The 160 Anniversary of the Chiriqui Province continues so therefore each Sunday since January 25, 2009 I have been going on organized walks through the countryside of the Dolega District in the Province of Chiriqui. It has truly been a great experience – meeting wonderful people each Sunday, some providing experiences by sharing their stories so now I relish this walk with anticipation. Even more, I would like to continue this relationship with my new Panamanian acquaintances as we “Walk the Trails of the Doraces” together.
Let me explain briefly about the Doraz. The Doraz tribe lived in the valleys of Boquete and Caldera, and the plains of Dolega, Bocas del Toro, and Costa Rica. Men and women of this ethnic group were copper skin and were a higher society than Guaymi/Ngöbe-Buglé through their ancestry, language, and customs. They practiced a rudimentary agriculture, planting corn, yucca, plantain, and pixbae. The Doraces also supplemented their diet with hunting, fishing, and gathering of eatable plants. They made salt for preparing their food by primitive methods of cooking water, taken from the coast and estuaries. They would spin, weave and adorned with colorful drawings, very similar to those found on "huacas" which are large rocks.
This past Sunday, February 15, 2008 we walk from Rovira a small sub-division of the Dolega District to
another sub-division named Tinajas. Joined by friends from Boquete who have been on this historic walk since the beginning this time we walk 7 miles hiking across fields, and crossing small rivers with one thick bamboo as our bridge, some slipped while the majority made it across.
Tinajas is known for its orange orchards, sugar cane Fincas (farms), including the making of "panela" which is a brown sugarloaf. Upon arriving, we stopped at a Finca for a well-needed rest while the owner demonstrated how they crush sugar cane. The cane is placed through two or three huge wooden round dowels that turn while two good-looking and healthy oxen tied to a yoke are coaxed into walking in a circle pulling a derrick.
All the visitors had a taste of the strained refreshing liquid. It was poured into a coconut shell; we enjoyed the very tasty and refreshing sugarcane and by the way it is not overly sweet, as one might think.
Let me explain briefly about the Doraz. The Doraz tribe lived in the valleys of Boquete and Caldera, and the plains of Dolega, Bocas del Toro, and Costa Rica. Men and women of this ethnic group were copper skin and were a higher society than Guaymi/Ngöbe-Buglé through their ancestry, language, and customs. They practiced a rudimentary agriculture, planting corn, yucca, plantain, and pixbae. The Doraces also supplemented their diet with hunting, fishing, and gathering of eatable plants. They made salt for preparing their food by primitive methods of cooking water, taken from the coast and estuaries. They would spin, weave and adorned with colorful drawings, very similar to those found on "huacas" which are large rocks.
This past Sunday, February 15, 2008 we walk from Rovira a small sub-division of the Dolega District to
another sub-division named Tinajas. Joined by friends from Boquete who have been on this historic walk since the beginning this time we walk 7 miles hiking across fields, and crossing small rivers with one thick bamboo as our bridge, some slipped while the majority made it across.Tinajas is known for its orange orchards, sugar cane Fincas (farms), including the making of "panela" which is a brown sugarloaf. Upon arriving, we stopped at a Finca for a well-needed rest while the owner demonstrated how they crush sugar cane. The cane is placed through two or three huge wooden round dowels that turn while two good-looking and healthy oxen tied to a yoke are coaxed into walking in a circle pulling a derrick.
All the visitors had a taste of the strained refreshing liquid. It was poured into a coconut shell; we enjoyed the very tasty and refreshing sugarcane and by the way it is not overly sweet, as one might think. These walks have become more and more interesting opening my eyes to learning and discovering something new each time.
Lunch was Panama’s favorite “Sancocho” chicken soup served with rice, always served at lunchtime. It is so very delicious that even expats enjoy slurping it up. YUMMY! I decided to try the “Almojabanos” con “carne ahumada.” Almojabanos are similar to fritters but better and smoked pork another Yummo!!
After waiting for our driver, we had invited to a small town festival in Dos Rios. The “Festival de Antaño” or the Festival of Yesteryear was truly a wonderful event with demonstrations showing how people lived and worked in the good old days in this area. 
One demonstration was the sawing of a log with a 7 ft. hand saw with another being the pounding of rice by two people truly hard work. In addition was the march and singing of men returning to the village to receive their reward for their hard work and women in their colorful costumes dancing the traditional Cumbia among other dances.
Sunday was just another fantastic day in Panama. All of this has come my way because I choose to discover and explore new things in this wonderful world we live in. Right now, it is in Panama where I have found it to have truly the very kindliest, friendliest, and warmest people a land can have.
Lunch was Panama’s favorite “Sancocho” chicken soup served with rice, always served at lunchtime. It is so very delicious that even expats enjoy slurping it up. YUMMY! I decided to try the “Almojabanos” con “carne ahumada.” Almojabanos are similar to fritters but better and smoked pork another Yummo!!
After waiting for our driver, we had invited to a small town festival in Dos Rios. The “Festival de Antaño” or the Festival of Yesteryear was truly a wonderful event with demonstrations showing how people lived and worked in the good old days in this area. 
One demonstration was the sawing of a log with a 7 ft. hand saw with another being the pounding of rice by two people truly hard work. In addition was the march and singing of men returning to the village to receive their reward for their hard work and women in their colorful costumes dancing the traditional Cumbia among other dances.Sunday was just another fantastic day in Panama. All of this has come my way because I choose to discover and explore new things in this wonderful world we live in. Right now, it is in Panama where I have found it to have truly the very kindliest, friendliest, and warmest people a land can have.
No comments:
Post a Comment