- I got down to breakfast around 9am and had pancakes and eggs along with orange juice and my own gigner tea. Breakfast was okay, not fabulous but enough to get me started on the day. I have videos that I am going to upload of the day from blackberry. It explain more in the moment than any written word could do. It is extremely hot. Like so hot that if they had a Bikram Yoga stuido-they wouldn’t need to do anything to heat the room! I like it, but this heat is nothing to play with, especially in the day. After breakfast I headed to the Afro-Antillian Museum in Calindina. A $2.00 taxi got me there and it was nice. It is housed in an original old black methodist chruch. I couldn’t take pictures inside. They had some artificats like furniture, mosquito cans, irons, water jugs, hot combs and curlers from back in the day. They also had pictures. This exhibit seemed to be focused at this time on the wives of the men who worked on the canal. They had pictures of teachers and their students, a sewing circle and the look and dress of women back in the day with head ties and dresses. My sister owns a pair of shearing scissors that were passed down by my great aunt, Beryl Walters (Adison)who I believe was born (definately raised) in Panama. I think that these scissors are from the 1920s. I purchased two books, From Barbados to Panama by Melva lowe de Goodin and Songs and Stories of a Digger’s Son by John Weldon Evans. I wish the museum had more. However I was happy to set foot in the museum and to recognize and honor the history. What’s coming to mind to me is that I would love to do oral history on this. I know that it would need to be done soon. My Dad didn’t speak much of this place, for him it was a god forsaken place. That was the perspective he chose to take with the cards he was dealt. For me coming here is hard to put into words. This place is a part of my history. History that I just began learning less than a decade ago. History that my dad never explained but I think in some ways transfererred the pain. You know how you can see someone and they don’t have to say a word and you can feel them. For my Dad this was a really sore spot. ANd for me it has pain that I can’ t even figure out where it is coming from. So to come here is to learn and to face the pain and most important to heal it and neutralize it for myself and my children’s children.
THe faces of everyone is so mixed. You see blacks, latinos, indians, whites, jews, asians-you see everyone in everyone here. I keep trying in my mind to segregate and separate people into categories, but I know that that is a devisive tactic.
After I left the museum I was told by the docent to be careful and watch for purse snatchers and pick pockets. So I did not go throw Calidonia too much. I hopped in a Taxi for a minute but it wasn’t the right type- thank that I got in-cause there was a crackhead headed straight towards me. I then got out a few yards down and started walking.
I just had to put my confidence and certainty on as I walked thru the streets and act like I know. I went into a little store got some much needed water and plantain chips. I wanted to get to the boardwalk past the freeway and I bumped into a woman, Suzanne and we walked acros the 10 lane highway together. It was great talking with Suzanne, she is a nurse, her Aunt wants her to come to Miami but she is scaird. She said I look like I am Panmanian until I speak. We had a good walk and talk together for about 10 minutes. Very friendly very nice.
I walked along the boardwalk and snapped some pictures and met a young man from Panama. He spoke mostly spanish. I have his video.
I hopped in a cab and headed to the vegetarian restaurant-that is no longer there and now a Quizons and then I realized the heat, the heat, the heat. It ain’t nothing to play with. Sweat just pouring off of me. I went into a ice cream/burger place just to cool down. I ended up at Subway and had a vegtarian sub.
I figured out an inside tip on the taxi system. The local share taxi rides. So if there are people in there already the taxi will stop for you and take you along. It took me a minute …. I think that mainly locals do this I had some guy comment in spanish about Americanos etc. when it seemed like he wanted to get in the taxi. Now I know. Also Suzanne gave me a tip. I should flag down only yellow taxis (I don’t know why) and no taxi ride should cost more than $2. WHen I got back to the hotel I spent the afternoon relaxing and taking it easy. I then decided very late to go to Amador Causeway for Diner. I had a great diner at Bucaneros restaurant. I had Salmon made with Tequila on a bed of mash potatoes topped with crisp plantains and a side of vegetables. IT was exquisite. THe music was also great at this restaurant, I asked the guitarist the name of his group but I think he just gave me the type of music they play. This is what he wrote: Grupo de musica rumba, flamenca Adams/Barsallo. I ‘ll upload the music later.
My taxi Driver Daniel was crazy, he wanted to marry me and he also showed me the red-light district of the city. His motto “Beer and Sex” he pointed out cross dressers and strip joints, gentlemens clubs, and massage parlors. He knew as much English as I know Spanish. He said it pretty plainly in Spanish that I need to practice my Spanish as much as he needed to practice his English.
Tags: African History, Afro-Antilliean Museum, Amador Causeway, Barbados, Bucaneros Restaurant, Diaspora, Panama, Travel, West Indian Museum
