Canoeing/Hiking in the Rainforest (june 24)

This was by far the best day of my two weeks in Panama. As normal I work up around 6 a.m. and ate breakfast/read my Bible. Today Yolanda and I went on a tour to a Panamanian rainforest. We left the house at approximately 8 a.m. to reach the meeting point by 8:30 a.m. because we did not know how far it was from the apartment. It ended up only taking 10 minutes so we were quite early. The meeting place was a park so we were able to pass the time watching children play basketball and enjoying the morning walkers. We met up with the others going on the tour (a total of 28 people) and boarded the bus. At first we were both skeptical about how the bus would fit all of us but it ended up working out, though it was quite snug. The bus ride took one hour. We went through many winding roads with one lane each way that were very small and didn’t even look they could fit those two lanes but somehow we made it safely. We had to stop at the National Park’s Office to check in and pay our entrance fee. While there we also quickly used the bathroom and oh man, I should have taken a picture of that but I left my camera on the bus. It was small, dirty and far from sanitary- made you feel dirty even walking in there. Then the sink…yeah we’ll just say I’m glad Yolanda had a hand sanitizer in her purse. We reached the river soon after entering the park where we met the Embera tribe members who were going to guide us on the tour. They were all men and dressed in only a single cloth to cover the genitals. I felt like I was walking through a National Geographic magazine lol! So we board these two motorized canoes, each holding 14 people. It was a little wobbly walking into the canoe but no one fell out and nothing flipped over. The ride was actually smooth and serene. To see nature at rest, untouched by man was very relaxing. It makes you wonder what the world would be like without noise, pollution, and all the other evils of man. Well, we soon found out. Anyways, we dropped off our food with some others of the tribe at this port then continued on to the “beach.” Real quick, at the port, the ladies of the tribe received the food and all they had on was a bra-like beaded thing and then a skirt. The older ladies wore nothing on their chest and of course the young ones/babies did not have anything on except a skirt. So we reach this so-called beach that is nothing but land where the water has receded. It’s full of rocks but it’s something I guess. The children played around in the water and the adults sat around talking. Mind you all of this was in Spanish and my brain did not really feel like trying to understand/translate so Yolanda and I just kept to ourselves and then went down to the river bank to stick our feet in the water. Then began the interesting part. We started hiking through the rainforest on this path. At first I had on sandals but I quickly realized they would not provide much support for me in the mud so I changed to my tennis shoes. Well then we reached a part where we had to wade across the river to reach the other side of the trail. Sooo, I took off my shoes and put my sandals back on bcuz they’re waterproof and right after crossing the river I put my tennis shoes back on. However this didn’t last long because we then reached another river crossing. By then, I was tired and didn’t feel like taking off my shoes again so I just walked through the water with them on. There goes my tennis shoes! This hike…took about 25-30 minutes to complete but it was well worth it because at the end of the trail was this beautiful waterfall. Everyone quickly disrobed and got into the water to enjoy nature at its finest. The pool beneath the waterfall was very cool but pleasant. At first I wasn’t going to get in but then I said, how many times am I going to be in a rainforest and at a waterfall?! So I got in up to my shoulders because I didn’t want to get my hair wet. Yall know how women are about their hair! Yolanda didn’t bring a swimsuit so she stayed on the side watching/waiting. We stayed there for quite some time then had to make the long trek back to the canoes. We rode the canoes back to the village where we’d dropped off the food. There we met more of the Embera tribe members and ate lunch. As you can tell by the pictures, their village was quite elementary in terms of buildings but quite advanced because they were very stable and protective. In fact, they had little kitchens/stoves inside the huts which amazed me because the huts were made out of wood but yet not burning. The food was served in the leaf of a plantain tree and we had fish and platacones. Platacones are fried, green plantains hammered into the shape of a thick potato chip. For a frame of reference, they are eaten like french fries at meals. They also had sliced pineapples and watermelon to eat. The food was DELICIOUS! The fruit was so juicy and ripe!! Again, I was glad Yolanda had her sanitizer even though it couldn’t truly get rid of all the germs but I was kind of cleaned while in the waterfall. One of the Embera men told us the history of the tribe and its coming to Panama. Afterwards they performed a few dances for us with some of the men playing music. There were small stalls set up with their handmade figurines, mats, jewelry and other items. I didn’t buy anything but they all looked very nice and well-made. We had to leave then because the sky looked like it was about to open up and pour. By then, Yolanda and I were exhausted and ready to get home to a warm shower and our beds. It was around 4 o’clock when we got back into the tour bus to begin the 60 minute bus ride back to civilization. I stayed awake for the first 20 minutes or so but then quickly knocked out. I don’t think Yolanda made it out of the national park awake and I tried to take a picture of her while sleep but she was sleeping on my shoulder so I couldn’t move without stirring her. She said she wasn’t the most outdoorsy type so she was more than ready to escape the wilderness. Neither of us really knew what we signed up for with this trip but we were up for the adventure however by the end of the day we were both ready to get home! Wet and tired we dragged into the apartment, took showers and fell asleep. I am truly glad I went and it was well worth the $55. To me it was like going to an amusement park because they normally cost around fifty dollars so the price was just right. Now, had it cost more, I probably would not have gone and/or would have been upset for spending that much money on the trip. This weekend I was able to experience much of Panama’s culture with the music last night and the nature excursion today. Though I may not be making money down here, I truly can say I am glad I went through with this internship!