"South America, You Are So Sad" - Panamanian Old Fort
Stargazing at the yellow earth
Cave culture strikes entrepreneurship
At 13:30 on May 17, 2013, I climbed Mount Everest for the third time. When you retreat, sit on the third step of 8,750 meters and look down at the world. Flying clouds and weather. The world, hidden by clouds, looks worldly, dangerous, and attaching. Since he is a layman after all, no matter how high he climbs, he cannot enter heaven, but he can only come down with a melancholy heart, return to the world, and return to the days of chickens flying and dogs jumping.
If you are unwilling, you want to live in the future. Wild and crazy, afraid of mediocrity and comfort. I suddenly thought that when I came to the world, why not walk around and see what it is like to have all kinds of human natures, different consciences, and creatures living different lives in different geographical latitudes. So, it was decided to start a 21st century human Facebook campaign. What for? It is to travel the world as a Chinese and see the world cultural heritage of different countries. Then, compare it with the corresponding Chinese culture. Up to now, there are 897 World Heritage Sites, 218 World Natural Heritages, 39 Dual Heritage Sites, and 53 Endangered Heritage Sites in 167 countries around the world. These heritages, which are the cultural genes of mankind, constitute the evidence and reason for human existence. Since 2013, I have travelled to 6 countries, documented 86 World Heritage sites, and published "Germany, You Are So Elegant" and "France, You Are So Charming". Now, I present the unpublished "South America, You Are So Sad", please taste it after tea.
I wanted to complete this ambition in 2023, but due to the transformation of the company and the epidemic, it was delayed. From this year, by 2027, we must complete these countries. I am very willing to share my feelings with you on the platform of Xinzhuang Classroom. By 2027, if you actually visit these countries and visit these World Heritage Sites, this will be the first time in the history of human tourism. This is a vision, and I hope it can be realized.
Teacher Weiying asked me to show this walking process to everyone in time, I hope you like it.
Huang Nubo
March 17, 2023
Lobster in Panama
Location: Panama
Time: 2013.11.17
On one highway, there are police cars and police officers parked in many places, they are really loaded with live ammunition and wearing bulletproof vests, which means that there is still a problem. After the tour, we went straight to a small village by the river to eat. What to eat? Eat lobster seafood. The scenery is very, very beautiful, to a seaside restaurant, just by the sea, the sea is under the feet, the waves are beating around, crystal clear, when you arrive at the restaurant, the lobster is gone. But it doesn't matter, because there are people standing on the side of the road selling lobsters, holding two large lobsters in their hands, I said hurry up and call over to buy one, how much is it? A lobster of nearly three kilograms costs $25, I think it's too cheap, and you have to ask for 2,000 yuan in China. I said buy it and we'll eat it. I thought this lobster was bought for the three of us to eat, but when I bought it and brought it up, I saw that this large lobster was cut in half and belonged to me alone. Then he asked the driver Xiao He for another meal, and the portion was also very large. The fried octopus, conch, tapioca flour, coconut water, and curry powder they asked for before serving the lobster, were so delicious that they asked for two more portions and beer. It was nice to sit by the sea, watching flocks of blue butterflies fly in one direction, and I said what is it? They said the butterfly had flown from the United States and was now heading for the tropics.
This butterfly has a characteristic, I sit there and watch, it is very beautiful, but it does not land, it suddenly flies to the sea, I look very worried, I think the butterfly is so weak, will it be swallowed by the sea. So while sitting there and watching, I worry about the butterflies, there are many small holes under my feet, and I see that many small crabs are hidden inside, in the holes. I think they are thinking, you guys, foreigners, come to my territory and talk about it, if you can't get it and pee, hurry up! There are also a few next to it, all tourists, who eat there in pairs. The service is very general, people are slow, little girls, young men, what you want, also give you, also do it, but it is really not a very enthusiastic attitude, I think they may not be strange, see too many tourists. The lobster came up very delicious, I really can't eat it, give half to the two of them to eat, this half is also enough to choke, unlike in China, the meat of this lobster is particularly elastic, particularly tight, chewed, may be wild lobster in the sea. It is said that the people who hunt lobsters here are mainly Indians, and they sell them to these people, and these people are poured into restaurants, and the overall processing fee is added, and my lobster does not exceed 45 US dollars. Counting less than one-tenth of the price in China, I ate a lobster meal. In total, the three of us spent eighty dollars to eat a meal here.
Panama has a characteristic, the price is very cheap, beer tens of cents a listen, two or three yuan a listen, so there are many people who drink beer. This restaurant is constantly visited by tourists, all eating seafood, eating lobster, the sanitation facilities are very average, and the toilets in the restaurant are a bit like those in China's counties. For example, when I went to Lhasa, from Lhasa to Shigatse, the hygiene of some restaurants on the road was very general, of course, the scenery was extremely beautiful. Among them, it is very interesting to sit down and watch that there are some individual speedboats coming and going, the waves are very calm, among which there is a small leather pattern small kayak floating over the opposite bank, I thought that there was a person sitting on it, who rowed to the middle of the sea, I was a little worried, and then I saw that it was a drifting boat, that is, slipped out of the house, blown by the wind, watched it drift slowly, drifted to the depths of the sea for an hour or so, and worried about it in my heart: Why didn't this boat ask for it? The second, very sad in the heart, the fate of people, in the modern context is also like this boat, you don't know where it will drift, but you have been drifting, and in the end you do not know where it belongs, is it another coast? Or into the stomach of the shark? Or was it taken away by another owner?
Of course, as a poet, sitting there and watching the butterfly, so destined helpless, in order to survive and fly to unknown places, to cross the ocean, for its beautiful hardships in sentiment. Seeing this boat again, such a poetic, metaphorical, prophetic drift helplessly at sea, fate does not know how, and I am also very emotional. Of course, the last happy thing was that when I was leaving, I saw a group of young people driving up, and I saw that they had the kayak on the bow. It seems that there is finally salvation, and it may also be atonement, is this also a metaphor for the world that there is still hope in the end, and finally can get a way out, a kind of salvation? This is also the thought of nonsense when eating, drinking.
After leaving here, return to the old town of Panama, which is also a World Heritage Site, a small fishing village that gradually became a large city. The city is characterized by the fact that the main population is concentrated here, it is a kaleidoscopic city with people from all over the world, divided into ancient city, old town and new city. It was the original city founded in 1519 by the Spanish conquistador, Paijus Josdale, on the original Indian fishing village, and later Panama City became a large international center, the archaeological site is left in ruins, and its historical bright area is integrated with Spanish style and early American style, and still maintains a typical appearance. It was interesting to see the archaeological area, the gate was locked. How we want to get in, we can look at all kinds of debris on the side of the road. At this time, a young man came running over, muttered for a while, and pointed to a small worn-out hole in a fence, that the big dog can drill through. I asked Xiao what he meant, and he said you can go in from here and see, I'll help you look at the car, just come out and give some money. I guess this is his way of making money, so what to do? You also have to go in and see, although I know that it is a foul, but if I don't go, I can't see it, because the next day we are going to leave, so we agreed.
It is also quite difficult for such a big man to drill a dog hole, and he also feels very undignified, so he feels that it is the first time to see the world cultural heritage. Fortunately, there are no tourists, there is no one next to me, or drill, play my experience of going to the Chaya rainforest in Indonesia, climbing the Chaya Mountain, walking the rainforest, often falling from a big tree, drilling under the trunk, or drilling into this hole, passed. After entering, three or two tourists are looking at the ruins of the ancient city in the 15th century. These were destroyed and destroyed by the subsequent war, nature. The importance of the city was later less important. It is very troublesome to preserve, there is basically no complete building, we are complete in a very tall tower, but the protection facilities are not good, a few tourists can climb up and take pictures there, maybe Spanish or Colombian. After seeing this place, I felt desolate, and I also made some explanations. I also feel that this place is still protected than that fort, and the protection is not bad. This should soon cease to be an endangered cultural heritage.
I did an interview in this place, interviewed Xiao He, he has been talking about it for decades, but it is still a Chinese complex. His wife is a local Chinese, the child is older, the 19-year-old son does not speak Chinese, he showed me that he caught such a big fish, his son holds such a big fish, and his daughter can speak a little Chinese. He is very satisfied with the life here, but also feels very laid-back, often receives Chinese, he is proud of Chinese, saying that this place Chinese high status.
Vaught, a native and Panamanian, is in his forties, he said that he has two jobs, his child is 26 years old, and the other is 22 years old, they are not married, live in his house, and when they get married they will buy their own house, they will not gnaw like the old people in China. He thinks the people around him are nice and he is happy with Panama now. When asked about the relationship with the Americans, he said that the Americans left the canal, and originally said that we could not manage it well, but now it seems that we still manage it well. In short, their personalities are very mild, without hatred, or saber rattling. Especially when it comes to Americans, they have mixed feelings, but they feel that they are still very welcoming to Americans.
After reading this, let's come out again. When we came out, the young man who let us in was waiting. In the process of walking, a caretaker rode a bicycle and said, you guys hurry out, now it's off work, the park is not safe, no one protects you, and very kindly instructed us to go out. We went out and saw him come and wait from afar. This young man, I said you give him five dollars, I think it's enough, I told Xiao He, five dollars is enough for him to buy ten beers and eat a meal. Walt said that it was good to have a meal and a few beers, and I saw that he squeezed the money into a very small ball and gave it to the young man when he shook hands, but the young man muttered by the car window. I said what's wrong, is it because of the lack of money, they said yes. He said to give a little money to the administrator, and I understood that this was the underworld, they colluded to earn pocket money, I said give him five dollars, and then gave him five dollars and left.
Go back to the restaurant to rest for a while, and then go to eat. I wanted him to find the best local restaurant and made an appointment with two people, one of whom was a native Chinese, who was retired and did not speak Chinese. He was very enthusiastic about the new Chinese because he was also Cantonese, and said that when Xiao He first came, he taught him to drive and helped him run this and that. There is a large cemetery, a cemetery, which is Chinese, and later the locals can also use it, this person wrote a letter to the president, the president agreed, and this cemetery was returned to the Chinese, which seems to be very friendly to the Chinese. The other person was a local woman from a travel agency. Because Xiao He showed me her photos, I think a woman in her thirties and forties, very lively, she is arranging the whole trip, I am interested, ask her to come, let's visit. After arriving at this restaurant, this restaurant is indeed a high-end restaurant, and the lady was a little late. As for this gentleman, my name is "Mr. Retirement", surnamed Tan, and he came on time.
It's not easy for Panamanians to be on time, a lot of them talk tomorrow, and it's normal to be one to two hours late. When we arrived, we ordered our own dishes, chatted, and put the machine on the table to record the interview. Chatting and asking Mr. Tan, he made some points. First, the Chinese have made great contributions to this place, and one of his great tasks is to write the history of overseas Chinese for the Chinese here, and he has published several books. Judging from the information introduced and the information I found, Chinese began to immigrate to Panama in 1850, when it was to build the Panamanian Isthmus and connect the railway to Xi'an in the Pacific Ocean. The colonialists, mainly Spaniards, recruited workers in the coastal areas of China, in fact, they deceitfully plundered Chinese laborers and sold them to Panama to build railways and open canals. Thousands of people have become bones. At present, there are 120,000 overseas Chinese in Panama, mainly concentrated in the capital Panama City, Colon and other places. Mainly engaged in the catering industry, hotel industry, wholesale industry, and now also began to do real estate.
Panamanian Chinese make up 5% of what is now the population of Panama. There are five peaks for Chinese migration to Panama, the first of which was during the period when the Americans built the Panama Railroad, when 20,000 people came. In 1850, the Americans recruited about 1,000 Panamanian Chinese workers from California. Later, some came from Fujian, Guangdong, and the total number of Chinese at that time accounted for 16% of the total number in Panama. The Chinese from the mainland were very hard, and it took three months of hardship at sea to get here, and it was recorded at the time. At that time, when I came from the sea, the death rate was as high as 24%, which shows the hard work. The second peak was during Panama's time as a transit point to Latin America and the Caribbean, when 20,000 people remained in Panama in the mid-70s of the 19th century. The third peak was when France was building the canal, and five thousand people came, all of which are recorded. The fourth peak period is the period when the Americans built the canal, and there were 5,000 Chinese workers, all of which are recorded in history. By the fifth peak was in the eighties, when 20,000 people came to Panama through various routes. Until now, most of the Chinese have stayed here. What about this Mr. Tan, historical records also record him. In his 150-year history of overseas Chinese immigration in Panama, he wrote that 35% of Panama's population can find Chinese blood in their family genealogy. When talking to Mr. Tan Jian, the former president of Panama stressed that overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese make up 30% of the total population, stressing: "I say this has nothing to do with my wife's Chinese. "So these Chinese people play a big role in Panamanian life, and also affect Panama's relations with China." Now many of our Chinese institutions have come to Panama.
The Chinese in Panama should say that the overall economic situation is still very good. There are also many Chinese who serve as his ministers, bureau chiefs, mayors and so on. In terms of education, the Chinese have the highest level of education.
The lady had a good chat. She originally studied accounting, and later liked to travel, so she did tourism. She was also satisfied, saying that she wanted to go to China, but she lacked a plane ticket, just kidding, she had no money. She is also very happy with the situation in her country, her home is out of town, and she also likes the current city.
That Xiao He said that the president will not do it again when he arrives in office, but he will still vote for their party, saying that they have a deal, saying that the president is stepping down and pushing a new president up, but the president's wife has to be the vice president, and it is estimated that he will still be elected, because of what? Because the economy is doing very well under this president.
On December 20, 89, the U.S. military launched Operation Justice Codename and sent troops to Panama to capture Noriega under the title of national hero and wanted to recover the canal. The Americans were bent on catching him, Noriega hid everywhere, and when the US military offered a reward of $1 million to capture Noriega, it was General Bauer who ordered the American military to search house to house, and Noriega would not give up if he could not be caught. In the end, Noriega hid in the Vatican Embassy in Panama, the US military is very interesting, fenced the embassy, psychological warfare troops, set up high-power tweeters around the Vatican embassy, kept playing rock music, and organized dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, with engines, machine guns pointed at every window of the embassy, a frame of soldiers coming to the city. Then, on January 3, 90, a senior Vatican official of the State Secretariat came to Noriega's refuge room and told him that you must leave the embassy by noon tomorrow, and after leaving, there were two roads, one to surrender to the American troops outside the embassy, and they would bring him back to the United States for trial, but they would not impose the death penalty.
Secondly, he was arrested by the new Government of Panama, also tried and tried for crimes against humanity, with a definite death sentence. Noriega compromised and surrendered to the American army. Later, the court in Miami sentenced him to 40 years in prison, which was later reduced to 30 years, and he did well in prison, shortened his sentence, and was released on 9/9/07. One release from prison. On 26 April 2001, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed an extradition order extraditing Noriega to France to stand trial for money-laundering offences. So, this one is interesting, anyway, it won't put you back in Panama. It is also the measures of the Americans to stabilize Panama. The Panamanian government has expressed respect for U.S. sovereignty, but still wants Noriega to be extradited to trial and serve his sentence. So in this sense, look at a country, of course, this is a matter of sovereignty. But overall, Noriega's arrest, or expulsion, has not had a more disastrous impact on Panama. Panama's economy is now recovering quickly. So that there is no major unemployment problem. But when he went to Kanun's place, he saw that the gap between the rich and the poor was also very large, and Mr. Tan Jian also admitted that he said that the gap between the rich and the poor was indeed very large. Panama also has problems with social balance later. Looking at the past, there may now be a dilemma of a widening gap between the rich and the poor in the world. This has to be of concern to us in the next period.
Of course, the atmosphere of the dinner was friendly and happy, and at the end of the checkout, Mr. Tan Jian took out a certificate, I said what kind of certificate? He said it was a retirement certificate. In Panama, the policy of stipulating that retirees can reduce the cost of 24% by eating is quite good. I said why? He said that today they served very badly, and I wanted to embarrass them, so I took my documents, I could have not bothered them. Actually, after walking through Germany, my mind is much calmer. The restaurants were also patient, and I didn't feel how bad the service was, but these people were angry and thought that their service was really bad. Everyone keeps saying that the service is not good, and I see that everyone is quite kind, but walking slower, coming slower, but he insisted that you have to get rid of 24%, which is his personal, the average share, and then they are very friendly to dispense. What about this place to checkout, the common currency is the US dollar, and there is no problem with swiping various cards, this is much stronger than Germany. The tip is 10%, regardless of whether your service is good or not, put it directly in the bill, but it is good, save trouble. After settling the bill, say goodbye amicably, meet again later, and see you in China. What about Mr. Tan Jian, I want to go back and keep in touch. And so the day ended.
Early the next morning, at half past four, Xiao He and Walt came to pick me up and take me to the airport. After arriving at the airport, the check-in procedures went smoothly, and I finally gave Xiao He a tip of $200, and he was very happy. Giving the driver Walt a handshake and giving him some dollars, he also thanked him. Then he got on the plane from Panama to Medellín on time and took off on time. People didn't sit too full, and it was also a very pleasant journey. After getting off the plane, when I arrived in Medellin at eight o'clock, it was very smooth, the customs was very friendly, and they also said "welcome" and "thank you" to me, also ladies, both of them are ladies, which left a good impression on me. I came out and saw my good friend, Mr. Fernando, president of the Medellín Poetry Festival, with his wife, and they hugged me warmly, so that I was in Colombia.