A Film Simulation Aboard The Calypso King E

As soon as they arrived, the ambient brightened up like a huge bonfire.  They were about ten, but they had the energy of about a hundred.  Young, beautiful, full of energy, great sense of humor and a hunger for life—those are the main characteristics of these young revelers.

They sat on a corner table, speaking loudly, in unison.  One of the girls brought up the term “mandu” and the whole group exploded in laughter.  In turn they repeated the word, and the roll of laughter continued for several minutes.  Meanwhile, cold golden beer flowed freely.  There was a large cooler full of Heineken beer within arm’s distance.  Curiously, from my dark corner, I carefully watched the scene.  Before me was the authentic spirit of the joy or life, or as the French called it, “Joie de Vivre”.

As soon as The Calypso King E arrived, they rushed to take the seats on the bow of the craft.  I followed suit, in an effort to follow the herd, the noise, and the action.  The fun was contagious.  I was at the right time at the right moment to enjoy life and pretend to live an hour of youth inside an aging body of 67.  It is possible, for I believe that age is a matter of attitude.  You are as old as you think you are.  I believe that age is a state of mind. George Burns, the man who played the role of God several times, was a young man inside a body of a hundred.  He’s one of my heroes in the fascinating journey of life.

Brenda, that’s her name.  Colombian, from the city of Montería.  We made eye contact and immediately exchanged names.  As a sign of reciprocity, Brenda offered me a beer.  At eight o’clock in the morning?  No way, Jose.  She replied, “No problem, Omar. I’ll drink my beer and yours too.” And then she laughed heartrendingly.

As the morning progressed and the boat headed for the island, I asked Brenda if she would help me out with a gimmick of filming a make-believe film of the Titanic with her friends.  Brenda would play the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater and the rest of the gang would play the other supporting roles.  She accepted without much hesitation, after agreeing that the boat would not sink and that there would be NO icebergs in the script.  After all, there are NO icebergs in Panama.  And that was that.

My role was playing as the main photographer of the film.  Brenda posed like a pro and the rest of the revelers followed the leader—always close to the cooler with the golden liquid.  Laughter, jokes, signs, gestures, funny movements—all was fair game in the film’s script.

Time evaporated and soon we were in Taboga.  The movie was finished and the revelers departed.  Once again, I became an old man of 67 in search of light and shadows in the island of flowers.  The experience had been great. For sixty magical minutes I was a young man filming a fairy-tale Hollywood movie with a bunch of bright and energetic young kids.  It’s so wonderful to be alive!

Below are the actors of the Panamanian version of Titanic aboard The Calypso King E.  This is the full cast and crew of the fictitious picture.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Brenda from Montería, Colombia, the main actress of the film Titanic of Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Brenda displaying the film’s script (that was my agenda) and her ubiquitous can of Heineken beer. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the supporting actors of the film. Leonardo di Caprio, on the right, seems a little bit bored. The girl in the middle looks like a million bucks. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the guy who played the role of Leonardo di Caprio and another member of the cast of the make-believe motion picture we were mimicking. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Brenda acting the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater who was made famous in the film Titanic, directed by James Cameron in 1997. Kate Winslet played the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in the film. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Brenda with her bright red hair shining under the bright Panamanian sun. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Brenda posing for the camera like a professional actress. She really played her part with flying colors. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Brenda saying goodbye with the victory sign, as the movie and the trip draws to an end. Au Revoir! Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

And this my dear readers, is the way we made the trip from Panama City to Taboga Island with a wonderful group of young and beautiful kids full of life.  I said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s so wonderful to be alive!

T.S. Eliot’s words (Burnt Norton), come to my mind as the trip ended and the jovial group departed leaving behind solitude and silence.

“Desire itself is movement
Not in itself desirable;
Love is itself unmoving,
Only the cause and end of movement,
Timeless, and undesiring
Except in the aspect of time
Caught in the form of limitation
Between un-being and being.
Sudden in a shaft of sunlight
Even while the dust moves
There rises the hidden laughter
Of children in the foliage
Quick now, here, now, always –
Ridiculous the waste sad time
Stretching before and after.”

Good Day.