10/1 -- Transfer to Chitre

We started off today visiting an area of Panama City that was devastated during the US invasion to Panama in  1989. One of Noriega's headquarters was located in an area called El Chorrillo, which was a poor neighborhood that got bombed. 

Octavio (left) and the two folks from the El Chorillo neighborhood
we visited

Apartment building

"Santa Claus brought bombs to Avenue A this Christmas, 12/20/89"
Sign across the street from bombed out and still leveled building.

Evidence of the Chinese presence in El Chorillo

The US claims only 250 Panamanians were killed in the effort to capture Noriega, but the real number is probably 10 times that or more. Local activists are working there now to try to change the trajectory of the inhabitants by reaching out to the kids and showing them that there are opportunities for them beyond the gangs. I have to say that I was horrified by what I learned. I guess I really didn't pay much attention to the invasion while it happened beyond wondering why the US had any standing to try and to jail Noriega on drug charges, but it seems like it was part and parcel of our other interventions across Latin American that have helped create the problems in many of those countries that exist today.

From there, we proceeded to a country fruit and vegetable market near the location of our lunch hostess. We were divided into groups and given cash and a shopping list to provide some of the materials for our lunch, which we then got to chop and otherwise prepare to assist our hostess, Edita. It was a fun time. My favorite part was smashing the fried green plantain portions flat for more frying. Lunch was tasty and we ate too much, even trying to be cautious.

Lots of people chopping stuff. There were two kinds of plantains:
green and ripe. They were cut in different shapes to distinguish
them from each other. Both types were deep fried.

Edita frying the green plantains to prep them for
the next step.

Annette with the fried plantains beside her, opening
up the crusher.

I tried my hand at flattening the fried plantains. Fun! the tray in front
of me is the pile of squished ones that get deep fried a second time.
A lot of effort for something that is pretty tasteless without a sauce.

Back on the bus, we drove west toward Chitre, where we will spend the next three days. We still haven't seen sustained rain and hope the trend continues!