Freshly Baked Bread

In the good ole days, most homes in the countryside made their own family bread using a special homemade oven.  It was a dome-shaped oven made with dried mud.

First, wood was burned inside the mud oven.  When the charcoal was red hot, it was moved to the back of the oven.   Then the freshly made bread was carefully introduced inside the oven with a spatula having a large wooden handle.  The entrance of the oven was covered with a metallic lid, and in a few minutes, the crispy brown bread was ready to be eaten.

My mother-in-law made excellent bread using ovens like these, and I was the first one at the table when the tasty bread came out.  Yumity-yum-yum-yum.

This tradition is slowly disappearing from the countryside, as the country moved to more modern times and bread is bought at the supermarket.  Below is a photograph of a mud oven of yesteryear.

Snapshot of a homemade mud oven exhibited at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

Communications

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Alexander Graham Bell pronounced the words, “Mr Watson—Come here—I want to see you”.   Watson, listening at the receiving end in an adjoining room, heard the words clearly.  The calendar marked March 10, 1876.  Ironically, Bell never thought much about his invention.  In fact it bothered him.  He thought the invention was an interruption to this scientific work and refused to have a telephone in his study.

More than 135 years later, we still have the telephone alive, albeit it has changed dramatically to Bell’s original phone.  Apple’s iPhone is light years ahead of the Bell’s primitive telephone.  Today’s phones are more than communications gadgets; in fact, they are diminutive computers, yet very powerful.

At Mi Pueblito, I found a room displaying telephones used at the turn of the century.  Some of them were exactly like the ones we had in our home in Changuinola.  They were large, bulky and black.  However the clarity of the communication was excellent.  It was nice to see that somebody had taken care of these historic relics.

Now let’s plunge into the history pond and splash ourselves with the technological inventions of yesterday.  Here we go.

Snapshot of an old desk with several telephones used during the forties and fifties. I recall we had a bulky black telephone set exactly like the one on the desk (right). Take notice of the antique telegraph set towards the left of the picture. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an old telephone switchboard and a wooden wall telephone set. I used these wooden telephones when I lived in Changuinola. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a telegraph accessory and a very old telephone set used at the turn of the century. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an old wall wooden telephone similar to the ones used by the United Fruit Company in Bocas del Toro. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a venerable wooden phone of yesteryear. It brought many memories of my youth in Changuinola. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

Old Bottles

On midday December 31, 1999, the Panama Canal Zone was turned over to the Republic of Panama by the United States as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of September 7, 1977.  From this date forward, the Panama Canal Zone would cease to exist and the Panama Canal would be under the administration of the Republic Panama.  A new era had begun for this small nation in Central America.

To commemorate this event, the Coca Cola Company released a special Coca Cola bottle with a logo of a ship entering a canal lock and the slogan, “Let’s celebrate together the reversion of the canal.”  On the back of the bottle was another picture of the Miraflores locks in black and white.  I bought two of these commemorative bottles as a collector’s item.  That was almost eleven years ago.  When I go upstairs, I plan to donate these collector’s item to the Panama Canal Museum in Panama City, Panama.

Having said this, I saw old bottles while taking shots of Mi Pueblito about a month ago.  These aged bottles reminded me of my Coca Cola bottles related to the reversion of the Panama Canal to the Republic of Panama.  If you like to collect old bottles, the following pictures might be of your interest.  Here we go.

Snapshot of several old bottles on a shelf at a barber shop at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer look at the old bottles of the barbershop. Notice the old Pepsi Cola bottles. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an old Coca Cola bottle detected while taking pictures at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a collection of old bottles at a showcase barbershop in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

The Small White Church at Mi Pueblito

The official religion of Panama is Roman Catholic.  Roughly 75–85 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic and 15–25 percent percent as evangelical Christian.  All religions of the world are peacefully tolerated in this democratic republic in Central America.

In my heyday, the three most respected persons in my hometown were the priest, the school teacher and the doctor.  That still holds true in many of the laid back small towns of Panama’s countryside.

Mi Pueblito displays a typical Roman Catholic church of a small countryside town.  While walking through the surroundings of the church, I noticed rice on the floor.  That was a sure sign that the church had been used by a young couple to tie the knot.  In Panama, friends of the groom and bride shower them with rice as they exit the church as a symbol of good luck in the future.  I reckon this tradition is also followed in other countries as well.

Below are several pictures of the small church in Mi Pueblito.  Here we go.

Snapshot of the front of the small church at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Take notice of the decorations at the entrance ofthe building. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer view of the decorated entrance of the small church. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Notice the grains of rice on the floor of the church. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the decorated chairs used by the groom and the bride during the wedding ceremony. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

A partial view of the inside of the church with its well decorated benches. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the delicate wooden altar of the church. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

The Vacuum Tube Radio

At the turn of the century, the telegraph, the telephone and the vacuum tube radio played an instrumental role in the shaping of the Twentieth Century.  It was the birth of communications which has reached unbelievable progress.  Now we are able to communicate with the Cloud with all kinds of relatively inexpensive gadgets anywhere, anytime.  We’re now living in a science-fiction world.  Even James Bond would be intimidated with what any kid now has at home to play with.

While I was growing up in a banana plantation in Changuinola in the Province of Bocas del Toro, we had a large radio in the living room.  I recall it was a then state-of-the-art RCA radio with several buttons to receive different bandwidths.  During the day, we could only receive stations broadcasting in Panama, but during the night the whole universe opened up.  My dad and I would listen to international radio stations from Germany, the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Great Britain, Holland and I can’t remember all the other countries which were broadcasting in the 25 and 32 meter bands.  Even though we were located in an obscure part of the world in the middle of nowhere, with our RCA radio, we were right there in the middle of everything.

My dad and I loved professional baseball.  MLB baseball was out of the question; we couldn’t listen to those games in Panama.  In those years (the fifties), Cuba had the best professional baseball teams in Latin America.  At night we would gather in the living room around the radio to listen to CMQ Radio in Havana, Cuba to listen to their baseball league games.  Some of the teams were; Almendaris, Havana, Cienfuegos and other names that have since faded from my memory.  There was one very good player, a catcher, that I still can remember clearly after all these years.  His name was Daniel Morejón.

Needless to say, there were no television sets in Changuinola.  For all we knew, television was a literary illusion, a dream, a mirage.  I saw the first television set in 1962 when I came for the first time to Panama City.  It was like seeing magic.  I still think television is a magical box.

During my sojourn to Mi Pueblito, I saw an old vacuum tube radio, similar to the one we had at home in Changuinola.  It brought back so many memories of my heyday in an obscure banana plantation in Changuinola.  This is the oldie I found at Mi Pueblito.  Take a close look, it might also bring back memories to you too.

Snapshot of an old vacuum tube radio located at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

A Pollera Museum Inside Mi Pueblito

There is a museum at Mi Pueblito about the Panama national dress called “The Pollera”.  The name of the museum is Dora P. de Zárate.  It’s the only room equipped with an air condition unit.  It was really cool staying inside the museum compared with the blistering temperature outside.

When I visited the museum, I was surprised to find all the exotic and magnificent costumes used by the 2011 Carnival Queen.  The official queen of the carnival in Panama City this year is a young model called Yinnela Yero.  Her mother was my classmate at Universidad de Panamá a few years ago when I was studying Education.  She must be a proud mom to parent such a lovely and famous daughter.

For those of you who are new to the Panamanian culture, let me explain that the carnival festivities are the only thing the Panamanian take very seriously.  I’m not joking; carnival is serious business in this part of the world.

A unique element of carnival in Panama is the tradition of the culecos, where overheating celebrants are hosed down with water from passing trucks. On the Monday night of carnival, settled husbands throughout Panama take the opportunity to ‘howl’ and roam freely, so any unmarried women might want to keep an eye out for wedding rings on the hands of courting strangers.

Floats with carnival queens, drummers, dancers, marching bands and more float down the streets in grand parades and, on the final day, there is the symbolic burial of sardines in little coffins. With steamy latin dancing, copious liquor and the blazing sun overhead, you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy yourself at this carnival.

Having said that, let me show you a picture of Her Majesty Yinnela Yero as well as several photographs of the costumes she used during the Carnival Week.  I was absolutely impressed with the beauty of these original costumes depicting the personality of the Panamanian carnivals.  No more talking—below are the pictures that speak louder than words.

Photograph of the 2011 Queen of the Panama City's carnival, Yinnela Yero, (middle) and her two Princesses. Photo credit: Padwan 16-02-11.

Snapshot of a mannequin depicting of one of many dazzling carnival costumes used by Ms. Yero during the 2011 carnival in Panama City. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Take notice of a typical "pollera montuno" on the right of the mannequin. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

If you happen to be in this part of the world, I encourage you to take part of the vibrant carnival festivities; specially the wet culecos.  Good Day.

Read Full Post »

A Landscape View of Mi Pueblito

While visiting Mi Pueblito during a warm Sunday morning, I noticed that the plaza was paved with river  and natural flat stones.  I had never seen anything like that before.  Maybe I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again just in case I’ve missed it.  The houses of Mi Pueblito are made up of mud, straw and canvas with a creole roof and a dirt floor.  The Panama flag on top of Ancon Hill which is beside Mi Pueblito, can be seen for miles around.  It’s a huge flag symbolizing Panamanian strong nationalism.

Below are several pictures which will give you a general view of Mi Pueblito as you walk to the plaza from the parking lot.  Early bird tourists were emerging at the venue as you will see.  Here we go.

A general view of Mi Pueblito as you enter the venue from the parking lot. As you can see, there were several tourists wandering around the small town. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Another view of the picturesque tourist spot of Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Take notice of the Spanish water fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

View of the spacious plaza of Mi Pueblito paved with river and natural flat stones. ©Omar Upegui R.

View of one of the corners of the buildings of Mi Pueblito with the popular cow towards your right. ©Omar Upegui R.

A sign that reads, "Down Street". This is how the towns are divided in the countryside during the Carnival festivities. There is a queen for Calle Arriba (Up Street) and another competing queen for Calle Abajo (Down Street). The competition is ferocious during the festivities. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

A Green Blanket Above Mi Pueblito

Mi Pueblito is an exact replica of small countryside towns of Panama.  It is  located on the lower slopes of Ancon Hill.  This hill is the only one within the perimeter of Panama City.  It is totally covered with lush tropical vegetation.

When the Republic of Panama recovered its sovereignty over the former Canal Zone, General Omar Torrijos, then Head of State,  ordered that a giant Panamanian flag waved on the top of the hill.  It was a symbol that Panama was one territory under one flag.  Ever since midday December 31, 1999, a Panama flag permanently waves on the top of this hill made famous by poetess Amelia Denis de Icaza in her poem, “Al Cerro Ancón”.

While I was taking a break during a recent photo walk, I looked up and saw the magnificent view of Ancon Hill like a huge  green blanket covering the lilliputian town below.  It was midmorning and the lush tropical trees rippled in the warm breeze emanating from the hill.  The building of Mi Pueblito seemed so small and fragile compared with the gargantuan hill above.

The scene instantly captured my attention.  This is what I saw that warm April morning as the tropical sun slowly ascended across the blue dome above.

Snapshot of a giant green blanket behind the tiny and fragile town of Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Another magnificent view of Ancon Hill behind the delicate town of Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

Strolling Through the Long Corridors of Mi Pueblito

Mi Pueblito or small town,  is located on Avenida de Los Martires on the lower slopes of Ancon Hill in Panama City, Panama.  It is an exact replica of a small, Panamanian interior town at the turn of the century. Government offices, souvenir shops, a restaurant, a school and a tiny church, surrounds a cobblestone plaza with Spanish fountain.  A cow decorates the small plaza, favorite amongst the foreign visitors.  A museum is devoted to the pollera, Panama’s national dress and colorful folklore shows are tendered regularly.   The venue is sometimes rented by young folklore-loving couples,  to tie the knot.

The building  has the shape of a large “U” with spatial corridors illuminated with gorgeous lamps.  These large edifices are divided into small compartments, each displaying different themes as explained above.  I leisurely walked through these ample corridors searching for subjects to capture with my Birthday Camera and share them with you all.

Below are several pictures depicting  the extended corridors of Mi Pueblito.  The place is saturated with eye-catching subjects about the life of a tiny town in the countryside at the turn of the century.  Here we go.

Snapshot of the ample corridors of Mi Pueblito located on the lower slopes of Ancon Hill in Panama City, Panama. Towards your left you can see a curled Panama flag. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Take notice of the attractive lamps hanging from the roof of the building. Even though it was nine o'clock in the morning, the lights were still on. That speaks for government's energy efficiency. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of one of the corners of the "U"-shaped building with a Panamanian flag in the middle. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

A Typical Panamanian Countryside Home

Snapshot of an enticing typical Panamanian home distinctive of small towns in the countryside. Many of these houses are rapidly disappearing as more modern houses are replacing them in the name of progress. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

This is an example of many typical houses displayed at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama.  These red tile roof houses were  built by our campesinos of Panama’s countryside.  It was a tradition to build these houses during a social community activity called “Junta de Embarre”.

The men would collectively mix mud and grass to build the houses while drinking a fermented corn beverage called chicha fuerte, seco or chirrico.  The women of the community would prepare lunch and dinner for the hungry mix of men taking part in the event.  The whole town participated, and in less than one day, a new home was erected.

After the mud dried up, the houses were painted and decorated.  This is an example of the Panama of yesteryear which is evaporating rapidly as the new generation of Panamanians build more modern homes in the name of progress.  Good Day

Read Full Post »