I recently conquered something big, something that has been on my bucket list since I arrived in Panama back in August of 2009 (I didn’t know it existed before then or else it probably would have been on my list earlier) I summited the highest peak in Panama, Volcán Barú. Not only is it the highest peak in Panama, it is my own personal new altitude record. Mt Tallac’s 9,700 or Half domes 8,842 now fall in the shadows of Baru’s 11,401 stature. Plus to make this Volcano even more special, it is one of the few places in the world where you can see both the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean form one spot.
We were a group of eight, four guys and four girls. Everyone made it, but it was no easy feat. Our total hiking time was over 11 hours. That intense exertion and lack of sleep took a toll on our bodies and our minds. But watching that sunrise over this country we all have grown to love made the struggle worth every minute.
But as I stood on that summit I couldn’t help but think about my community. I told a handful of my of community members of my plan to hike the volcano. Surprisingly, all of their responses were very similar.
“So, you are going to walk all night?”
“Right but I will have a flashlight” I would answer assuming their questioning was in regards to a worry of me walking in the dark, when actually it was more just in references to the ridiculous amount of time (all night) we were planning on spending hiking.
“and then what happens when you get to the top? Do you win something?”
“No, no we want to get up there to watch the sunrise. And then we will hike back down and sleep.”
“how much does to cost to get there?
“30 round trip”
Then there would be silence as they slowly nod their head. They are too polite to actually come out and say they think that sounds absurd, but I know what they are thinking. Why on earth would someone pay $30 and hike for 11 hours to watch something that happens every day and you can see regardless of where in the country you are.
Every bit of energy exerted or physical activity my community members do has a very distinct, obvious and physically rewarding purpose. They cut trees and carry wood to build houses or boats, they plant, maintain, harvest and carry all of their own food etc.
So, this made me think of two things, the idea of wasted energy and the luxury of having hobbies. Of course I came to no concrete or universal conclusion. But after some observation and a few hours of thought on the bus ride here is what I came up with.
1.) Hobbies are a luxury item. If you were to ask anyone in my community what they do for “fun” or what their pastimes are they would have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. When your days are not filled with life chores (carrying water, cooking, cleaning, farming) then and only then can you have hobbies. Hiking is one of my hobbies. And I am very grateful that I can afford to “waste” a whole day hiking and still have food on the table when I am done.
2.) Work-out Gyms tend to only be located in towns where people are far removed from agriculture. I guarantee if you work every day maintaining your own food source your will never need to go to the gym again. All of your hard work would go straight to nourishing you family.
I think someone should really try to work on a way to harvest all this human energy that is being exerted in Gyms all across the US, it really is a shame to lose it. One of my favorite hobbies back home was swimming. But when I think about it the way a Ngobe would, swimming back and forth in a 50 meter box hardly seems like a productive way to exert my energy.
Anyways, this blog post is kinds going off topic… I planned on talking more about the hike... huh, maybe I am still a little tired from no sleep, or maybe I just have a lot going through my mind...Anyways, my friend did a great post about our actual hiking adventure, click here to read that. (is that blog cheating?)
Lets sum it up: Yes, I conquered Volcán Barú, yes it feels great to be reminded of what my body is capable of and yes, it was an incredible and memorable experience to share with my friends. But the physical part of it is still nothing compared to what my Ngobes do every day to survive. I wonder how many bananas I could have harvested and lived on for the same amount of energy I just spent to watch the sunrise from 11,401 feet…. But in reality there is no Banana to Barú ratio so I guess I will never know.
Peace From Panama,
Meti
