A TRIIP TO PANAMA CITY - THE EMEBERÁ TRIBE

Without a doubt, one of the highlights of our Panama City experience was a trip that Christina, Monica, and Matt took to Rio Gátun to see one of the Emberá Indian villages.  Little did we know that when we signed up for this tour, with Rudy (the owner of the Casco Viejo apartment we rented), that we would be so fortunate to visit this tribe, who still live today as they did many years ago.  Until about 7 years ago, this particular tribe lived deep in the Dárien jungle of Panama and had very little contact, if any, with outsiders.  Unfortunately, due to Columbian rebels invading their space and killing off some of their people, this tribe was forced to move out.  They relocated to a remote area on the Gatún River, about one hour outside of Panama City.  The Emberá have dug out a narrow part of the river to access their small remote village.

Two Emberá men escorted us to the village in a dugout canoe, as this is the only possible way to reach the village (there is no access by car or by foot).  Can you imagine living in an area in which the only access to your home is to take a canoe through a narrow river passage?  During our stay, we met the members of this tribe (5 families and 43 people total), and learned about their way of life, culture, and traditions.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by one of the Emberá women and had the opportunity to watch the Emberá perform their traditional dances.  The Emberá Medicine Man (El Biólogo) was instrumental in teaching us about his peoples' way of life, as well as showing us how he uses various plants to treat illnesses that impact his village and other Emberá tribes living in Panama.  It was an amazing day, and an experience we will never forget.

The Emberá men wear short beaded skirts or cloths to cover their groin area.  Both the men and women's bodies are adorned with tattoos.  This is one of the men who led us to the Emberá village on Rio Gatún.  

As we were sitting in our canoe being led to the Emberá village, we spotted this spider monkey.

Matt was given a banana, and this man was kind enough to lift him up on his shoulders so that Matt could feed the monkey.
As you can see by the look on Matt's face, he was thrilled!

The monkey seemed to really enjoy the banana Matt fed him.

Monica is sitting on the left, and Matt is sitting on the right as we pull up to the Emberá village.

As we pulled up in our canoe, this is the Emberá village we came upon - just stunning!

This is a picture of the Medicine Man (El Biólogo) who graciously showed us around his village and shared with us the customs, traditions, and way of life of the Emberá people.

Beautiful Emberá women

This is the village toucan.  Can you believe these bright colors?

Monica and Matt loved spending the day with El Biólogo (Medicine Man).

The Emberá performing one of their traditional dances

The Emberá villagers are perfuming one of their traditional dances.  If you look closely towards the back, you can see Monica (with a hat on) dancing with one of the Emberá boys her age.

The Emberá men showed us how they play their instruments.

This is the main kitchen for the village.

This was our lunch for the day - fried peacock bass (on the top) and fried guineo "green banana" (on the bottom).  Food is served and eaten on banana leaves.  It was one of the most delicious lunches I've eaten thus far in Panama!

A beautiful and friendly Emberá woman.

Just as we started to gather our items and leave the village, it started pouring rain.

Monica and Matt wearing their rain ponchos as we leave the Emberá village.  It was a great day!

A TRIP TO PANAMA CITY - FISHING BAYANO RIVER

During our trip to Panama City, Greg enjoyed a great day of fishing on Rio Bayano.  The scenery was spectacular, and even though his guide was a little disappointed by the fishing, Greg was very pleased with the day.  As most of you know, Greg is an avid fisherman and has had opportunities to catch practically every type of fish imaginable.  He was more than happy to catch a few large tarpon on this trip, a fish he had never caught before. One of the highlights of the trip was spotting a crocodile in the swampy marshes of the river - very exciting!

A beautiful early morning on Rio Bayano

Rio Bayano

Greg's first tarpon fish

Check out the size of this tarpon!

Greg having a great time catching tarpon

A typical house along the Rio Bayano

Look closely, and you'll see a crocodile close to the riverbank.   Greg estimated that it was over 10 feet long,
and he was glad that he was fishing out of a boat and not sitting in a kayak! 

A TRIP TO PANAMA CITY - MERCADO DE MARISCOS and MERCADO PUBLICO SAN FELIPE NERI

One of Greg and Christina's highlights of Panama City was a trip to the Mercado de Maricscos.  Early in the morning, fisherman gather in one large building to sell every type of seafood imaginable.  Alongside the fish market, various venders sell fresh ceviches.  We loved trying the different creations - all delicious!

We also headed to a nearby locals market, Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri.  This giant building houses a fruit and vegetable market, a meat market, and another side market with food stalls selling all sorts of local Panamanian foods as well as various spices, salsas, beans, lentils...etc.  It was so fun to walk through these markets and see how the local Panamanian people live.  We were the only tourists there and certainly stood out like a sore thumb.  Christina even had some of the meat venders and women in the food stalls asking her to take their picture.  The Panamanians sure are proud of their food and culture!

In this same vicinity lie Avenida Central and Plaza Santa Ana.  Both areas are lined with food stands, and it was a pleasure to see all of the locals in action purchasing their goods.

Fish at Mercado de Mariscos

All sorts of brilliantly colored seafood

Believe it or not, when Christina arrived at Mercado de Mariscos in the morning, some of these lobster and crab were still moving - doesn't get fresher than that!

More fresh fish

Everyone loves to sample the fresh ceviches that are sold adjacent to the Mercado de Mariscos.
The one on the left is a ceviche mixo (ceviche with mixed seafood)
and the one on the right is a camarones coctail (shrimp cocktail - Panamanian style) - both delicious!

A huge array of fruits and vegetables are sold at the local Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri.

Every type of red meat imaginable is sold at the meat market at Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri.  It is quite a sight!

Two giant pigs being sold at the meat market - Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri

Christina bought homemade salsa ($1 per jar) from this sweet man at Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri.
The salsa has been our best yet!

Spices, grains, lentils, beans, homemade salsas - all so colorful, and Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri has it all!

Love this truck sitting outside Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri - all ready to sell some veggies!

Plaza Santa Ana is filled with locals just hanging out and enjoying life.  Avenida Central, leading to the plaza, is filled with vendors and small stores selling every type of household good imaginable.  We loved walking around this area and seeing how the local Panamanians live.

Of course, fruit and vegetable stands are abundant along Avenida Central!

Avenida Central - a busy local area where locals buy everything they need.

We bought tamales from this woman on Avenida Central.
Tamales in Panama are moist, generally filled with pork or chicken, and are wrapped in banana leaves - delicious!

A Panamanian tamale wrapped in banana leaves

A TRIP TO PANAMA CITY - FISHING GATUN LAKE

Our second day in Panama City, Greg and Matt enjoyed a fabulous day of adventure and fishing on Lago Gatún.  Catching and releasing between 30 to 50 peacock bass, seeing lots of howler monkeys, toucans, parrots, and even a crocodile made the day spectacular.  Lago Gatún is the reservoir that forms the middle section of the Panama Canal, so seeing these enormous ships moving through a jungle lake was an experience in itself.

Matt with a big peacock bass!

When it starts to rain, just put on a trash bag!

So fascinating to watch the ships move through the canal!  While we were there they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal.

The highlight of the day was Matt catching 2 fish on the same hook.

A TRIP TO PANAMA CITY - CASCO VIEJO

We chose to stay 4 nights in Casco Viejo (aka San Felipe or Casco Antiguo) and absolutely loved it!  Casco Viejo is very small colonial area of Panama City that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This area is fascinating and quickly growing and changing.  Many structures in Casco Viejo were built in the 1600's and 1700's.  During the 20th century, buildings fell into disrepair, and until recently, the majority were abandoned, unlivable, or being lived in by squatters.  Supposedly, up until 15 years ago, much of the Casco Viejo area was rundown, dangerous, and various gangs controlled the area.  During our trip we learned that within the past 10 to 15 years the Panamanian government has stepped in to help refurbish the area and help maintain its Spanish colonial charm with interesting French influence.  During this time, Casco Viejo has gone through a tremendous amount of restoration, and once decrepit buildings have been refurbished into beautiful structures maintaining their colonial charm, with new hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants cropping up each month.  Today, Casco Viejo is very unique.  While walking the small streets of Casco, one will find beautifully restored hotels and structures among ruins and unkept buildings right next to one another.  While many buildings still remain to be refurbished and some squatters still exist, the area (according to locals) is safe since the government has provided police security as part of its effort to ensure the restoration of this area.  We loved Casco's beautiful colonial buildings and "artsy" charm and look forward to seeing how it evolves during the next several months.

A view of Casco Viejo (aka Casco Antiguo or San Felipe)

The large Plaza Catedral sits in the middle of Casco Viejo.

Instead of staying in a hotel, we rented an apartment in the mustard colored building on the right hand side of this street.  The apartment was in a great location, walking distance to all of the great restaurants, cafes, and plazas of Casco Viejo.  

El Parque Bólivar

Casco Viejo is an eclectic artsy area with beautiful Spanish colonial architecture with a French influence.  

This is one of the many buildings in Casco Viejo that has not been refurbished.  As you can see, there are several police vehicles monitoring the area.

Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís was build in the 1680's and is one of the original structures in Casco Viejo.  It was destroyed by two different fires in 1737 and 1756.

Casco Viejo is now known for its fabulous restaurants and cafes.
Tántalo was one of our favorites, and the view of the city from their rooftop bar is spectacular.  Such a fun atmosphere!

Tántalo's atmosphere and decor is artsy and fun.  After being in Panama for 6 weeks and eating most of our meals at home and visiting an occasional restaurant, it was fun to splurge and have some fabulous gourmet food at some of Casco Viejos top restaurants!

Another view of Casco Viejo.  As you can see, the building on the left is in complete disrepair, while the others on the right have been beautifully restored.

More Casco Viejo buildings that have yet to be refurbished.

In Panama City it is not uncommon to see some of the Kuna Yala women from the San Blas Islands.  They wear brightly colored clothing, and their arms and legs are wrapped with colorful beads.  This women was in Plaza Catedral in Casco Viejo selling her handmade goods.

Many arts and crafts from all over Panama are sold in Casco Viejo.  This is one of Casco's indoor artisan markets.