sure your camera is fully charged. The journey is 10-hours walking plus 1.5 hours drive from Boquete to the trailhead and back to the pueblo.  Essentials: flashlight, quality footwear, warm clothes, gloves, rain gear, 2.5 liters of water, food, and sun block.