Today was our last day in Panama. We fly home tomorrow!! We’re really going to miss this place. Jen even cried for a few minutes today (unusual for her) because she doesn’t want to leave. But there are things we miss at home too. Personally, I’m ready to get back to the familiar comforts of Utah for a while, and Marie wants to see her friend Evie and one of her stuffed animals. Emily seems to be content either way.

Girls at Benihana in Multiplaza

On our last day in Panama, we went to a mall downtown called Multiplaza, which has a lot of high-end fashion stores that were way out of our price range. We did splurge on a meal though, and took the girls to Benihana! :) It was a fun show and good food, but definitely not cheap. We also let the girls ride the merry-go-round and a little train that took them around the mall, and got them some ice cream. They enjoyed that. Jen and I had smoothies.

On the way back, we found a taxi driver named Johann who was excited to be able to practice his English a bit. He wants to start a transportation company helping tourists and businesses people get around in Panama. He’ll be taking us to the airport tomorrow, too.

At the pool in Albrook Inn

This time in Panama City, we’re staying at Albrook Inn, which is a really nice place. They have wifi, but again unfortunately, it doesn’t reach into my room so I have to come to their business center to use it. But they have a restaurant and a decent free breakfast, as well as a pool, which we enjoyed swimming in this morning. (Forgot to mention that.)

We took a walk around the neighborhood in the evening, and came to a park where the girls played for a while. It’s funny how they complain about their feet hurting from walking – until they see a park, and then they run with enthusiasm to play. Anyway, this walk was a nice way to end our day, and to end our stay in Panama. Last time we left Panama City, we were staying downtown, and were glad to get out of the noise and the busy-ness. This time, we’re happy to be back in civilization in a quieter neighborhood, and back to 50% humidity instead of 80% (even paper felt damp there :)). We do love all the birds around here, and the weather is great!

One thing I’ve also wanted to mention for a while but keep forgetting is the funny sound we often hear when driving, whether in our own car or a taxi. It’s the sound of a loud thunk that comes from the back-right seat of the car. Any car. Any guesses, car experts?

It’s actually the sound of Marie’s head bonking against the door! Marie can fall asleep in seconds once she gets in a car, and since we haven’t been using car seats in Panama, her head flops around a lot, and that’s a sound we heard all too often, sometimes followed by a whine or a little talking in her sleep, then she was back to dreamland. Once she’s asleep, it’s nearly impossible to wake her. (Although mentioning cookies or ice cream seems to have more effect than other methods).

Funny kids

Lastly, following in my sister’s footsteps of posting funny things her daughter says, I want to post a Marie-ism and an Emily-ism I heard today:

Marie: Daddy, why are you putting that stuff on your face? [It was sunblock]

Daddy: So I won’t get sunburned.

Marie: The sun’s not going to say, “Ha Ha Ha, I’m going to burn you!!” [imagine her sinister laugh]

Here’s one from Emily:

Emily: [Very dramatic panic] Marie’s putting my shoe on!!!!

Mom: So?

Emily: It will shrink!!!

Aren’t kids fun? See you soon!!!

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But among all the other papers I printed for our trip, I forgot to print our car rental reservation. Big mistake. We did call and confirm a few days prior, however. I was also prepared for an additional insurance charge, which Anne from the Embera Indian tour told us they try to tack on. When we got to the counter, the customer in front of us had been fighting with the guy at the counter for 30 minutes trying to get the “mandatory” insurance removed. He finally signed a waiver and went on his way, still feeling like he was ripped off.

When I got to the counter, sure enough, they wanted to charge us an extra $250 for “mandatory” insurance as well. He said it was mandatory in all of Panama. They also wanted to add an extra $150 to drop it off in another city, which was already included in the $437 price I had received (although I couldn’t prove it to him because I forgot to print the paper). So they wanted about $850, more than twice what we had been told when we made our reservation. I also felt like we were being taken advantage of.

I fought (through Jen, my lovely and patient interpreter) with the guy at the counter for 30 minutes myself and he kept insisting that the insurance was mandatory, even though we were covered by our American Express card (and the guy before wasn’t even). He told us that if I walked away to get another quote he wouldn’t hold our reservation – at this point we had to either accept, or cancel. I was fed up with this guy, so I left Jen at the counter to go get a quote from Budget, who’s price wasn’t much better, but at least they spelled out the prices of with full insurance, minimal insurance, or no insurance, to prove that it wasn’t mandatory.

So I came back and had Budget’s quote to prove that the insurance isn’t mandatory and that I wanted it removed. He finally gave me a waiver, which I signed. But he still made me pay the extra $150 to drop it off in another city. So rather than paying the $815 they wanted, we ended up paying about $650, still $200 more than the price we signed up for, but it beat Budget’s over-the-counter price by about $150. I pity the guy in line behind us. But at least he knew what he was up against.

Fortunately, the guy before us has rented from other companies here, and said he only has had this problem with Thrifty, so I think that’s the last time I’ll order through Thrifty internationally. I doubt my reserved price would have been honored even if I had printed out my confirmation.

But at least we have a car now. It’s nice to be out on our own. We had to ask directions a couple times (once at Subway by the Albrook airport, and once at the Miraflores locks), but we made it to El Valle, about a 90 minute drive from Panama City. I think next time we’ll get something a little larger, though. The Yaris barely holds our luggage. One bag has to go in the back seat with the girls. It’s also doesn’t have a lot of power to go up the hills, but at least it’s a stick shift. And it’s much better than taking taxis and buses!

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A pretty church we drove past (Catholic, I think)

The past few days, Emily has been very distraught after getting dressed in the morning, saying that her clothes feel funny. Today was especially bad, and she whined about her clothes all morning, all through sacrament meeting, and into Primary. She didn’t like how it looked when she sat down – her dress bunched up. Hopefully she’ll like what she wears tomorrow.

Our girls are a hit over here, with their blonde hair. After sacrament meeting, Marie was mobbed by loving women of all ages who hugged her, picked her up, kissed her, and left her wondering who all these people were and what they were doing to her.

Neither of the girls wanted to go to Primary. Emily was coaxed by one of the people there, and the girls there were holding her hand and trying to help her, so she stayed. We took Marie to Sunday school with us who just a few minutes into it asked if she could return to primary, which probably looked a lot more fun to her at that point. They both really enjoyed it and came back with handfuls of pictures they had colored.

I talked a bit with the missionaries after the meeting, about Panama, and how the work was going. They said the city is a bit tougher than in the country (and also has more garbage, as we’ve noticed), and the north Americans who live here are pretty mean. But in the country, they get in almost every door. But they love it here, and are teaching some interesting people of many religions. This city is very diverse.

After church we came back and Jen made some macaroni and cheese with chicken in it, for lunch. The girls especially loved that. When Marie heard what Mommy was making, she said, “I didn’t know they had that here! I didn’t know that at all!”

Emily swimming

We took the girls down to the pool for a bit, and Emily enjoyed swimming. Marie was still too afraid to get in the water. I tried to make her once, but she did the same thing she did last time – leaning forward and tucking her head in – so she got more water on her face and just didn’t want another try. We met a nice lady and her son from Guatemala who are here for a wedding.

We came back upstairs and relaxed, took a nap, had leftovers for dinner, and read some family blogs. It looks like the Internet still works up here even though it’s been more than 24 hours since I requested it. Maybe they’ll bill me for two days of use when I check out? Anyway, it’s so much more convenient to have it here in the room.

Tomorrow, we leave for Taboga Island!!

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Gamboa Resort

That afternoon, we went to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort to see the rainforest from above on the aerial tram. The resort itself is gorgeous, built right next to the Chagres river, complete with all the amenities of a luxury resort. However, it’s over $300/night, so we’re not staying there. But they do have a lot of interesting excursions.

Girls in the tram

When we told the girls we were going on the “Aerial Tram”, they got really excited, thinking “Ariel Tram” – as in the mermaid princess from The Little Mermaid. We had to explain to them several times what the “aerial tram” really was. But they still loved it when we got there. They thought it was a magical flying machine.

Since we went in the afternoon, we didn’t get to see much wildlife. No monkeys or sloths or toucans. But we did see a large iguana in a tree (at least a foot long), and several small birds, ants and termites (with their large nests).

Our family on the lookout tower

The views really were spectacular, as you can see from these photos. We walked to the top of a lookout tower and could see the river and boats going toward the Panama canal, and saw what it was like in the tops of the trees in the rainforest. After the tram, we went to a small aquarium and reptile house where we saw some small crocodiles and turtles and fish. Then we went to a butterfly house and saw lots of beautiful butterflies, including some large bright blue ones. Then we went to a house of snakes where we saw some boa constrictors and pythons, among others. (Note: pythons aren’t in Panama naturally, but boas are).

It was a really fun trip, but we were pretty exhausted afterward. We came home and had some oatmeal, leftovers, and pancakes (Jen is so good). We relaxed that night, I blogged, we watched movies, and later Jen made a delicious dinner of sausage spaghetti, garlic toast, broccoli, and a fruit smoothie. We didn’t have to walk the downtown streets at all today!

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All ready to swim!

Friday night, we took the girls swimming in the pool that’s at the hotel. They were so excited to go swimming. We even bought them inflatable life jackets, goggles, and a beach ball to play with.

However, when it came to getting in the water, they were absolutely terrified! They didn’t mind sitting on the edge to splash their feet, and maybe taking a step or two down into the water, but if I tried to take them more than that, they screamed like they were going to die! Loud enough that I’m sure even those on the 13th floor heard it, and maybe even the hotel across the street (it’s an outdoor pool).

We tried talking to them about fears, assuring them of safety (they had life jackets on and I promised to hold them) – but to no avail. They wouldn’t go in more than up to their waist. After about 15 minutes of this, we realized they weren’t going to go swimming on their own, so we chose to use some parental force. I picked up Emily and swam around the pool with her. She screamed the whole time.

Finally, I let go of her, and she simply bobbed there in the water, with no problem at all. I tried to point out that she was safe and floating all on her own, but she was too hysterical – screaming and panicking – that it just didn’t seem to register. She demanded that I hold her, and after I held her again, she started calming down a bit. I held her close and swam around the pool with her a bit more, but she just wanted to get out.

Finally, as we came within a few feet of the stairs where she started, I let go of her and told her to swim to the stairs. And you know what? She actually did it! (She couldn’t wait to get back to land). But once she did that, she was really excited that she could swim that far, and wanted to do it again! But she didn’t want me to take her much further than the stairs. We did that a few times, and then I kept taking her back further and further and having her swim to the stairs.

Emily and Daddy in the pool

Eventually she felt comfortable swimming to the other side of the pool to get the beach ball which had floated over there. I swam next to her, and before long, she felt comfortable swimming all around the pool by herself! We were so proud of her. Now she says she loves swimming, and that it’s so fun! It was so cute to see her jumping off the steps into the water all on her own. What a change from an hour before! I’m glad she’s not afraid anymore.

At first, Marie was also terrified and screamed horrifically. But once she saw that Emily was enjoying it, you could tell that Marie really wanted to do it, too. She would come down the stairs a few steps, then back up. And she would do that again several times, but not go down to the third step. Finally, I knew that she wanted to but that she was just scared, so decided to try the same technique I used with Emily. I picked her up and put her just at the end of the stairs and told her to swim back. Instead, she panicked, and plopped her head forward into the water, getting some up her nose. This really freaked her out, and she continued to scream.

So, after that, she continued to get her feet wet, but made sure I wasn’t going to pick her up again. She wanted to do this by herself. Marie didn’t make it all the way in the pool that day (except when I carried her across earlier to get her beach ball), but maybe she’ll get it next time – she really wants to. The next day she even told me, “Daddy, I promise I will swim today.” It was dark by the time we left the pool, and it was a little chilly with the wind. Next time we’ll go during the day when it’s hot.

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Jen reading in our apartment

It’s been a few days since my last post. The main reason for this is that our current hotel doesn’t have Internet access. Well, it does – you can either take the elevator to the computer room and use their computers, or you can pay $7 to get the Internet in your hotel room for a day. Since I needed to use my own laptop for programming reasons, I went to the Internet café at the corner once, but realized that $7 is really worth the convenience so I’m now paying to have it in our room.

So, we have left Balboa Inn and are now staying at Torres de Alba, a high-rise apartment/hotel building (13 floors). It’s a much different experience from Balboa Inn in both good and bad ways.

Relaxing in the apartment

First, our apartment is very spacious. It’s got one bedroom with the beds, a large living room and dining area, a bathroom with a large shower, and a full kitchen including a washer and dryer. It’s downtown so is within walking distance of several restaurants and shops. There’s a television in the room, and outside, a small playground and a swimming pool which I’ll tell you about later.

Brandon and the girls

On the downside, being downtown, Torres de Alba is very noisy! We are on the fifth floor and we hear constant honking, car alarms, loud music, and street noise. Panamanians love to honk! Every time one car passes another, they give a courtesy honk. Then there are the honks when people are frustrated, or in rage, etc. It’s rare that I can count for ten seconds and not hear a honk. So that’s a bit annoying. It’s also inconvenient to have to pay extra for the Internet, and that it’s not wireless. Our room also smelled a bit like smoke when we first got here, because of the previous occupant. So there are definitely some drawbacks.

Jen and the girls downtown

On Thursday, we explored the hotel, took a walk around the neighborhood, bought me another shirt and a pair of shorts (nice and long), and priced a number of salons to get us all a haircut ($5-10/person). We walked pretty far and it was getting late, so we ate at McDonald’s for dinner, which the girls had requested several times since our trip began. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a play area, but it was some good fast food.

On Friday (Feb 6), we slept in a bit, and then went out to breakfast at a restaurant just down the street from our hotel called Manolos, where the girls had pancakes, Jen had an omelette, and I had some cream of shrimp soup. It was a good and affordable restaurant.

Bedroom at Torres de Alba

We then went to the bank so I could make a deposit on a hotel for Boquete, and get some more cash. Then we looked at an All-a-dollar shop and got the girls some their own set of crayons (for Marie) and colored pencils (for Emily), and each their own pad of paper to color on. We also got them some cute hats, and a bag of candy. I love All-a-dollar!

Then we went to the grocery store to get some real food, since we now have a kitchen and can cook. We got some fruit, meat, bread, milk, eggs, and all that we’d need for food for the next few days, as

Jen in the kitchen

well as some swimming gear for the girls. We probably won’t need to eat out again until we leave Panama City, but we may once or twice. The leftover food (most of it) can go with us to our next place. We won’t be without a kitchen for the rest of our trip (except maybe once).

I have to say that as much as we like our large apartment and the privacy, we don’t care much for being downtown. The city is smellier, dirtier, noisier, and more crowded than in the quiet neighborhood where Balboa Inn was. It is nice that things are close enough to walk to, but we’d rather not go out much because of the reasons listed above. Well, we’ll only be here a couple more days, then it’s on to more quiet places. :)

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Panama City

We got home late last night so I didn’t get a chance to blog, but we had so much fun yesterday! We slept in a bit, and had breakfast about 8:30 or so, in our pajamas. Then took a taxi to the top of a nearby hill, Cerro Ancón. There were great views of the city from up there, as well as of the Panama Canal. We could see the Miraflores locks, where we were the other day.

Brandon swinging on a vine

After looking around, we decided to take the one hour hike down the hill, on the paved rode, and I’m so glad we did. We were told you could sometimes see monkeys up there. We didn’t see any, but we did see some beautiful butterflies, birds, lots of cool trees, and a very fun hanging vine that I swung on like Tarzan! It was a blast! I helped the girls swing on it a bit, too. It’s amazing how the vine was hanging and wrapping around the different trees. I think it was natural, but it’s hard to be sure. I was amazed it could support my weight.

Emily and Marie at Mi Pueblito

At the bottom of the hill, we found a cute little village called “Mi Pueblito”, which is a modern replica of an old Panamanian town. There were some cute houses and shops, as well as some indigenous Indian huts. We took another little nature hike and saw a cute black frog with bright green spots, and a lizard with an orange head. I didn’t get a photo of the frog, but I did of the lizard. We also saw a trail of large ants, that was hundreds of feet long carrying food and leaves back to their home.

Also, at these villages, there were some flat areas, which the girls considered their “stage”, and they would spin around and dance while singing songs (mostly Christmas songs). It’s funny because they complained of being so tired of walking, and wanted to be carried, but as soon as they saw a “stage”, they would run to it and start dancing. It’s funny how that works…

Emily carrying our load of goods

By the time we got done looking at all these fun things is was 3:00pm and we were pretty hungry. We caught a taxi to the Mall, and had some food, rode on the merry-go-round again, and then did some shopping! While I wasn’t too impressed with the prices of toothpaste and laundry detergent that was imported from the US, the clothes here are extremely cheap! The average price for a shirt here looks like it’s about $4. I realized the first day I was here, that the two shirts I brought from home wouldn’t be enough, as I sweat in them regularly. I also wanted something a little more light weight, because of the heat.

Mannequin with very large breasts.

So I bought a nice shirt with palm trees on it for $10 (the most expensive shirt I saw there). Jen got several shirts for $3-4 each, and the girls each got one for about $3. We also got Marie a pair of sunglasses for $2. (I wanted to replace mine that broke but couldn’t find one I liked). Jen tried on a few nice $8 swimming suits as well, but didn’t find one she liked.

One thing we’ve noticed in here that’s different in these stores is the mannequins, especially the female ones. Most of them have extremely large breasts. Notice in this picture, that they’re even bigger than her head! We thought that was pretty funny looking.

Emily and Marie with the Panamanian dancers

After we finished up at the mall, we went to a great restaurant called “Tinajas” where we had some typical Panamanian food, and watched a great music and dance performance. The food was wonderful. I had a yucca country pie (enriched with chicken corn, capers and Raisins). It was kind of like a pot pie, but more doughy. I liked it. Jen had a chicken pot tamale, which had corn, salsa, olives, tomatoes, and rice, and some other things. We both ate them all gone. The girls shared some pasta, and didn’t eat much. During one of their dance numbers, they even invited Jen to go up and dance with them! I got that on video, but didn’t get any good pictures. After dinner, the girls went up there to dance with some of the other kids. It was a really fun night.

Enjoy some more photos below:

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Our taxi driver had recently gotten in an accident and totalled his new car. That’s sad news, but also left me with a somewhat discomforting feeling…, about which Jen remarked that it probably means he’ll be even more cautious now.  I hoped so, because the backseats where the girls and I were, didn’t have working seat belts. :) Fortunately, he was an excellent driver, and our travels were uneventful except for the places we saw.

We first went to Casco Viejo (old town), and walked around a little bit to look at some monuments, and off at the distant city and places like the causeway where we’ve already been a couple times. The sun was shining brighly and Emily was getting irritated about the sun being in her eyes. I offerred her my sunglasses, but they broke as I took them out of my bag. :) So both she and Marie became quite grumpy and uncooperative at this point. We didn’t spend too long here, but did walk around to look at the beautiful views.  There were some Kuna Indians sellings crafts along the walk, as well.

Then he took us to Panama Viejo (old Panama), where we saw some ruins of old Spanish forts and other buildings, and drank milk right out of a coconut with a straw (for $1). It was quite refreshing. Unfortunately, the ruins were closed today so we couldn’t get too close, but they were still neat to see.

After that, we went to see the first set of locks on the southern side of the Panama Canal – the Miraflores locks. Millions of gallons are pushed through these locks to raise ships up and down so they can travel through the canal.  Ships pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to go through the canal, a process which can take up to eight hours. We watched a tanker go through, and it was very interesting (although a somewhat long process for the girls). They were pretty whiney today.

We then stopped at a grocery store for some toothpaste and laundry supplies, then had lunch at a quick restaurant where we had a burrito and the girls had quesadillas – delicious. Then we went back to our hotel.

We didn’t know what we would do at that point. Maybe rest and then go out to dinner a bit later. But one of the workers at our hotel knocked on our door (her name is Gloria), and handed us an inflatable child’s swimming pool for the girls! They had been wanting to go swimming, so we blew it up and filled it up (with buckets) and the girls had a great time splashing around in the back yard. I took some pictures around the hotel as well, which you can see below. 

I have to say that the staff at the Balboa Inn has been extremely helpful. They’ve made phone calls for me to arrange car rentals and hotel payments (at other hotels), call taxis, order dinner (which I’ll talk about in a minute), and help in many other ways. They love our girls (most people stare at their golden hair). Most of the staff doesn’t speak any English, but they are very sweet and friendly. It also gives me good Spanish practice. :) Those who do speak English, speak it perfectly.

After playing in the pool, we watched several cartoons in Spanish (Diego, Wonder Pets, Little Bill – all the Nick Jr. standards). And Jen and I read some of the travel books and magazines about Panama they had there. We learned a lot not just about Panama city, but also got great ideas for the other places we’ll be going to shortly. 

It was getting late, and we started to get hungry, so I asked if there were any places that could deliver food to us (with a little help from Google Translator :)). Fortunately, there were, and Gloria ordered us some sushi – three large rolls, all sliced up, for about $15. Jen and I loved them, but the girls… not at all. We forced Emily to eat one, after spitting out her first. Marie tasted and spit out one as well, but was still hungry, so Gloria gave her some strawberry yogurt and milk. Isn’t that nice? She’s getting a good tip before we leave. :)

There were a couple times when the girls were watching TV and Jen and I were reading, that I was tempted to get out my laptop and do some work, like I would have at home during down time. But as I sat there, I realized that I really didn’t want to work. I was actually enjoying what I was doing, without a computer in my lap! Is that really possible? lol.

We have been having a lot of fun together as a family on this trip, despite the whining that sometimes ensues with the kids. It’s so much easier to go out and do fun things together when there are so many new things to experience, rather than the same old places at home.

By the way, thanks for all your great comments. It’s nice to know that people enjoy reading about our travels. It’s also been a great way for me to journal and remember what we’ve been doing. I may not always be able to write daily (especially during the weeks we won’t have Internet access), but will do my best. I just hope I can keep the posts interesting enough for everyone…

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Before I tell you about our experience at church, I want to tell you a little bit about driving in Panama City. It’s crazy!! First, no one uses maps (including taxi drivers). They’re pretty worthless in the city because people don’t find places based on the address, but on what it’s close to, or directions. For example, the official address of the church we planned on attending is “In front of the statue of Dr. Arias”. There’s no number, no street, and many streets don’t have names at all. And if they do, they change a lot, or have several names. Obviously, this makes it difficult to navigate in the city, so a knowledgeable driver is essential. 

So far, we haven’t had much trouble getting around, although the hotel we’re staying at is fairly new, so most taxi drivers have had to do a bit of trial and error (or calling) to find it, but they eventually do. Taxi rides cost about $1-1.25/person, so usually $4-5 for anywhere we want to go that’s reasonably close. And tips are included in the pre-negotiated amount (before you get in the car).

So, how was church? Alright. First, we arrived a bit early so had time to walk around the temple grounds a bit which are absolutely gorgeous! Not just because of the perfect weather, but it’s the most well taken care of place I’ve seen so far in Panama. The Temple is beautiful, as well as the church, which was recently modeled. The woodwork and tile in the church is breathtaking – not just in the chapel, but in the hallways, doors, and everywhere.

This was also one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse wards I’ve ever been in. It was done in half-Spanish, half-English, and consisted of people of Panamanian, American/European, and African descent, among others. Many people seemed bi-lingual, and the ones who weren’t (including me) wore headsets so the parts that weren’t done in your language could be translated for you. For example, today there was a confirmation, which was done in English. Hymns were sung in Spanish. The sacrament prayers were done in English. All the ward business, announcements, and other prayers were in Spanish. It was fast and testimony meeting, the languages varied by the speaker. Sunday school was taught in English, and Elder’s quorum/Relief Society was in Spanish. It was really cool!

The people were so friendly, and Emily and Marie really enjoyed primary. The primary sang most songs in English, but did start to learn “How Firm a Foundation” in Spanish. It was neat to hear the testimonies of these people, which are very strong. Most are converts and each has a great story to tell, and they are so grateful for a Temple which is now so close to them (it was dedicated last summer).

After church, we visited for a while, then started walking to the main road to catch a taxi, when a sweet member family with five kids offerred us a ride back to our hotel. They both spoke perfect English. He was American (I believe), raised in Canada, and is a business consultant, and she is Panamian, and sells real estate.

After church, we took a long nap. Marie fell right asleep, but Emily was bored out of her mind the whole time. We finally let her go play outside, until she was bored of that. Then she played on the little computer for a while. Jen and I tried to sleep (we had gone to bed pretty late the night before and were tired).

After our nap, we went out to dinner (at the Amador Causeway again) at a nice restaurant called “Bucaneros”. We had fresh clams, and a delicious salmon fettucini pasta dish. It was fantastic! The girls had a cheese spaghetti and loved it. Then we walked a little ways along the causeway, with the lights from the ships and the city (and the stars) shining on us. We stopped at a fruit stand and got a smoothie (I picked a combination of pinneapple/orange/guava) – yum! Jen had passion fruit. The girls had ice cream (Emily – chocolate, and Marie – pink, like usual). :)

So that was our day. Tomorrow, we’re planning on going to Casco Viejo (old town), and to see the Panama Canal. There’s so much to do in Panama city, we’re still playing “tourist”, and loving it. :)

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The people in the village were very friendly. As soon as the canoe landed, several girls Emily and Marie’s age came to greet them, and remove their life jackets. They held their hands and walked with them to the village. Our girls didn’t quite know what to think at first, but the children in the village were so hospitable. They picked fresh hibiscus to put in the girls’ hair. At first, just one or two, then they covered their whole head with them! It was really cute. They kids ran around and played quite a bit together.

We were greeted with a rhythmic song played by a quintet of hand-made instruments including a bamboo flute, some drums and other instruments. After learning a little more about their culture, how these people live, work, and eat, we had a lunch they made for us of fried fish and plantains. It was delicious! Emily liked the fish because she said it tasted like salt. :)

After lunch, we took a short hike and learned about the medicinal uses of many of the plants in the area. We got to chew on some roots that almost immediately (and powerfully) numb your mouth – a natural anesthetic – and learned about uses of some other plants, including everything from healing open wounds and venomous snake bites, to increasing fertility and sex drive, or even birth control. (I wonder what affect all the women being topless has on this.)

There are about 110 people living in the village, including children, and they live a very simple life. There is no electricity. They do now have a clean water supply, however, from a filtration system installed by the peace core. Their houses are built with palm trees and branches, and must be rebuilt every 5-6 years.

They weave beautiful baskets, some of them so tight they can even hold water, and many carve intricate statues out of wood, which they sell to tourists. We actually bought one of a toucan we really liked. Not sure how we’ll get it home yet… looks like shipping to the US is a little more difficult than we thought (takes three layers of packaging, etc.). I know you’re supposed to wait until the end of your trip to buy souvenirs, but what can I say? We both liked it. And it’s rare we both see something we really like. In fact, we hesitated to buy anything in Japan, and by the time we got home, we realized we didn’t buy a single souvenir. Oh well, I guess I have enough there from my mission anyway. :)

Spending time with the Embera was truly a remarkable experience. They really seem to have an ideal lifestyle, in the areas that really matter. Their community is strong, and they help each other and their neighbors. Kids run free in the village and learn much on their own, but everyone is also watching out for them (but not stepping in for them). Their kids are tough, too. Six and seven year olds take take care of babies, and even younger kids climb up narrow wooden ladders and are quite independent. I saw a lot of smiles and laugher from these people, and have never met any people so welcoming. I want to be more like them.

When we got back to our hotel, we freshened ourselves up a bit, and then went to the Albrook Mall, which surprisingly, was very similar to malls in the US. Think of Southtowne Mall in Sandy, Utah, but 2-3 times as large. There was also a large carousel that the girls rode on twice, and loved. We had dinner there, and ice cream afterward. Then we walked around to see the shops (although I don’t recall going in any), and took pictures with some of the giant animal statues they had around the mall.

It was a very fun and fulfilling day. The weather was perfect as well. Maybe I’m just getting used to it, but I didn’t ever feel too “hot”. It also rained a bit this morning, which was nice. I thought many times today while looking out at the green foliage, “I can’t believe I’m here in this beautiful place, doing this! It’s incredible!”

Share and Enjoy

Share and Enjoy