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Published: March 8th 2009
Pictures say a thousand words……a feast for the eyes!
For the last week of our trip we are staying in Panama city to explore places we haven’t seen or even knew they existed by stumbling onto them. All the city noises makes us urn for our little quiet town of Friday Harbor. Speaking of stumbling and talking your way into places, we went to the International Trade Show as buyers. They packed the convention center with over 1,600 purveyors from numerous countries like China, Korea, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, Columbia, Costa Rica and France. Every kind of business you can imagine, plus free food and drinks to sample! We’re going back today to buy a few samples and ask more questions.
Yesterday ultimately made the whole trip worth every penny spent being here in Panama. “Boatless Howard” and I listen to the cruisers net over at the Balboa Yacht Club while we’re in the city and learned that they were planning a trip to the Embera Indian Village. A group of eighteen when “up the river” via canoes powered by 75hsp Yamahas and on the way we stopped at the waterfalls before the village. (see pix) The
Embera Indians originally are from the Darien area and moved to the Rio Chagres river years ago to escape the crime of the drug traffickers of Columbia, also to be closer to medical services if needed. These people make money from tourism, the canoe trip and selling the wonderful works of art. The women weave colorful baskets and sew mola’s while the men carve intricate figures out of the tagua nut and carve wood sculptures out of cocobolo, a very hard wood. We were served the traditional Embera style lunch of tilapia and fried plantains and then they danced for us wearing their original wardrobe, women with their colorful skirts and coin & beaded tops and the men’s skirts are made of larger beads and a loincloth underneath. What a memorable day!
Farewell Panama! These are our last few days here in the warm tropics of Panama so I think tomorrow a beach will be our destination. Tuesday our friends will join us for cocktails and hugs. We have met some wonderful people here and yes, we will return to Panama some day!
Howard and Rebecca
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