Kate appeared at our door late last night to tell us she had heard from the woman at the Mayan place. Rather than try to meet us at 10:00am, it would be better for us to take the 10:00 bus from Punta Gorda. Yay!!! That meant more than an hour of extra sleep this morning.
At 8:30 Kate appeared with our breakfast tray, a yummy meal of moist zucchini bread, fresh fruit, and orange juice (with which Montana was a bit less than thrilled, but a request to Kate will produce .something else hopefully)
Our public bus stop was just up the hill less than a block, so we had plenty of time to look around. We found the B&B where Mark & Teresa stayed because their neighbors were very quiet & peaceful…skeletons, actually. A large cemetery overlooked by their veranda.
The bright green, yellow, & red bus was easy to spot, so we jumped on after asking the conductor if this was the bus that stopped at the Big Falls Bridge. It was a 50-minute bus ride and turned out to be the major stop for zip-lining & river-tubing. The Mayan lady, named Anita, called to us from the bridge, so we knew we were in the right place.
She took us up the hill to the house built in the style of the Mayan fifty years ago.
Her husband (Luis?) was the main guide as he showed us the many tools and uses of natural trees & plants used not so long ago. People could live off the land quite comfortably.
A
fter we washed our hands with soapberries, we were also served a lunch which we had helped make. We both thought it delicious.
Another daughter walked us up the road to the second place which featured the family doing crafts. Carlos the son introduced us to his father Juan who demonstrated making baskets from forest trees with extremely thorny branches. We each got to try some of the basket making, then Juan’s wife showed us
the weaving. Montana did a few pass-throughs of the shuttle for making a handle to a purse.
Juan walked us back to the bus stop & we were soon back in Punta Gorda. It was a very good experience that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Sounds like a fun day. Did you buy any baskets? What kind of food did you eat for lunch?
ReplyDeleteBe sure to check back for this day. The poster forgot (?) to wait for pictures from the "other photographer/videographer". Thinking maybe she was going to avoid being seen in FRONT of the camera?
DeleteNo basket, but I (LuRue) did buy a bag that I like a lot!
DeleteHow fun you are in Punta Gorda. I can picture you guys walking around the town. Sounds like you did find where Mark and I stayed. Our neighbors were quiet! Sometimes it's good to be next to a cemetary. Are the kids saying "Goodbye" instead of "Hello" to you on the street like when we were there?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if Montana was refusing to have her picture taken or if she was making funny faces in all of them!! Love the one of her weaving! She is actually smiling!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting day. How do you wash your hands with soapberries?
ReplyDeleteWhat are soapberries and how do they soap-up?
ReplyDeleteMore research for fun:
"Soapnuts, a popular ingredient in Ayurvedic shampoos and cleansers….& in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, and for removing freckles…have insecticidal, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and increasingly popular as a nontoxic laundry detergent."
You two are missing a record summer of mosquitoes so maybe could bring some back for those of us here suffering!
more fun research : in British Columbia, indigenous peoples make "ice-cream": "the bitter berries are not eaten directly but rather processed as sxusem ("sxushem")"… "mixed with crushed raspberries...and vigorously beaten in the manner of whipping cream in order to raise the typical foam of the confection"
FINALLY this might be the end to your 'delicious ice-cream bar' saga!!! Good luck with the whipping!
A quick answer about soapberries before we head for bed. Early morning tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThe berries had been collected from a bush & look different from the ones we have in Alaska. These you have to peel with your fingernails. When mixed with a little water & rubbed in the hands, a rich lather appears & has a nice aroma.
Soap only...no medicine & definitely no ice cream!! We finally found our Punta Gorda ice cream spot!