Thursday, July 9, 2009

Hospitality in the Rainforest

Today I’m taking you back to the Rainforest in Panama for a day like no other. I left off in my narrative after we had a refreshing break in this swimming pool and hiked back to the canoes. That’s when the rains began. (The average annual rainfall is 100 inches). That’s our Emberan Indian guides in the waterfall. We were taken to their village for lunch. We climbed a ladder to enter their gathering hut which was built entirely from a palm tree. The floor was very springy and looked as if it wouldn’t hold all of us. Thankfully it did. They build up off the ground for three main reasons: snakes, insects and rain. Our first course for lunch was large platters of watermelon, pineapple and papaya.

The main course was fried plantains and fish (Talapia fresh from the Chagres river)Served in beautiful disposable leaves. : )
After lunch, we went to a covered hut with a dirt floor for the dancing.
We all got in the act before it was said and done. For your information, the women now wear tops, but it has not always been so. A few older women were a la natural. The men have always worn one long loin cloth. As a concession to visitors, they now wear a beaded, decorative piece that covers their buns.
I was cold at this point because I was wet and the wind was blowing hard. So I asked through our interpreter what they do when they get cold. They have a blanket made of plant fiber for night time. They showed it to me and it was nothing like what I'd call a blanket.
I was ready for a hammock by this time too.
What a memorable day! Have I mentioned I love adventure?

7 comments:

Greg C said...

Great photos, I would love to go there sometime.

Zuzana said...

What an exotic trip! Looking at the pictures here, I feel so far removed from the tropical rain forest, considering we have now a very cold and windy weather here.
I absolutely love the pictures of the food, it looks so fresh and tasty.
How was it to sleep in a hammock? I have never tried that, only rested for a few hours in one.;))

Sylane Mack said...

Beverly, thank you for sharing the wonder and welcome of the Emberan Indians and this awe-inspiring place--their Rainforest home!

Our God is so much bigger and so much more creative than our minds can often grasp! That is at least true of mine!

Wow! I am so thankful for this adventure you had! And thankful for you sharing it with us!

Okay! You said I could do this! So!! I'm actually going to quote from YOUR email to me! And all for the glory of GOD--not for me!

From Beverly to Sylane:
"First, you are always welcome to "blatantly advertise" your ministry and message in anything I'm doing. Shout it from the rooftops! You are such a wonderful voice of hope and love...Love and hugs, Beverly"

So! Beverly's Blog-Fans, how about a little adventure with Transformed by Grace's blog-devotional site at www.theTBloG.org ??!! Or by booking me as speaker for a conference, retreat or ministry outreach?

Was that BLATANT enough??

Thank you, Beverly, for the forum! You are such a generous and loving encourager!

my love, hugs and prayers through Jesus,
Sylane

Skoots1moM said...

looks like an amazing adventure

heather said...

It looks like you had a wonderful trip! I'm sooooo already bugging my family to start planning a trip somewhere, anywhere for next summer when my baby is big enough. I can't wait to hear more.

Ballerina Girl said...

Wow, what an adventure...
did I miss out on where this story started? did you post about it earlier?
Looks amazing...I can't wait to see the Amazon in November!

BG

Edie said...

Oh Beverly that looks like great fun! Except for the dirt floor. :) What a wonderful adventure!