Rio Chagres

Most everyone has heard of The Panama Canal, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  But you may not have heard of the Chagres River.

Points Beyond, up the Rio Chagres

The Chagres River, surrounded by rainforest.

Although not as well known as the Panama Canal itself, there would be no canal without the Rio Chagres.  

Panama Canal Diagram, with the Chagres River area we explored circled with a white dotted line.
Source: Wikipedia

The river snakes it’s way through the rain forest,  and is the main watershed for the canal.  Two dams along the river help create Gatun Lake, which is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.   From the Caribbean, the Chagres River is navigable all the way to the Gatun Dam, located about 6 miles from the mouth of the river. 

Fort San Lorenzo, at the mouth of the Chagres River.

The Chagres River was “discovered” by Christopher Columbus in 1502, and was explored by Hernando de la Serna in 1527.  He founded the town of Chagres and built a fort, San Lorenzo, on a promontory at the mouth of the river.  The river was used as a transportation trail from the Pacific, across Panama, from which gold was “exported” from Peru to Spain.

Looking out the the Caribbean from Fort San Lorenzo.

Fort San Lorenzo, under cover of jungle growth.

View from the fort, with the Rio Chagres in the right corner.

We had heard that the Chagres River was worth exploring.  In fact, we had heard that it was a “don’t miss it!” spot, and so we crossed the bar into the river with great expectations.  The fort is still at the mouth of the river, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

A view of the River from inside the fort.

The square slab is the fort cistern. 

The original cannons still stand sentry around Fort San Lorenzo.

A Royal Crest can still be seen on this cannon.

And the river still meanders through the rainforest as it flows downstream from Gatun Dam.  Was it as magical and mystical as described to us?  A “don’t miss” kind of place?  Oh Yes.  Yes, it was.

Magical, mystical Rio Chagres.

Rainforest all the way to at the edge of the river.

We sailed up the river, all the way until we came in sight of the dam, where we anchored and listened to the noises of the jungle.  There are no buildings, no visible man-made structures of any sort between the fort and the dam. 

No sign of humans...except us.

We were completely alone, having traveled upstream without encountering any other people or boats, and it stayed that way for days.  But truly we were far from alone.  The jungle is teeming with life.  

We spotted toucans, red parrots, green parrots, yellow headed caracaras, osprey, and a variety of other flying creatures. 

Toucans!  Where are the Fruit Loops?

Cute birds hanging out on our bow rail.

Yellow-headed Caracara.  (I think.)

Osprey?

We watched families of Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, and White Faced Capuchins, too.  

You looking at me?

Seriously.  You looking at me?

Capuchin family, with baby on the mother's back.

Capuchin monkey, having a stare-down with the humans.

 

Oh, hello!

And then there was the sloth, who wins the funniest/strangest creature award for sure.

Sloth.  Strangest creature candidate.  

Sloth.  Or Sasquatch.  Could be either.

Check out his claws!  

The noise of birds and bugs is constant, even though at the same time it is incredibly quiet and peaceful.  Until, that is, the howler monkeys start howling.  Howling doesn’t quite describe this incredibly loud roar.  We weren’t sure what it was at first; it sounded like a cross between wolves and lions.  Only louder. 

Can you spot the howler monkeys in the jungle?
You could if this picture included sound.

Ah, there's a howler.

Howler monkey swinging from a vine.  

Howler monkeys are said to be the loudest land animals; the sound of their calls can travel up to 3 miles.  They tend to howl most at dawn and dusk.  Or if you happen to speed by too close to them in your dingy.   

A spider monkey checking us out.

Spider monkey.  These guys are quiet.

We spent nearly a week in this wonderland, and felt like we could have happily spent a month exploring tributaries and jungle paths.  

Sunset on the rainforest canopy.

At anchor in the Rio Chagres.

From our anchoring spot near the dam we were also able to visit the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal.  This unforgettable experience included (spoiler alert!) WALKING ACROSS the Gatun Locks.  Stay tuned for our upcoming post for the details on our Panama Canal experience.

The Gatun Dam as seen from the Chagres River.
Just behind the dam a cruise ship can be seen as the ship transits the Panama Canal.

More-Make-Tupu

Isla Maquina - Mola Maker Island

Intrigued by the name - Mola-Maker Island - as well as the fact that our favorite “Master Mola Maker” Venancio hails from this island, (See the post about "Master Mola Maker" Venancio, here.) we decided to put in a call to the place.  The island’s official name is Isla Maquina, but it’s also called More-make-tupu by the Kuna.  In the Kuna language Mor means Mola, make means making, and tupu means island.  We dropped our anchor just off the island, nestled between a number of reefs.  Before we had the chance to wonder if we could locate Venancio on the tiny island, a panga motored up along side us.  We immediately recognized none other than Venancio himself.  We greeted each other as old friends, and Venancio introduced us to the driver - his brother Idelfonso. 

The "Swift Butlerfly" docked next to the Restrepo home.

Idelfonso handed us his card.  He is a panga-launch driver, The "Swift Butlerfly" (sic), essentially a water taxi, as well as a local guide.  His services include leading river tours, kayaking and jungle treks.   He suggested that we consider taking a tour up the nearby river the next

Idel was so proud of his boat name, so we did not 
have the heart to explain the spelling error.

morning.  In excellent English Idelfonso explained that he would be able to tell us all about Kuna history and traditions during such a tour.  We told him we’d think about it, and that we would come in to visit the island in a bit to look for some eggs and bread.  Oh, yes...and to maybe look at a few molas, too.

We arrived at the dock and found The Restrepo family hut/compound right next door.  We were ushered in and given seats on plastic lawn chairs, surrounded by Venancio and Idelfonso’s entire family.  We met the matriarch of the family - Venancio and Idelfonso’s mother - as well as several sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and Idelfonso’s two young children. 

Checking out molas in Venancio's home.  Idelfonso is on the right in the red hat.

They all sat and watched as we took another awed look through Venancio’s artwork.  With gifts for friends and family in mind we bought more magnificent molas.  Venancio’s mola selling IS a family affair; all the money that Venancio makes is shared with his entire family.   There were about 15 family members all living together in a number of connected huts.   The money each family member makes, and the food that is caught or gathered is used for the good of the entire clan.  

Jungle Tour.

The family, along for the ride. 

We agreed to have Idelfonso  (Idel for short) take us up the river on a tour the next day.  As an added bonus, we discovered that a neighboring island was having a “chicha” ceremony with traditional dancing in the evening, and he could take us there to watch the dance.  So the next morning Idel picked us up in his panga and headed for the river.  Along for the ride were one of Idel’s sisters and two nieces (and several small children) who were going to the cemetery to visit the grave of Idel’s father.  Idel’s brother-in-law and nephew were going along to visit their family farm plot in order to gather some yucca, which is a staple in the Kuna diet.  

Kuna cemetery.

Burial mound, with cocoa bean incense, and the departed's personal mug.

Preparing the cocoa bean and charcoal offering.

We had read that Kuna cemeteries are considered very sacred, and that they should not be visited by outsiders, so we felt particularly lucky to have Idel’s family welcome us to the cemetery while Idel explained some of their beliefs and rituals.  The cemetery consists of a number of palm-frond sheltered family plots, with earthen mounds where the loved one is buried.  Family members visit the cemetery on a weekly basis, sweeping the family plot clean and burning cocoa beans in charcoal.  Idel told us that the burial ceremony consists of the body being put aboard a special ulu adorned with colorful flags, that is guided up the river to the cemetery.  I’m not sure I completely understood, but I think the burial ritual involves this ulu blocking the river entrance for a week while the family of the dead mourns. A few days later one of Idel’s nephews showed me a pint-sized model of a ceremonial ulu/hearse that he had made; another lovely piece of Kuna folk-art.

Kuna burial ulu - lovely piece of folk art.

After Idel showed us around the small cemetery, the women had two hammocks that they hung up on the shelter and they settled in to mind the grave while Idel led us off for a tramp through the jungle. 

Relaxing at the grave site.

Hola, log carrying man.

We slushed through the wet muck of the jungle for a short hike, jumping over lear-cutter ant trails and saying “hola” to an number of men carrying logs on their shoulders as they headed toward the river with their hut-construction materials.  After our hike, Idel’s brother-in-law returned with the yucca from further up the river, and we all piled back into the panga for the return trip.

Back down the river after procuring yucca.

Later that evening Idel took us (along with his wife and niece) to the nearby Island of Sidra where a “Chicha” ceremony was in progress.  This happens once or twice a year when sugarcane is fermented and turned into wine, and then a week of drinking and dancing ensues.  We felt so lucky to have stumbled onto one of these events.  (But, we were told that photography of the ceremony was NOT allowed.)  We approached the island in the dark and followed Idel through the maze of huts to the Chicha building.  

Chicha building at Isla Maquina.
The Chica Casa that we visited at Rio Sidra was four times larger.

The structure is a very large oblong shaped hut, probably about 40 x 60 feet, made of bamboo walls with a 20 ft. high, palm-thatched roof.  Inside there were benches hugging the walls, filled with Kunas, who sat watching the dancers.  Along one wall were several HUGE clay pots in which the chicha (sugar-cane alcohol) is held.  At the center of the hut were two men - shaman - playing bamboo flutes and singing in a language only the shaman know.

Married Kuna women wear beads on their arms and legs.
The beads are placed when they get married,
and are never removed thereafter.

 There were about a dozen pair of dancers; women dressed in their traditional mola blouses, beaded arms and legs, and wrap skirts, while the men wore pink ruffled shirts and shorts or jeans.  They were all barefoot, and the dancing was a complicated choreography of clapping and stomping as they circled the shaman in a counter-clockwise pattern.  The group of dancers circled the shaman for fifteen or twenty minutes, then stopped  for a break, and get a drink. 

Traditional leg beading.

Then a different set of dancers took to the dance floor, with dancers continuing for as long as the shaman sang - often from about 6 pm until after midnight.  Apparently the festivities and evening dancing goes on for a week, starting with drinking of the “chicha”, but as the week wears on, the chicha runs out, and they end up drinking whatever alcohol is available.  According to Idelfonso, this evening was the final night of dancing, and the only thing left to drink was canned beer and a little rum. 

During each break the kids all run to the dance floor and run in circles, playing the Kuna version of crack-the-whip.  During each break the kids would come and grab Jamie’s hand, hauling him around the room to great squeals of giddy laughter.  Several different men also gamely tried to show Dev and I how to do some of the dance moves.  Our attempts at Kuna ritual dancing were a complete failure, but everyone was drunk enough for it to be great entertainment. 

Hanging out with the Restrepos.

We spent several more days visiting with the Restrepo family, and making friends with other Moremake Tupu Islanders.  Brady spent hours giving boys rides on the boogie board pulled behind our dingy, and Jamie played marbles and basketball with the boys on Isla Maquina. 

Kuna kids getting boogie board rides.

Jamie and the Kuna Kayak.

 He also had the chance to use Idelfonso’s dugout “kayak”.   We traded some rope, anchor, and some fishing supplies for a small painted ulu and a few other items.  

Marbles, an international boyhood pastime.

The Restrepo family gave us some yucca, and three ladies paddled out to our boat with a hot pot of this root vegetable to show us how they prepare it, and what it tastes like....which turns out, is very similar to a potato.  

Sophie admires our yucca. Tastes like potato.

Although it was time for us to move on, we hated to go.  These people had become friends, and had freely shared their way of life with us.  With hopes of returning again sometime in the future, we pulled up our anchor and headed off toward our next adventure.

The Restrepo ladies, paddling out to give us a taste of yucca.