Discovering the history and culture of Panama Day 3

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Before leaving Panama City we visited the small neighborhood of El Chorrillo where Noriega was once powerful. Our local guide Victor gave us a personal tour of the El Chorrillo district and painfully told the sordid history of these times. For years Manuel Noriega, Panama’s corrupt and brutal dictator, had been an ally of the US. The US did not trust the Panamanians and yet they used Noriega as a CIA asset and a key player in the shadowy network of anti-communists, tyrants and drug runners. The controversy was that the people of Panama were afraid of Noriega and fearful of him and his people. In fact Noriega killed those who tried to overthrow him.

“It began with Bush”, Victor said, “who paid Noriega as a contact working with the CIA, despite his being a drug lord.” In 1984 Noriega hosted other Latin leaders encouraging them to seek the removal of the US presence in Latin America. Regan (and VP Bush) wanted him gone. “The US hassled the Panamanian people” said Victor.

Then came operation “Just Cause” to shell the area where Noriega was reportedly living. Sadly the surrounding residential areas were burned and destroyed killing hundreds if not thousands of children and families. Victor went on to describe the 1989 US attack on Noriega. In Dec 1989, the United States mobilized troops for an attack on Noriega in the poor barrio where it was believed Noriega held court. Victor painfully described the merciless killing of thousands of his people who were “brutally killed”. “This was a testing ground for the invasion of Iran, but mainstream media was very biased and simplified” said Victor. “Noriega escaped but nothing was said of numbers of Panamanian killed”. Victor said “there were 3,000 casualties on Panamanian side. All the press were controlled in one room and given limited information there”.



Bush did help rid Panama of Noriega but the brutal way that it was done was unacceptable. “The US knew exactly where Noriega was and they could have killed him with a sniper instead of all the military show of force.” said Victor. Noriega, the only drug lord in Panama, did have his headquarters in El Chorrillo and he needed a support system, therefore the US wanted to get rid of all the people in his drug empire. The killing and mass murders began in earnest. Executions and indiscriminant killings took place. 18,000 people were detained and 7,000 people were arrested, many of them innocent, with no formal charges against them. 20,000 people lost their homes, mostly in poor areas like El Chorrillo. Finally bodies were bulldozed or indiscriminantly buried or pushed into the ocean.

And yet the US reported only 250 people were killed in the invasions but Victor said “Journalists did not report the truth. They focused on this as a tactical event and only American lives were of value to be talked about. No mention of mass killings and mass graves of Panamanians. Mass graves are throughout Panama, some in US military areas. This was later all condemned by international communities.” In fact this action violated the Geneva Conventions. It was a flagrant violation of international law they later said. “Money dominates politics which dominates what is said in the news” said Victor. Victor continued “The US then created a puppet regime with its placement of Guillermo Endara, a president of their choosing. Bush later declared ‘democracy was restored and Panama was free’. Bush declared that he made sure that the canal was still under US control, safeguarding American lives and combating drug trafficking.”

After the invasion 4 different gangs were formed in El Chorrillo. Now there are 9 gangs but these are not drug gangs. We were told the local police try to get involved in these areas and as a precaution the police mark each neighborhood based on the number of gang members and the names of gangs in those areas. Panama does not have an army to this date. During 9/11 the US sent troops to the Panama Canal for protection. At this point the US didn’t have a major presence in this Panama but ‘we would send troops to Panama if needed’ said the US government. Victor angrily told us this area was a testing ground for high tech aircraft, weaponry and artillery and it was located in heavily populated (poor) residential areas nearby.

We met Mario, a local El Chorrillo resident, who told us what it was like during the construction of the canal. El Chorrillo is the first neighborhood where people lived who worked on the canal. Mario told us both the poor and the wealthy lived together in this small neighborhood. Now, mostly Spanish-style slums remain among the descendants of African slaves who had moved to Panama to construct the Canal in the 1800s.

78 year old Mario still lives in the El Chorrillo barrio where bullet holes remain scarring the walls of the dilapidated buildings. He spoke to us about living through the invasion. “Before the invasion Noriega gave special passes to be allowed out after midnight. There were wooden buildings that burn fast. We hid in the church as a safe area for people. Next morning I wait for my family but my wife died, son still alive. US provide package of food. We lived in a tent after that. US then gave pass and options of places to live.” Mario choose Chorrillo.

Mario is a taxi driver and in his free time he plays dominoes. “Now I can walk anytime without a pass” said Mario. But he is still waiting for a loan for his family for compensation for housing. “The US gave Panama money only to the government, not to help the people” he said. His son was 18 when he lost his mother in the invasion. That son is now 35 and living in El Chorrillo.

This community is close knit and from what I could see, despite the dilapidated houses and poor living conditions, these people seemed cheerful. We walked around the neighborhood near the police station to see how these people lived. We stopped to watch an energetic domino game in action. This place is now famous for domino competitions.

Soccer, very popular in Panama, started in El Chorrillo, in fact El Chorrillo is the only district in Panama with two first-division clubs. Club Deportivo Universitario, formerly Chorrillo F.C. is playing in the Liga Panamena de Futbol, the highest level of football in Panama. These residents were very proud.

Leaving Panama City we headed north west toward Arrajah where we would meet a local resident, enjoy a home hosted luncheon and learn a bit about the life of those who live here. On our way we passed a cemetery where many who died in the US invasion on Noriega are buried. We also passed the former headquarters of Noriega.

We traveled over the Bridge of the Americas and our bus slowed so that we could see the many ships waiting to enter the canal. From this vantage point we could see the old and new locks on the opposite side. We would see this up close in a few days from our ship on our return from Colon on the Panama Canal, but from a very different perspective.

After an hour’s bus ride we arrived at the local farmers market in Arrajah. Our group teamed up in five small groups to shop for fruit and vegetables in order to bring our hostess the freshest food to prepare for our luncheon. These farmers drive up to six hours from their farms in Chiriqui, not far from the border of Costa Rica, to bring their produce to sell at this market. Despite the gas used and time spent in travel they say they will make more money here than if they tried to sell it closer to their farms. Dave and I are in Group 3 which consists of Irma, Jane, Helen, Dave and me. We were to buy: “Tres limons, uno la pina (pineapple) grande and uno sandia (watermelon ) grande. Except for some spotty high school Spanish classes, none of us spoke Spanish so the adventure proved to be a bit of a Spanish immersion/comedy show. The sellers at the market were very accommodating and patient in our poor attempt at speaking their language. They smiled and were jovial in the way of most Panamanians. The current market was located in its “temporary location”. In typical bureaucratic form the government has yet to create the promised permanent location.

Our hostess Edita lived in a modest home in the town of Arrajah where we convened in her small living room with our food purchases from the farmers market. Edita spoke with us about her family then soon left us going into her kitchen to make preparations for her buffet. She soon reappeared on her screened in porch with food knives and other tools for us set on a long table so that we would participate in the chopping, frying and preparation for this meal of rice and pigeon peas; chicken with tomato sauce and peas; limas; green olives; pasta with meat sauce; pounded green plantain with chimichuri cilantro sauce (long leaf cilantro that was pounded and mashed); sautéed green plantain; ripe plantain boiled with cloves and a cinnamon stick, honey or brown sugar and water; a green salad; fresh papaya, watermelon, and pineapple. We had fresh pineapple juice to drink.

In Edita’s backyard, despite being in a more suburban neighborhood, she had a large avocado tree growing in a relatively small space. A small shed was located against the house and visible from inside her porch where plantain “hands” or bunches were hung or placed on the ground outside to attract a variety of birds. And attract birds it did! Between the tree and the makeshift aviary shed we saw the lovely ghost-like Blue-gray Tanager, a Crimson-backed Tanager, a Squirrel Cuckoo, a Social Margined or Rusty Margined Flycatcher, and an unidentifiable hummingbird plus a few more birds that neither my camera nor my eyes were quick enough to catch. In between looking for birds and meal prep I photographed Edita’s adorable grandson Christopher who had just waked from his nap. He was very much in charge of if and when he could be photographed!

After lunch and well-sated we returned to the bus leaving our hostess and the town of Arrajah to travel south west on the Pan American Highway to begin our afternoon journey to Chitre in the Province of Herrera. Along the way we stopped for banos in Penonome in the Province of Cocle where we could see a distant mountain range that, we were told, is part of the Rocky Mountain chain. On the other, flat side of the road, we saw fields of modern windmills. Inside the gas station were typical snacks but we saw a refrigerated unit that sold “Ceviches Diaz” De Venta Aqui. Not sure I’d consider that ceviche fresh! Ice cream seemed a safer choice.

In the distance we could see “Mount” Campana Hill, 3,379’ above sea level, in Altos de Campana, Panama’s first National Park, the first in Panama to preserve eco systems. I later learned that the views from the top are spectacular and include the not so far distant Pacific beaches as well as some dormant volcanoes. (Maybe the ceviche in refrigerated takeout machines was not so far fetched after all?)

I read that bird watchers can delight in the variety of avian creatures in this mountain park including the famed orange-bellied trogon. Sadly that was not on our agenda. Abdiel told us they plan to dig a river from here to the Panama Canal in order to increase the water table for the ships in the canal.

Originally there were over seventy two indigenous groups of peoples in this region, now there are only seven groups left in all of Panama. Thirty six of these indigenous peoples used to live in the Province of Cocle alone. A variety of ancient pottery pieces were found underground in this area, the leavings of a prehistoric settlement.

The Province of Cocle is in the “Dry Arch of Panama” which is much more dry than the rest of that region. Winds are quite prevalent here, so much so that President Bush ’43 had created a wind farm here where 13 percent of Panama’s electricity is created. In addition to wind power Panama uses 5 percent solar energy. Hydropower as well as wind and solar are all produced in the Province of Cocle. In nearby Cobre, they boast the 2nd largest mined copper mining project in Central and South America. From the road we could see distant fires in this dry area. We were told that the fires may have been started by hunters burning to scatter iguanas. They don’t practice controlled burns but they do burn garbage. These practices can easily get out of control.

Our bus brought us to the Hotel Cubita in Chitre where we would unpack and use as our base in this region for the next three nights. This hotel has a spacious open air lobby with nice landscaping. Many rooms open to the pool or the central courtyard. Our first room overlooking the pool had a broken safe and the glass shower shelf was also broken. Management could not repair either so we were given another room overlooking the central courtyard. The rooms are quiet enough and have a hand held AC control which is nice. The beds are comfortable but one side of the queen bed is pushed against a wall making someone climb over another person to get in or out of bed. In our second room the paint was splattered in places in the bathroom, the sink was broken and there were no wash cloths or Kleenex. Disappointing but the rest of the stay was pleasant.

Chitre, called the gateway to the Azuero Peninsula, was described to us by Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) as a “charming modern city with vestiges of its colonial past, most vividly seen in its ornate, red-tiled Spanish houses”. Apparently no one who wrote this ever visited this town of 80,000 people. There was nary a charming colonial house and no tiled roofs. In fact there was no place for us to walk and “enjoy the town” since the hotel was on a busy highway far from the town center, which, after briefly visiting the town, left nothing for us to desire. Our hotel was clearly an oasis not to be left.

That evening dinner was held for our group outdoors in the hotel’s courtyard that was pleasantly lit by candlelight. We sat in round tables under the stars (there were no bugs at all!) Each table was decorated with flowers and a diablo mask. We dined on our pre-ordered dinner choices, I chose a pumpkin cream appetizer, kuna fish with a creamy fish sauce, a green salad and mashed otoe, which is like a sweet potato but to my mind the sweet potato is much better. The pumpkin cream was nice but I wished I had ordered the delicious but filling beet salad (my neighbor generously shared some).

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Photos

"Fresh" Ceviches
Even though the ocean was not terribly far away, I don't think I would consider buying ceviches at a gas station vending machine.

Dichotomy
Little girl in poverty stricken El Chorrillo with an American Girl doll.