CONTADORA, PANAMA

Contadora's Famous Visitors

From previous posts you know I did Panama and the canal on a small 100-passenger ship. On the Pacific side of the canal we played around in the Pearl Islands for a few days before transit.

The 22-foot tide on the Pacific side of the canal made berthing  very difficult, but each day the captain managed to find a lovely deserted sandy beach for us to enjoy a swim in the warm waters. One day after lunch we dropped anchor off a gorgeous sandy beach at Contadora Island  and were ferried ashore by skiff. After thoroughly enjoying a swim in the warm, calm, clear water, we did a little beach combing along the beautiful white-sand beach. When we had had enough several of us donned tee shirts over our suits and wandered up into ‘town’. I was sure glad I had packed my Tevas!

During World War II the military built an air strip on Contadora that is still used today by small planes. We walked up to it while we were ashore. In 1955 the bases were closed and the military turned everything over to Panama who eventually sold the island to private investment. In recent years Contadora has become a resort area and a get-away from the bustle of the city, but you won’t find any big resort hotels. It has also become a popular retreat with Spanish and Canadian visitors. Since several desalination plants were not working fresh water on the island was a scarce commodity.

The Shah of Iran stayed on the island during his exile. Jimmy Carter has been seen walking the deserted beaches.  Because of city distractions, Costa Rica’s President Arias and the negotiators of the Panama Canal Treaty retreated here in 1977. During the trying times in 1983 between Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador the Contadora Group  also retreated here. The group met to deal with the military conflicts which were threatening to destabilize the entire Central  American region. The initiative drew international attention to Central America's conflicts and pressure for a softening of the militarist stance of the  United States in the region. The peace plan was supported by the General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council  and many regional and international bodies.

 Contadora was fun to wander around and certainly would offer a nice respite from a busy big city life.

THE KIKUYU

One Tribe of Native Kenyans

            Our Kenya guide was a Kikuyu and an absolute sweetheart who I think about often whenever there are disturbances in Kenya. He was fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swahili and nine dialects. He was extremely interesting and a world of information, always willing to share much of it with us and was able to answer anything we asked him.

            He told us, “I live between two cultures. I am Kikuyu, but no longer live in my village but with my wife in Nairobi. I return to my village for ceremonies etc. My dad lives in the village where life is very traditional. Sometimes he has problems with my non-traditional ways. I have and only want one wife. I play with my children which is very non-traditional. Men normally leave all the childcare to the mother.”

He insisted that the many tribes in Kenya get along with each other and respect each other’s differences. Except in the large cities crime is very low. You will not find any day care centers or nursing homes in Kenya as the people take care of their own. All  the children belong to the whole village.

In spite of popular belief the Mau Mau were not a tribe. They were people who believed in independence. Actually the first Mau is Swahili meaning white man go home and the second Mau means independence for Kenya. Of course the Mau Mau no longer exist because Kenya became independent in 1963 when Kenyatta became the first president.

Kenyatta kept many respected Englishmen as advisers until the country  could function well on its own. He ruled until his death. Moi succeeded him as president and has been ruling ever since. After independence all the streets in Nairobi were renamed and one of the main streets is Kenyatta Avenue.

Kikuyu are farmers and since women do nearly all of the farming some villages are becoming farming communities which is a drastic change from the nomadic Masai way of life. Some Kikuyu women are marrying Masai men. I have to wonder how that will turn out as the two lifestyles are so different.

            I was amazed to see how quietly people in Nairobi waited in long lines for buses at the end of a long work day. We found the Kenyans very warm, cheerful, friendly, and helpful. We had a wonderful time and I’ll relate all about safari another day.