Part Two, Creative Exploration: Panama, Central America

Panama Canal (April 19) – this was our fourth time going through this amazing engineering feat with its series of locks that make it possible for ships to get from one ocean to the next.  The Panama Canal is actually a “bridge of water”.   

Kuna woman of San Blas (Panama)

We found a good spot in the cool Crow’s Nest on Deck 12.  It took us about seven hours to get through all the locks, nine if you count the time the pilot is on board. Before entering the Panama Canal, we presented the Captain with a photo taken of the Panama Canal from the International Space Station at 375 kms. above the Earth by my fellow Circumnavigator Club member, Commander and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. 

Foto of west entrance Panama Canal from space (tiny dots are ships waiting their turn), taken by 

Commander and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield aboard International Space Station.

In turn Captain Albert Schoonderbeek invited us for “cocktails”.  I put cocktails in quotes, because during his tenure he doesn’t drink.  

Captain Albert Schoonderbeek with Henri and Natasha

The Captain said there is a ½ hour leeway for latecomers when we asked how often he has to leave passengers behind at the dock. If departure is stated as “16h30 all aboard”, he can wait until 17h00.  He’d only stay longer if one of the shore excursion groups was late. Otherwise the gangway is lifted, ropes are untied and any late passengers are left behind. But it happens only rarely. Later in another blog post, we will include some quotes from the Captain’s own blog.

Henri enjoys comfort of a typical Costa Rican artisan chair

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica (April 21) –  31o C.  We opted for a folklore tour, travelling through lush countryside for a couple of hours.  Costa Rica is very green in more ways than one, with an awareness and keen focus on the environment.

 Guatemalan Textiles

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala (April 23) 32 o C.  We travelled to Antigua, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Mayan origin.  On the way to our bus we were blinded by the psychedelic colours of the woven textiles, rainbows of colour everywhere. 

Antigua, Guatemala, a UNESCO World Heritage site

Antigua is a cobblestone city.  They recently re-discovered jade nearby.  Royal jade was the noble stone of Mayan kings and queens.  We visited the Jade Museum in Antigua.   

The nobles were buried covered in Jade

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico (April 24) – 30o C.  You can see the connection with Mayan culture here in Chiapas and links with Guatemala. Many pyramids to visit, more evidence of the Mayan era.

Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico

Henri van Bentum

Creative Exploration Part One: "ABC" Isles of Netherlands Antilles

We’re back from our memorable 3 week voyage of Creative Exploration from Florida to Victoria. First port of call out of Ft. Lauderdale was Bonaire, one of the “ABC” isles in the Netherlands Antilles.  They are: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.   But actually, from a geographical point of view, they are either “BCA” or from the other direction “ACB” islands.   In Bonaire, we visited the volcanic formations of this island that is covered with Aloe cacti.

We came across this amusing sign in Bonaire

Next up:  Curacao, and its capital of Willemstad, with its amazing moving pedestrian bridge that lets tugboats and other boats go through. One button is pushed to close the bridge for pedestrians, the other button is pushed to move the bridge diagonally. Imagine this:  it moves the whole bridge sideways.  Curacao is famous of course for its orange liqueur and Willemstad for its pastel-coloured houses.  We were there 2006, but now we’ve visited all 3 islands.

Henri on the pedestrian bridge that moves sideways, Willemstad, Curacao

Last of the three islands was Aruba.  We visited a “Flutterby” sanctuary where dozens and dozens of tropical Mariposas, Papillons, fluttered around us in a lush garden. 

 Their amazing life cycle from egg, larvae, caterpillar, pupa, crysallis to the wondrous flutterers, was there for all to see. 

Next installment: Panama Canal, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Henri van Bentum 

Ahoy - if you've been wondering the "no-show" lately on our blog, it's not because we have nothing to submit.  Au contraire.  We've just returned from a memorable Creative Exploration voyage including the ABC islands in the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), Panama Canal transit, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chiapas, Hualtulco and had the pleasure of stepping off the ship right at our doorstep in Victoria.  A ten-minute walk from ship to home.  Signing off for now, Henri   

Kudos from a Wanderer

Although from time to time we receive kudos about the blog, this one we felt like sharing, because it’s from someone who has ‘walked’ the soil and encountered the cultures of at least 100 nations.  He also resided in Ethiopia.  When we say ‘walked’, we mean other than by foot, he used for transport any mode or means available.  Here is his comment on the blog:

“A few words about your Blogspot.  Now that I'm putting out some trifling comments (a blog or something or other), could mention the obvious light-years difference (yours/mine).  And what a difference a blog makes.  My autobiographical ramble is hardly comparable to steady quality, choice of subjects, colouring and design, you've been creating quite awhile.  Think it would be state-of-the-art.  Astute talent, inspiration, as well as experience and choice subject matter, I judge second to none.  I would wonder whether yours would be a contender if there had been an academy award, for blogs.”

Thought we’d share this sizeable ‘feather in our cap’.  However without the assistance of Natasha, our ‘cyberengineer’, there would be no blog.  I write all the text, she posts it and together we select the illustrations and images.

Henri van Bentum

A rap - Pelicans flying from Victoria to California, in "Economy"

Pelicans at Wild ARC in Victoria, photo Darren Stone, Victoria Times Colonist

Pelicans in Victoria, you say?

Yes, a dozen or so

'chose' this winter to stay

Another warning

of global warming?

Three wound up in Sick Bay

cared for by the human family

After mucho bureaucracy

and lots of paperwork ado

They returned by air, “economy”

to be released in Malibu

Pelicans in Victoria, you say?

Si, si, Adios! Ole! Ole!

Here are their friends in Malibu

 

Henri van Bentum

Rebirth of the Camas

My boyhood was in the countryside of the Lowlands.  Everything in Nature is natural, without mask or cover-up.   In a sense it could be a plus, compared to growing up in a city. At age five I had a small garden.  Also a pair of rabbits, Flemish giants they called them.  White, with red eyes. They too were my sole responsibility, feeding, clean-up, etc.  

Ladybug on Carrot Leaf

My favourite vegetable in the garden was carrots, because the ladybugs seemed to prefer wandering over those green curly leaves. Although father had a potato-growing area, mine was too small for potatoes. We used to play Cowboys & Indians because we’d seen those Hollywood movies in a primitive ‘theatre’ nearby.   

I always was an “Indian” because it allowed me to be more creative and paint my face, stick feathers in my hair, and yield a tomahawk (made from carton).  Where is all this leading, you may ask?  Well, I’ll tell you. We live right at the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait here in James Bay, Victoria.  A fairly good-sized stretch of wild grass separates the sea from our road and houses.  Each June, that ‘grass’ blooms with the blue-violet blossoms of the Camas.   

Camas field across the street from where we live

The fields at one time were cultivated by the Songhees First Nations. The Camas bulbs were a staple food, something like a potato.  With care and know-how, they steamed the bulbs to the correct moment, reading for consuming.  Now, after many years there is a revival and interest in the Camas plant.  Under the supervision of a First Nations Camas expert, Royal Roads University has began an enterprise of cultivating the Camas.  There is also a program at Camosun College. 

Cooked Camas Bulbs

Reaction to this initiative has been enthusiastic, especially among teenagers, who now are helping in planting the bulbs. They hope the first harvest of this First Nation “potato” will be next year. See what I mean where all the introduction was going?  (By the way, all Camas with cream-coloured flowers are a no-no.  They’re poison.  Just so you know). 

In the old days:  First Nations Elder sorting Camas bulbs

Henri van Bentum