Love being a tourist in Panama

Daryl and I have been in Panama for a month already. We have really not done anything touristy. Thankfully that changed when Heather and Mike arrived.

With all of the protests and roads closures that have been happening, it seemed the safest way to get to the city was during the middle of the night. So that’s what we did. Left Pedasi at 10 PM and arrived at our hotel just after 3AM. Smooth sailing all the way.

Heather’s and Mike’s flight arrived, and they are ready to see this beautiful country.

Finding an activity for Monday was a bit of a challenge. Most things are closed on Mondays, or open fewer days of the week, with the significant decrease in tourists.

We ended up going to the Embera Indigenous Village and it was a great trip. Before getting on the bus (only us) we were warned that if the road was blocked we would have to return as there is no work around. During the 45 minute trip we had no problems.

It was so worth it. We took little dug-out boats to go to the village.

The boat ride up (or down) the river had the most incredible scenery. Lots of other boats were also making the trip.

We arrived at the village to music.

What an interesting day. We were entertained, taught about the local culture. And fed. What more could a person want!

Food is cooked on an open fire (the stove) and every house has one.

Our plates were plantain or banana leaves made into a cone with a hibiscus for decoration.

One of my favourite stories is the punishment for a crime. Both ankles go in a wooden block with cut outs. A board goes across the top and you sit like this for three hours a day for five days. To make the punishment a bit more memorable honey is outlined around the person. Apparently the ants love it.

The main sources of income are tourists and crafts. All the crafts, and the dye used, is made from locally sourced material. The black in this bowl is achieved by soaking the material in mud for four days. Labour is charged at $1 per day. This bowl was $35 so a lot of work went into it.

This lovely lady is the local midwife. She is 84 years young and going strong.

After lunch entertainment was dancing. The little kids were so cute.

To end our tour, we did another boat ride through the jungle, then a walk along the rocky river bank, to a waterfall. We arrived at the same time as a group of school kids. Lots of people took their shoes off but the rocks were killers on bare feet!

Mike went for a refreshing cooldown.

The trek back was just fine. A walk, jungle boat ride, and an air conditioned ride to our hotel. Without any stoppages.

We ended our day with a walk along the boardwalk and dinner at the fish market.

A great first day of vacation with Mike and Heather.

Cheers

Ruth