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| A couple of girls from Isla Tigre. |
After picking up Vlad’s mom at the airport in Nargana, we took her to Isla Tigre, an inhabited Kuna island 3 miles to the east. We got a decent, little sail in before motoring into the anchorage, and Pam, and I went into the village, leaving Vlad convalescing on the boat with a tummy ache that he claims is from some combination of tropical diseases but we both know is the result of bad ham.
The island still subscribes to the traditional way of life, and many of the women were dressed in typical Kuna attire. I’ve got to admit, Kuna woman wear some of the best outfits ever. Lots of color, strands of beads covering their calves and forearms, patterned fabric as skirts and shirts with a mola on the front and the back. Everything is richly detailed, bright and just amazing to look at.
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| See what I mean about the outfits? |
As we wandered through Isla Tigres’ dirt streets, in and around houses built from bamboo with thatched roofs, we were greeted by old women with gold rings through their noses, little kids bursting with “olas” and women stepping from doorways trying to sell us some traditional Kuna crafts, especially the famous mola.
There’s a little bungalow type place where tourists can stay on the island for $10 a night, basically thatched roof huts on the beach, and a restaurant where you can get a decent dinner (we tried it and it was surprisingly tasty) and water, soda or beer. The proprietor of this establishment invited us to a traditional Kuna dance that they have every evening, and we, obviously, attended. An equal number of men and women danced in a circle and wove in between each other, the men playing bamboo flutes and the women shaking maracas, the same tune repeated with brief interludes of another melody, and you could feel the pounding of their feet reverberate through the ground. Sorry, no photos of this one. It just seemed kind of rude.
Spending a couple of days in Isla Tigre was a definite treat, and we are considering going further east to visit the more remote island villages.
It is nice to know there are still remote island villages to go to, and that there are people who were raised with manners! I would love to know what the nose rings and bracelets signify.
ReplyDeleteI will ask around about the jewelry because I have no idea. And I'm sure Vlad's mom would be happy to hear the manners part!
DeleteVery cool. I can sympathize with not taking photos of their dance/songs. Somethings are just best seen and not shared. Gives us wannabes something to strive for! =)
ReplyDeleteIt just seemed kind of rude. Plus, like you said, it adds an air of mystery. :)
DeleteLove all the colors!! You are really getting into the culture now. Like Tate said, it's respectful of you to not blast their dance and song with flashes and inattention plus it gives us something to strive for.
ReplyDeleteWay to help that place play hard to get!
The colors are kind of amazing. Not in terms of the buildings, which are interesting but kind of drab. But the people are stunning, especially the women.
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