May 23 - Visiting an Embara Community

Today we woke up again, this time before the sun. We are traveling to the village of Mogue and need to leave early in order to miss the tide. The boat ride took about an hour and a half and we cauhgt sight of some flat nosed dolphins.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Emeliano, the village elder who coordinated the music played by the kids there and other indigenous members of the community. They were dressed in traditional Mogue clothing, which for the men was nothing more than a brightly colored loin cloth and the women wore skirts made with beautiful fabrics. 

They played upbeat music to welcome us as we settled in. We were told that the village was ours for the day.

Their houses were called Tambas, build to allow the cool breeze to enter throughout the day and raised off the ground to protect from rainstorms.

Our tents were waiting for us along with a delicious breakfast.

This is a picture of some of us trying Guava for the first time. Very tasty!

When we arrived at the village we nothiced that the people were beautifully decorated with paintings on their body. Our friend, Basilika, made the henna-like ink out of the nectar of a fruit called Jagua. The symbols represented the nature and he culture found in the vilage.

We were able to dress like the village people, and Amir and John even put on their loin clothes like champs. Many of the older women were comfortable wearing nothing above the waist and others had bra-like tops made of beads.

We learned many of their traditional dances used to call upon nature when they are in need of something. This dance we are doing below is called the bee dance. The people call out to the bees and hope they arrive in order to help pollinate their flowers and fruit so that they can have an abundance of food for the community.

After the cultural experience, some of us decided to go on a hike while others stayed behind and played with the children.

That night, we had a big dinnner together and popped open a few bottles of wine while reminicing on our adventures thus far. Visiting this village was such an incredible and humbling experience. These people who had so little were full of endless love and happiness.

May 22 - Rancho Frio

Oh man did we stink. Our clothes were damp and we were covered in sweat and bug bites, but excited for today's adventures nonetheless.  We were told we were going on a long hike through the jungle to a place that would be worth the journey. Along the way we spotted various species that lived in the jungle, including this leaf lizard, well camouflaged due to it's leaf-like features.

We finally made it to this hidden paradise and stripped down and jumped into the most refreshing, crystal-clear water I've ever seen.  

We had the time of our lives there. We headed back to grab our things and make our way out of the Darien. 

May 21 - To the Darien!

Today was the most amazing day! We woke up with the sun and prepared for our long journey to the Darien. After a good long stretch and some food in our belly, we were good to go. We took a boat back to the mainland after fare welling the hospitable and generous Kuna family that hosted us on the island. Oh man, what beautiful people. We spent the night drinking and talking by a campfire they made out of coconut shells and palm branches and Carlos told us we were the first group of people to actually engage in conversation and invite them to spend time with us, can you believe that? They were sad to see us go, but they told us we were always welcome and they hoped to see us soon.

We had a drive back through the rainforest mountains along the continental divide and then several more hours of driving with checkpoints from San Blas to the Darien region. A boat took us through the river and took us to the Santa Maria Real, a community of another indigenous tribe in Panama, the Embara. The boat was made out of a hollowed log that was suprisingly sturdy!

After a 45 minute boat ride, two bouncy old trucks scooped us into the bed until we reached the entrance to Rancho Frio. We were about to begin our two hour hike, our first time hiking at night, and what an experience that was! Stevie nearly stepped on a Fer de Lance snake that was chilling in the middle of our path which is one of the most venemous vipers in Central America.

After what seemed like forever, we finally made it to our humble abode for the night. After checking our mattresses for spiders, we quickly passed out from exhaustion. I was woken up from that quick nap and was told that dinner was almost ready. I offered to help cook and was taught how to make platacones, a very popular food eaten in Panama! Ah, dinner was incredible. We ate gnami which is a large vegetable that once prepared, tastes a lot like mashed potates, and also pork marinated and cooked in such a way that it almost melted in your mouth. Wow, what a way to end such a beautiful day.

May 20 - Snorkeling and Yoga

Today we lounged on our island paradise all morning. After lunch, we boated out to Isla Perro Grande (Greater Dog Island) to snorkel. We rented equipment, and swam out to a nearby shipwreck. This old, ocean-battered ship stuck out of the water and beneath the surface was covered in many types of coral that swayed, fluttered, or squatted stoutly against the hull. We saw bright fish, large fish, schools of tiny shimmering fish that seemed to play as you swam through them. 

Among others, we saw a giant nudibranch sea slug,

 a red lionfish, and a spotted eagle ray.

When we got back to the island, Dr. Haynes led a beachside yoga session which we attended along with Fabio. Much needed after a day of swim and sun, it was worth the sandy hair that persisted over the next few days. One last night of island partying, we prepared to leave this little gem in the ocean toward our next adventure in the morning.

May 19th - San Blas Islands and the Kuna Yala

Today we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove about 4 hours to the San Blas Islands on the Eastern coast of Panama. We then took a boat to the island of Abuja or in English, known as the Needle Island. 

The Abuja Island, called Icodub by the Kuna people who own it,  is one of many islands in this part of the Caribbean archipelago, along with hundreds of others. These islands are inhabited by indigenous people and we had the opportunity to explore the culture of one of the largest groups of them. The Kuna reservation was located about a 45 minute boat ride from where we are staying.

 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a Kuna cultural expert named Davies. A Kuna himself, he had an immense knowledge of the four thousand year old Kuna traditions, including their spiritual practices, their migration from the mountains to the sea, and their daily routines living on the island. 

One of the most interesting things that Davies explained to us was their spiritual beliefs expressed through the creation of Molas, which are geometrical patterns designed on quilts for the purpose of warding off demons and spiritual sickness through plants, water, and the practice done by the local medicine man. 

Davies spoke of the reason for their becoming an island culture when they use to be a mountain culture. The mountains they use to live in are now a part of Panama and Columbia. When Panamanians invaded the area, they drove the Kunas out to the islands, where they could continue their way of live and follow their own laws and traditions, rather than compromising their beliefs to please the Panaminan government. 

One thing that was particularly interesting was the use of the conch shell to communicate with the rest of the island, with different calls alerting the community to such things as impending weather and wake-up calls on workdays.

It seems as if the island works together as a whole to feed, govern, educate, and keep the community spiritually healthy. An example of this is when the men go out and hunt, they bring back their meat and share it amongst the entire island, making the sure the women and children get their fill.   They also have political cooperation between the council elders, who are called Silas, and between each island community. 

When girls go through puberty at around 12 years of age, there is a big celebration and a special ceremonial room is made for the girl to spend the next four days in. After those days are over, beer is fermented over the course of a week and distributed in celebration of this milestone. At the age of 15, another celebratory beer is made in honor of the girl entering womanhood and she is required to shave her head at this time. Unlike some other indigenous cultures, she is not now required to be wed just because she has reached the age of adulthood. In fact, many women wait to get married around the age of 30 and even go on to further their education in cities like Panama City. 

Overall, the best part of the trip were the countless happy little children who were eager to say "hola!" and a big ole smile on their face. It was an incredible experience to be able to see a culture so unlike ours yet so incredibly prosperous and happy. 

Here are some anklets for sale that were made by Davies' grandmother. They are traditionally worn but the ones that the Kuna women were typically cover their entire shin and are more ornate. It is a single strand of beads wrapped around the leg multiple times, a process just beginning in the photo below.

May 18 - Panama Canal and Casco Viejo

This day began with a drive to the Miraflores Visitor Center, located at the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal. There were a few ships coming into the canal as we watched from the observation deck.

 Each lock in the canal serves to raise the boats up to the level of the canal lake, or back down again to sea level of the Pacific or Caribbean.

 Then we saw exhibits of the museum, including the history of the canal, and an exhibit detailing the magnitude/importance/global significance of the canal. There was another nature exhibit that of course everyone loved, thank god were all biology nerds. Here are a couple of the interesting species exhibited there:

This is the Harlequin Beetle, one of the largest beetles in the tropical forests of the Americas.

This is the Cerambycid Beetle, one of the largest beetles in the world. 

This gorgeous bug is the Buprestid Beetle. It is known for its metallic colors and are most commonly found in tree trunks of the neotropical forests.

These butterflies are called Morphos and are very impressive in size. They are easy to spot due to their shiny blue color contrasting against the green background of the jungle. We have seen several of these gorgeous creatures flitting about in the rainforest, glinting in the dappled sunlight.

After this we went to a seafood market that had ceviche as a specialty, and a fresh lobster dinner for pennies on the dollar. 

We then went to Casco Viejo, an old and bustling region of Panama City, and learned about the old cathedrals and various architectural influences. We walked around the market and then had French ice cream.

We drove around the city looking at ruins from when the French were in Panama first trying to build a canal.

That night, several of the students including our lovely tour guide went back to Casco Viejo to have drinks. We started at a bar and microbrewery, La Rana Dorada, got kicked off of presidential property, got kicked out of a bar, and ended up an the Red Lion after trying to go to an overpriced strip club.