Pams Thoughts

April 3

Our friends on S/V Aquestrian Dennis and Michelle invited us to take a trip to an Embera Village.  Michelle found a van and driver that spoke English for the trip. A couple of times a week the village opens it's doors to visitor's.

The last time we where in Panama  a group had gotten together and gone to the village. I don't remember why we didn't go but we missed it that time.  Everyone raved about the experience so I didn't want to miss it this time.

The tribe moved to the area from the Darien over 60 years ago. The in the 1980's the Panama Government  made the area they where living in a National Park. Since the Embera where no longer allowed to farm or hunt  where they lived they had to adapt or leave.  The Embera where already great wood carvers and basket maker's so they turned to tourism to make their living. In order to bring the tourists to them they opened their village for short periods. Once we arrived they loaded us into one of their log canoes.

We where ferried up the river , about 15 minutes for a short hike to a water falls.

After relaxing at the fall's we took the canoes back to the village.

We where greeted with music and dancing.

They first took us to a large building that served as the central meeting place for the group's. There where 3 groups of visitors the day we where there. About 20 people total. The Embera women started to fix lunch while the Chief started telling us all about how they lived.

 The Chief did not speak English so each groups driver had to translate. After the Chief was done the women brought out our lunch of fruit and banana leafs shaped into bowls with fish and fried plantains inside. The food was great. The fish was out of their lake and caught that morning. Delicious

After lunch we where then taken to another large building where they set up their wares for sale.

 While there they also played music and danced for us. They even got me up to dance with them. After the dancing some of the men where doing tattoo's. The ink lasts for about 10 day's and for $1.00  I had to get one. After the tattoo I bought a wood craving of a frog and a very beautiful basket. What a great trip.

January 8 2008

We are back in Panama City at the Plaita anchorage. It's so good to be back in Panama again. We got here on the 5th after an all day trip from the Perlas Islands. The wind was right on our nose so we ended up motoring the whole way. It's good to be back in a town with such great shopping. First thing we did was go to the grocery store and get food. The next night we got together with S/V Otter Bruce and Phyllis , S/V Freezing Rain Don and Marie and went out for dinner. Boy it was good to be back in Panama. We went to Bennigans and I had the best fish and chips. You just can not get fish and chips in Ecuador. You can get fried fish but there's nothing like fish and chips. It's just not the same.

Today we are all getting together and checking in. The last 3 days have been a holiday in Panama (Martyrs day) so the immigration and Port Capt. have been closed. Your not suppose to get off the boat till you check in but there's no one really checking on you so no one really does that. But today we will be legally checked in.

January 1 2008

Happy New Year. We are still at Espritu Santos in the Perlas Islands of Panama . It's just to beautiful to leave. Presently there are 10 boats anchored here. RDreamz is the boat in the middle and our dingy on shore.

We have been hanging out with Bruce and Phyllis on S/V Otter 2. They had left Salinas Ecuador the week before we did so we met up here to celebrate the holidays together.

Last night 5 of the boats in the anchorage got together for a bon fire and pot luck to celebrate the new year.

Phyllis and I getting comfortable and setting up for dinner. Royce and the guys playing bocci ball on the beach

We had a great dinner on the beach. One of the boats made the best fish chowder I have ever tasted. The bon fire was very nice but it was just to hot to be any where's near it.

After dinner we set around and talked till about 9pm then we all went home and went to bed. Happy New Years...