Hello! On July 26th, a group of about 15 homeschoolers went to an archaeological site called Sitio Barriles (the most literal translation is site barrels or barrels site).
Sitio Barriles is located in Volcán, Panamá. We took a back road up there from Boquete (through Potrerillos) and it was hard to find until we got to the main street in Volcán. Then we asked someone where it was and they showed us where to go. The road we drove on was very windy and all the kids started feeling sick, especially those who were sitting in the back. As soon as we got out, we were feeling better.
When we got there, we were thirty minutes late. We asked the lady about the tour we were supposed to be on, and she said it had already started. We walked around trying to find the group, but we couldn’t find them since the place was really big and covered with very tall trees and bamboo.
We finally gave up and said we would wait until the next tour. We walked back to the parking lot, and another car pulled up. Mr. Jim and Mrs. Linda Klein stepped out of the car, and we went to greet them. We decided to go on the tour with them, since they were also supposed to be at the same tour we were. Thankfully, we were on panama time, so it didn’t matter.
We walked and looked around at the different things that were close to the visitor’s center for about 15 minutes while we waited.
There was a display with maps, pictures, and the history written in Spanish. There were statues of people and rocks with carvings. There was even a rock with a carving that looked like a car. I’m sure that they didn’t mean to carve a car since this is dated hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. It’s pretty cool to see the different carvings and statues and compare them to today’s world and society.
When the tour started, the guide took us to a plant. It kind of looked like a flower but could have been a fruit. I wasn’t sure after hearing the guide’s description, because it was in Spanish. However, I could pick up on several words throughout the tour that I could understand and even translate for my mom.
Later, she took us to another plant that was surrounded by bamboo. She said that the plant grows mamon chinos (as the locals call it) or rambutan (if you want to look it up on the internet). They are spiky on the outside like a sea urchin and look like a grape on the inside. They taste kind of like a grape too! In the middle of the fruit there is a seed that we tried and it did not taste good. However, some people eat them anyway. It is a favorite of all the Gilbert kids!
Next, she took us outside a building where there was a display of interesting things that the family had collected, including canned snakes! We asked her why they kept them, and she said that people like to look at them. Then we followed her inside a building where little pots, cups, statues, and other clay figures were set up around the room.
There were cups made to look like animals (one looked like a turtle), urns, statues of “gods,” etc.. Then she took us through a field FULL of bamboo to a dig site.
It was cool to see where they were digging and had found things from a very long time ago. Some of it was stolen or taken to museums in Panamá City. She then took us through the field of bamboo to a site where they had dug and found different colors of dirt.
They said it was from the volcano eruption that had happened several hundred years ago.
We moved on through the big jungle and came to a baby bamboo. In case you don’t know, they are very prickly and spiky. Unfortunately, my younger brother, Jude, and my other brother, John Thomas, reached out and grabbed it. They had the spiky points stuck in their hands. A friend told us that they come right out in the water. So my mom took them down to a river to wash the tiny prickles out of their hands. Meanwhile, the tour guide took us to a clearing. We sat on a bench for a while and then went back toward the parking lot. By then, Mom and my brothers had returned from the river.
The tour guide then led us to a stone that appeared to be blank and meaningless. When she sprayed it with water, drawings appeared. She said no one knows what they mean, but that the symbols might be a map (which seemed unlikely to me since there appeared to be a face) or maybe a secret message or something of the sorts. They called it “The Mysterious Rock.”
When the tour was over, we took a picture of the group in front of the sign and then left for Mexican food!
Reflecting on the trip, I have to say that the tour was more difficult for us, because it is all in Spanish and they do not translate. I was able to pick out some of the words and figure out what they were talking about. We also had people in our group who understood more and could translate a little for us. If you do not speak Spanish, then I suggest either finding someone who speaks both languages to go with you.
Also, while we were there, we asked them why they weren’t digging anymore. When they replied, they said that they do not have the financial support to dig any further.
I am sure that there are all kinds of things that they have not dug up yet. The whole place must be full of treasure!Unfortunately, they cannot discover it without the efficient funding.
Overall, I think the trip went well, and the group had fun. It was educational, and we all learned about the ancient culture of Panama. Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope you read more in the future.
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