Los Angeles

This past Sunday we thought we would not be going on an organized walk. However, Melva Miranda emailed me with information regarding another walk and mentioning it would only be about a two-hour walk. Organized by the 2009-2010 161 Anniversary of the Chiriqui Province by the committee in the district of Gualaca the hike would take to Los Angeles countryside located on the edge of the Comarca Ngöbe Bugle. The Ngöbe-Bugle is the indigenous people in Chiriquí’s Province.

Here is brief description of the Ngöbe-Bugle. They are compromised of two separate linguistic groups (The Ngöbe and the Bugle). They are Panama's most numerous indigenous peoples with a population of about 180,000 Ngöbes and 10,000 Bugles and they inhabit the Ngöbe-Bugle Comarca, which is a protected area that operates its own political system (comparable to a reservation).

The majority of the Ngöbe-Bugle lives in small communities or villages. They live in "chozas" or huts made of straw with dirt floors. In their farms, the men carry out agriculture of subsistence based on slash and burn techniques and produce corn, cassava, bananas, peach palm, and some other fruits. During the coffee harvest season, more than half of them migrate to work the plantations in the western part of the province.

The women are responsible for the primary care of the children and the homes. Some of them also spend their time working with various arts and create several splendid crafts. The "chacara" is a type of woven bag made by the women that displays their numerous ancestral legends, mimicking the skin and colors of their animals and the landscape of the Comarca. These bags are fibers from the pita and cabuya plants

Two other art forms created by the women are "chaquiras" - a type of beaded necklace and "naguas" which are the traditional dresses worn by the women and girls. The naguas are very colorful and beautiful and the jagged shapes and vivid colors of the Ngöbe-Bugle mountains and forests inspire the hand-sown appliqué work.

Back to the hike, we assumed the hike would be easy since it was just for two hours. As it turned it was best hike I have been on, ok I know, I know on my last post I said "it" was my favorite. Sunday’s hike was a level 6 or 7 in terms of terrain. We climb up and down some magnificent terrain over-looking mountains, green pastures and hiked in the bush where all the snakes live. There were small trees with spikes that one does not dare touch and leaf-cutter ant mounds - the ants will crawl onto your foot wear in a second. Some of us slipped onto our rear end while some wore shorts receiving a few scratches. No bad injuries occurred.
Our destination for lunch was a home located along this beautiful countryside we were served delicious "Sancocho", rice with guandu, and pineapple "Chi Cha."

Our guide Francisco a member of the Toursit Cooperative lives in the area - did a splendid job pointing out medicinal plants, old beehives, and other interesting bits of history. I just cannot praise Francisco enough.

After lunch, we rested and were entertained by the Gnöbe who performed a few religious rituals and danced, some of us joining in. It was again a perfect day and ended with a walk back to our car while some rode horses. We then stopped for soft drinks in Los Angeles saying “hasta luego y hasta la proxima.” Hugging Melva Miranda whom I have come to admire and will always remember -her dedication in organizing the walks and Roger Patino both of the Movimiento Federalista de Panamá.