Eric's Journal Day 7

One of the bridges along the trail!

Tuesday of the second week, after a good start on the first week it is going to be tough to top that but I will try. Today the full crew showed up full of vim and vigor and grabbed the chain saw and a battery Skil saw of mine and headed up the mountain. Justo and I went back to his house to pick up the roll of barbed wire and then to the china market to get some chicken feet, beans and rice. Justo grabbed a couple of small cans of tomato paste that he said would give the chicken feet some color. The total bill for their lunch was 12 dollars working out to roughly $1 per person - guess that’s pretty good. I had 5 guys head up right away to start splitting palms, 4 started back digging and working on the trails, and Celestino started working on the front dressing it up; working on the walkway to the entrance of PL.

I brought up the food for the guys and had left the wire behind at the gate. Justo told one of them to go down and get it and bring it back up to rework the front entry where the large tree had taken out 20’ of fence. After all were started Justo and I went up and checked how the trails where doing then headed up to see the progress on the cutting of the palms. Even though we had cleared a trail to the top it’s still a long hike straight up so we took our time stopping often and talking about the beauty and how lucky we both were.

When we made it to the top you could just look down through the jungle on the other side and see the men cutting the palms and the others bringing them to the top to be split up there, making it easier. We walked just a short way up the hill towards the top and I looked up and saw the branches in a tree shaking and then an animal with a long tail moving to another limb. I hollered to Justo “ Mono”, (monkey) as he looked up and saw it too. We walked up towards the mono and no longer saw him but headed further up also looking for the missing cows.

When we reached the top of PL it was a really clear day with little humidity and we could see way out in the Chiriqui Bay to the Bocas Islands and the channel - it was breath taking! The trip back was nice and slow as we worked our way back down to the bottom. I was kind of disappointed I didn’t see the sloth again as we walked by where we had seen him before, I mean how far they can go in a week?

Justo the magnificent! Could not do this without him!

After the long trek Justo and I sat down next to what I have coined the phrase of “Laguna de Justo”, which is the small pool where we eat lunch often and watch the fish. I opened up a can of Van Camps Pork and Beans and pulled out some bread - it was only 11 but we where both hungry and deserved to eat like kings. Shortly after we finished and checked on the guys once more. They had eaten and headed back to work. I was really impressed. They ate and took exactly 30 minutes to do it. Typically in Panama there are one hour lunches but these guys grabbed hold of the shorter day concept and are acting like it has always bee that way. Gringo ideas! After that the guys started bringing down the palm and we got the front bridge done and I started the second bridge laying the palm out and nailing it down until I ran out of nails! Oops! Guess I will finish it tomorrow. As I was walking by on one of the trips past the kitchen I had mentioned to Justo to tell Celestino to have his wife clean up the creek next to where she was cooking. There were some limbs down in it and it needed some attention but it didn’t work when I tried yesterday. Finally it did today and she was actually cleaning so it looked a lot better and I tried the best I could with a bunch of thumbs up and muy bueno to convey that, but realized she spoke Noble; an Indian dialect and not even Spanish. I sure hope my smile got across anyway. But after an hour of cleaning she sat down she was done. I was happy for a little progress. The days’ progress was ok and I was happy it was over.

Celestino's wife the cook - relaxing

After Justo’s and my walk I was worn out and asking Justo what time it was. I realized they finally put in a really full day - way to go guys!

After we dropped the 13 Indians off at the bridge we headed to the hardware store to pick up some nails and some spray for termites since I wanted to treat the bamboo posts before we set them in the ground for the rails. At the store the nails seemed kind of high in price at $.90/lb so I asked how much for 50 lbs. and they punched it in the calculator and came up with $45. – gosh, I guess no discount for volume. Justo said we could get them cheaper at Chiriquí Grande so no problem we had to pick up some containers for Diesel fuel to mix with the Penitran anyway. When we got to the hardware store in Chiriquí Grande and checked the price it was $1.30/lb, now it was a different quality but I didn’t need it to last 30 years so after we picked up the containers for fuel and Justo bought his usual 2 cigarettes. We headed back to pick up his wife and then to Punta Pena.

Now all we need to do is shop in the morning for food which Justo suggested that this time we might get the guys fish. He said it’s as cheap as the chicken is so why not. I am looking for some good progress tomorrow hope to have all the palms we need split and installed on the bridges, the trail being worked on , and some of the bamboo we are going to use for rails cut as well. May be a dream but heck I am in Panama working with 13 Indians and a Morse code specialist, and watching monkeys in the trees, pinch me because I think I am dreaming now.

The 3 toed sloth hanging
and scratching

Day Four and Starting to Settle Into a Rhythm

Day 4

I had the regular crew show up with out a hitch, Justo had his camouflage on and when I pulled up I didn’t even see him. Even after he spoke he had to move before I saw him. Sure hope the Indians don’t figure that one out or will never find them up there again. Justo and I went exploring for more potential paths and found a beauty. There is this huge tree with a wide root base (the name I still do not know) that I have always wanted to make the path go by it. Its hard to even describe so will take some pictures tomorrow and hope you can see the magnificence of it then. While I was checking on the guys’ progress I got distracted by a orange butterfly, I got it to land on my finger and was holding it up for the guys to see and then even pretended to talk to it. I then put it on one of the guys hats and they all got a laugh.

With all the climbing around in the rubber boots up the steep hills and through the creeks I got a blister - it was bound to happen but I held tough. After 5 hours I told them I had to go check on some prices of supplies since I also just made a deal with the Indian boss to have 5 more Indians come on Monday to start cutting palms. What I decided to do is use crushed palms like the Indians use for the walls and floors of their homes and this type of palm is so strong that they use it for supports of homes out over the water and to support homes on land. In these conditions it lasts 8 to 10 years and we have lots of it on PL so why not!!! At 3:30 I went to the entrance of PL and met Justo and the Indians as they came down I shook all of their hands telling them what a good job they are doing and how happy I am. Then Celistino, the Indian leader, asked if I would drive them 3/10 of a km to the suspension bridge that goes over the Rio Wabo River and from there they walk 45 minutes to their village I answered sure why not. On the way to the bridge Justo told me that he and Celistino had a talk. When we started PL and talked to Celistino he wanted more than the other Indians since he was in charge and was able to get them so we agreed that instead of $1 per hour we would pay him $1.10 and he agreed happily. Well now things have changed and he wants to get more than $1.10. Talking to Justo we both kind of laughed because when I had made the deal with him that he wanted more we both could not believe that he accepted .10 more so I will give him $1.25 because he is doing a really good job. The truth of the matter is he is doing a great job and seems to be taking personal interest in the job which makes me smile a lot.

Photo: (Celestino deep in thought)

He has even talked to Justo about bringing some plants from home to plant on PL. Now life is good!! Justo and I went to the local china market after work to get him some boots. I told him the guy in charge of PL at least has to have a good pair of boots. His have a hole in them and he told me he has to pry his feet in them in the morning since they are too small. He wears a size 12! We may have to go to David to get them for him since they were no where to be found near Punta Pena. So we continued n to Chiriquí Grande to check out a hardware store there and price some axes we needed for the guys to cut and split the palms on Monday. When we got there we found the axes and also the large cast aluminum pots for cooking up to 14 pounds of rice and some other pots and pans as well. $105 dollars letter with Justo getting me a discount we were going to head back when he said excuse him for a sec he needed to go to the store. When he returned he had one cigarette and lit it up and said he was trying to quit and the best way was to buy them one at a time. I agreed. Then we started to head out as soon as he called his wife to see if she wanted a ride home too. Well she (a school administrator for the Indian schools) had just gotten 3 sets of teachers who had come in on boats from various islands around the area and was busy with them but gave Justo a shopping list. On the way home almost in front of Justo’s home we stopped at another china market ( did I tell you all the stores are owned by the Chinese and everyone calls each one the china market - confusing eh?) When he returned he had a bag with some buns and then he opened it up and showed me 2 pounds of chicken feet. He said this is what you need to get the workers for lunch and its only .50 a pound. He said his wife loves them and chicken necks too. I laughed and said I was going to let him do the shopping for the Indians.

Photo: (Celestino's wife, Justo and Celestino's sister in law - she comes for cooking lessons.)

On another note Ernesto a chain saw man that almost has arms as big as my waist is going to show up tomorrow and cut some wood for me. It’s going to cost me .20/ft but I know him and he is a good man so have no hesitation on giving him the work. The wood his is going to cut is like no other I have ever seen. It’s called almandro it’s one of the hardest woods and is totally resistant to insects. The wood he is gong to be cutting on PL has been down for almost 15 years and is just as good as it was when it was standing. This is what I am going to use as the posts for the hand rails with bamboo on top nailed with a 5” to 6” spike. I am hoping it is not so hard I will have to drill each post.

Photo: Morning Mist

Well, change of plan again as I was talking to Mario about cutting the almandro for the posts and how hard it was and asked him why can’t you use bamboo? Does it rot in the ground or the bugs eat it? He told me the termites eat it I started talking to him about what if we took and cut the posts and soaked them in Penitrol a termite agent. He thought for a minute and said that would be a great idea. So I canceled Ernesto for tomorrow and am going to next week cut bamboo posts and start soaking them. The top rail is going to be bamboo and will just have to keep an eye on it and see if it needs to be sprayed too. Don’t like using insecticide but in this environment you just don’t have a choice.

More soon...............

Day One on Punta Linda - Eric's Consturction Journal

Monday the start of any ordinary work week!
Life is good! Mine is starting in the jungle of Panama with 6 Indians and a 67 year old Morse Code Specialist for a translator. The first day of any job is always one of the most trying but to be honest with you it wasn’t really that bad (that being the key word). I had asked and arranged to have 6 Indians with their boss. So a total of 7 but wasn’t too bad. Half of the crew started right in with shovels and a pick working on a bank to make steps, the boss was with them to make sure they didn’t mess it up. The other 3 went with Justo and me as we explored around The World Famous Punta Linda looking for trails and places of interest. The 3 Indians where amazing they chopped through the jungle like a weed eater on steroids - it was amazing. 3 wide the Indians cutting a 5 meter wide path wherever you pointed them. I had tried to get Justo to convey exactly what I wanted before we got started but guess it lost something in the translation. We where chopping on a trail on the ridge just next to the creek and I wandered down closer to the creek to where this huge tree (whose name I will find out) was. The base of this tree has this ribbon of roots surrounding it, I had always really wanted to be able to highlight the beauty of it and the serenity. I hollered up to Justo where I was and that I had wanted a path to the tree. He hollered up to the Indians on the ridge to make a trail to where I was. They proceeded to stop point towards me and cut a 100 meter trail 5 meters wide to where I was which was over ground that could only be described as a very high ridge and a cliff. 10 minutes into their chopping I realized what was happening and tried to holler to Justo to have them cut a trail back and forth and to find the easiest way to me. Guess that lost something in translation. In 20 minutes they had a 5 meter trail right to where I was standing that only a mountain goat would ever be able to climb back up. I wonder if next time I start at the top and have them cut to me it would work. I am sure I will get several more opportunities to find out. The next exploration we did was around this huge almendro tree that was down that we are cutting our posts for the rails from. Right across from the tree is a valley with the most unique tree. The tree is over 100 meters high but 40 meters up a branch goes downwards then has grown into the ground about 6 meters from the base, Other than a banyan tree I have never seen any thing like this. When we got up there Justo remarked this would be a great place for a cabana which I readily agreed.
Next we continued back to the ridge and continued to chop upwards. I had been here earlier on one of my explorations but when it had gotten too thick I had to stop, but the Indians sure didn’t. They where so busy chopping only stopping to pull their files out to sharpen their machetes that they didn’t see a sloth only 3 meters from us up right at eye level, well I didn’t notice it either but Justo pointed him out to me. I had my camera but as I had found out earlier there was just too much humidity, and with me sweating so much there was nothing dry around to clean the lens from the instant fog that formed on it, I am sure he will be in close to the same spot later. Did you know that sloths only come down the tree once every two weeks to defecate? As slow as they are it almost takes them that long to get down. At last just as I had hoped the trail opened up to just under the ridge of the left hand slide of PL. Making our way to the top I know Justo thinks I was a broken record repeating over and over "suave" meaning smooth, the closest thing I have learned so far to mean not too steep. A quick chop across the ridge, 5 meters wide, and it was lunch time. I hollered to Justo to tell them to chop on the way down must again think it lost something in translation. They where like a horses headed for the barn, their back sides soon disappeared from site as Justo and I made our way down.
I met Justo’s brother, his wife and his step father and mother. To his house we hiked off the main road down a river in a plantain field, it was interesting as I drank a cup of coffee with them while their pet parrot tried to bite my ear. He was telling a few stories which I got a quick translation by Justo as I drank some of the darkest richest coffee I had ever had. We talked for a while as I sipped the coffee and he agreed to $.10 per foot cutting the wood from the tree that was already down on PL, of course I bought the oil and the gas and gave him some money for a new chain which he said he would take off the price I paid him. I shook his hand and said that sounded fair which Justo translated. Well after giving Justo $100 for gas and a new bar and chain he showed up. The first day they showed up a quick storm popped up blowing debris all over and breaking branches they left shortly after that. It isn’t fun to get hit by falling debris from 200 meters up so they next day got a good start and cut 530’ of lumber which isn’t the dimensions I had said but none the less we could make it work. It’s something that is almost growing on me as I softly chuckle under my breath and mutter panama.
Once Justo and I made it down to the bottom where the rest of the guys were I smiled as I watched the guys who had just cut a 5 meter trail faster then I had ever seen take off their boots and where soaking their feet in the creek. Remembered again why I was here. I realized that tomorrow I was going to need to bring my chain saw since Justo’s brother had not shown up to cut some fallen debris which could be used for bridges to. I left while they ate lunch and went and picked up the extra pick axe I had in my van and grabbed some lunch which I had forgot to bring up with me. Before I left I mentioned to Justo to have them cut a path to the bamboo which is a huge grove of bamboo you can see from a long way off where there had once been a corral. When I returned they where gone but I looked upwards and saw a 5 meter path straight up the cliff leading to the bamboo. I have got to find a better word in Spanish to communicate “gentle, easy” trail. Climbing up the newly cleared cliff feeling like was in a gym climbing one of those artificial walls with the only difference being that the gym didn’t have the humidity, or the bugs. Once getting to the bamboo I found them clearing the area around there and be honest it looked great so let them chop away. It wasn’t any thing towards putting in the trails but I was happy to see the progress. Justo told me it was getting time for them to leave and they could head down and we could check out a repair his brother had made on the fence. I told Justo to tell them on the way down to chop the path wider but again something in that translation thing. After making our way down I started talking to Justo about what time it was and he told me 2:45. I started thinking we start at 7 am, 30 minute lunch, the numbers don’t work. As I gave Justo a ride home I asked him about that he said they only took a 30 minute lunch so they could get off early. Not bad work 7, get paid for 8 but he also told me tomorrow they would work longer. All and all not a bad first day.
After work I went to Mario’s where he had given me the downstairs cabana to stay in which I was thrilled about since this one also has hot water and grabbed a shower the best shower in the world and headed out to grab some chain saw oil and some gas "opps" my gas can was missing. When Mario got home later about 9 pm I asked him about it and he said his working Enil had it and called him to have his son bring it in the morning. After going to the feriterria - the only hardware store in two towns and picking up the supplies; I then went to the internet café in Chiriquí Grande and spent some time on the net researching mazes - it’s a idea I had to maybe make Punta Linda different if I could. I always told you I was an idea man didn’t mean they where all good.