The Mountain Village in Telluride, Colorado

If you visit Telluride, Colorado, it is likely that you will stay in one of the resorts in the Mountain Village. It is truly a self-sufficient resort community with plenty of restaurants and shops located amongst the many different ski runs on the mountainside. Much like one of our favorite getaways, Beaver Creek, the Mountain Village has a European feel that is part of its deliberate design.

Center of the Village with the Ice Skating Rink Covered for Summer
Statue in Town
Taking the Gondola into the Mountain Village

Because all of the large condominium resorts are located in the Mountain Village, you will likely find it busier than the town of Telluride itself. There is a free gondola that will take you to and from the town of Telluride and there is also another free gondola that carries people back and forth between the Mountain Village and the shops and grocery store at the Market Plaza.

Restaurant Where We Ate Lunch
Bird in the Village
Gondola Station and Bell Tower

The Mountain Village is almost a 1,000 feet (about 300 meters) higher than Telluride and sits at 9,540 feet (about 2,900 meters) above sea level, so be sure to give yourself time to acclimate to the altitude. If you purchase a pass, you can also take one of the ski lifts with a mountain bike to the top of the mountain in order to ride your bike down one of the many trails. There are also several hiking trails leading from the Mountain Village.

Condominiums in the Village
Outdoor Seating to Enjoy the Mountain Sunshine
Beautiful Architecture

We did not stay in the Mountain Village on this trip to Telluride, but we did stay there several years ago and you can enjoy an entire week without ever going into the actual town of Telluride, but we’d highly recommend that you go into town at least once to enjoy the historic architecture and friendly restaurants. The town of Telluride and the Mountain Village are truly different experiences, each with their own charm and ambiance.

Anthropological Exploration

With the world seemingly shrinking on a continual basis, the ability to see native or indigenous people is becoming more and more rare. Obviously, visiting a village that caters to tourists visiting them to learn about their culture and see the way that they have lived for centuries isn’t truly the same as seeing a culture that has been untouched be external forces. In this day and age, it is probably the closest that most people will ever get to having that experience. Visiting one of these villages is still better than going to a place that attempts to reenact what life would have been like during the time of their origins, but both serve their own purpose.

Children in the Emberá Village

We have had a variety of different opportunities to see people living much as they always have as well as places that depict the life of their ancestors. There is much to learn about a culture either way, but certainly interacting with actual indigenous people is a fascinating experience. Here a few of our favorite experiences, but we look forward to having new opportunities in the future.

Traditional Dance and Music in the Emberá Village

  1.  An Emberá Village in Panama – During our trip to Panama City, we had the opportunity to take a canoe trip into the jungle to visit one of the many different Emberá villages. Our guide took us to one of the villages that didn’t receive many visitors and we were the only ones there during our time there, making the interaction more unique.

    Looking Down at One of the Houses in India
  2. DakshinaChitra Cultural Living Museum in India – Meant to be a representation of all of the cultures of Southern India. It features 18 authentic historical houses that were deconstructed from their original region and then reconstructed by artisans from the region on the grounds of the museum.

    Traditional Dance Ritual in Ecuador
  3.  Amazonian Village in Napo, Ecuador – Located in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador is the Napo Wildlife Center, which is run by a local Amazonian tribe. As part of staying at the ecolodge you get the opportunity to visit their village and see how they live. They strive to keep their lives as close to their ancestors as possible.

    Viking Wardrobe
  4. Settlement Centre in Borgarnes, Iceland – Learning about the Vikings that settled Iceland was certainly a fascinating experience. We took a tour through the museum, which consisted of two thirty-minute audio tours that covered the history of how the Vikings first came to populate Iceland as well as their turbulent history once they arrived.

    One of the Few Remaining People in Chimboata
  5. Chimboata, Bolivia – We had the opportunity to see several small villages in the Bolivian countryside, but seeing the “ghost town” of Chimboata was very enlightening. It gave us an opportunity to see how people were moving on from their rural lives to try and better themselves and the impact it had on this historic town.

    One of the Displays in Warwick Castle
  6.  Warwick Castle in England – With wax statues throughout the mansion depicting daily life at the turn of the 19th century, this is a very typical display meant to provide historical and cultural context. We have seen many such places in various countries, some of them using live actors like in Jamestown, Virginia, but Warwick Castle was certainly interesting in its own way.

Regardless of where we travel, we are always interested in learning as much about the culture and history of the people that live in that country or region. It is a balancing act for countries to grow and become more and more modern while at the same time keeping their history alive and accessible to those who visit them.

 

Visiting an Emberá Village in Panama

 

Visiting an indigenous village is always fascinating and if you go to Panama City there are tours that will take you to an Emberá village. The Emberá people are tribes that live in the Panama rainforest and still keep their traditional lifestyle. They make a living by hosting tour groups and selling their native crafts which include wood carvings, basket weaving, and jewelry. You can find these crafts being sold in Panama City, but purchasing them in the village will ensure that the money spent goes directly to the families that created them. They are very proud of their traditions and are happy to share them with the people who visit their villages.

Dugout Canoes

First Glimpse of a Village

Greeting Us at the Entrance

Ceremonial Masks

Music as We Arrived

There are several different villages along the river in the rainforest, each comprised of different families. In order to reach one of the villages, we travelled in a motorized dugout canoe, which was hand carved by the villagers. On our way, we stopped to see a beautiful waterfall. We were fortunate that there were no others on the tour besides ourselves, which made it even more enjoyable. In order to reach the waterfall, we walked up through the stream, so bringing a change of shoes is advised. If you want to go swimming, you can also bring swimming suits, although we chose not to during our tour.

Women of the Village

Wood Carvings

Beautiful Waterfall

Happy Children

Traditional Dance and Music

Our guide took us to one of the more remote villages, which was nice because not as many tours take the time to go there and we ended up being the only people to visit that village that day. As we beached our canoe, family members came to the village entrance and greeted us with traditional music. We then had time to wander through the village and learn more about their daily life. Their homes are simple huts with open walls and everyone sleeps on the floor. In the past, the Emberá tribe members wore nothing but small swaths of cloth around their waist, but now the women also cover up their chests as well since tourists were tending to stare at them too much.

Simplistic Hut

Adorable Child

Waiting for Lunch

School Room

Our Canoe

Lunch was being prepared for the entire village as well as for ourselves and while it cooked over an open fire we watched the children playing in the open area in the heart of the village. The only modern building in the village is the school, which is built by the government, and teachers arrive on weekdays to provide lessons for children up to the age of 12 to 14. Although older children will leave the village to go on to higher education, most of them return upon completion to rejoin their village or to marry into another village. It is a very simple life, but the people that live in the village seem very happy.

Cooking Lunch

Tilapia and Plantains

Hut with Crafts

 

Children Dancing

Colorful Baskets and Jewelry

After eating our lunch of tilapia and plantains served in a banana leaf, the villagers gathered together to play traditional music and dances. We also had the opportunity to get a tribal tatoo, which is more like a hemp tatoo that only lasts a couple of weeks. Afterwards, we took our time to look at the crafts that were set up in a large hut with each table belonging to a separate family. For any craft that you purchase, the money goes directly to the family that created it. We were told before going to the village not to give candy or money directly to villagers other than to purchase items. If you want to give them money, it should be given to the chief, who will then be sure that it gets distributed properly.

Coming to the Shore to Say Goodbye

Dancing Like a Local

Getting a Tatoo

Birds on the Shore

More Crafts

As we went down to our canoe to head back to our van, many of the villagers came down to the river to wish us goodbye and to cool off by swimming in the river. Once again, we were invited to join them, but chose not to go swimming. It was truly an interesting day and the Emberá tribe members were extremely friendly and welcoming. Visiting an Emberá village is certainly worth taking the time to do when spending time in Panama. It is also an excellent way to spend a little time deeper in the rainforest, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and see some of the wildlife in the area.