Farsighted Fly Girl

I'm a big fan of rain forests. I love the lush terrain and the creatures that flit in the trees, lurk on the ground and splash in the water. Rain forests are synonymous with adventure and I'm always up for that. So when I learned that we had to traverse Panama's rain forest to reach the remote Embera Indian village, I was excited. Hiking and climbing through a jungle of greenery is my idea of great exercise. I've done it lots of times, in many places. Except, not typically in a maxi dress and sandals. I knew I'd have trouble when our guide gazed at my getup and shot me an incredulous stare. Not a,  "oh my, that's a pretty dress and it might get dirty look" but a "mujer, esta una probelema,"  look. I don't know what I was thinking, except that it was really, really, hot and maxi dresses are cool. Only, when rains flood areas of the rain forest that used to be dry land, and you need to walk over them, then it's not so cool.  The only...

Deep in the Panamanian rain forest, on the shores of the Chagres River, an Embera Indian Village welcomes visitors interested in learning about their centuries-old traditions. We had traveled in a hand-carved canoe,  and scaled makeshift bridges to reach the village. Before I entered into the village's circle of thatched roof huts and glimpsed the laughing children and heard the flute trills of their instruments, I knew that I wanted to connect with the Embera. After a demonstration of cooking, plant medicine and weaving techniques, I requested a traditional tattoo. A village's elder was enlisted to do the honor for me. The Embera paint their bodies with the juice of the jagua  plant. The black etchings are semi-permanent tattoos that last up to 3 weeks. The elder wiped the sunscreen off my arm and pressed sharply into my skin with the tip of a bamboo stick. He slowly created my design, scrawling the lines carefully. Each symbol has a specific meaning and I...

I'm so sorry that's it's been so long since my last post but I was hunkered down writing my book, which was due yesterday. Now that it's at the publisher's, I can get back to my routine, which includes traveling and writing about it. I'll write a post about my book closer to the publication date but I really wanted to look back at all the wonderful places I visited in 2013 before I start my 2014 travels. My travel schedule was really busy last year but these are the places that I loved. Oaxaca, Mexico was one of them, that's Santa Cruz Bay pictured above. The nine bays of Huatulco, Mexico are breathtaking, it was a dicey experience for me to see all of them, since I was in a boat for hours and suffered from seasickness but it was totally worth it. This is the last bay, St. Augustine. I sampled fresh guacamole (they literally went to pick the avocados) in a beach cafe and climbed the top of the hill that overlooks the bay, to the local church. I promi...

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then children are the mirror for the soul of a culture. Wherever I travel, observing children supplies me with more information about a place than any guidebook. The Embera are one of 7 indigenous cultures in Panama and they maintain traditional villages with raised, thatched-roof huts with no walls. Peeking out from one of the huts, I watched children play in the rain. No adult cautioned them or called them into a hut, as they squealed with the delight of feeling the raindrops splatter on their little bodies. The joy and unrestricted freedom to play and explore (We caught a few peering through a hole in the village outhouse as we took turns using rain forest facilities.) that these children expressed reveals a lot about Embera culture. They are clearly valued and encouraged to discover the world around them. Although the children only spoke their native dialect, they communicated their happiness to me very strongly.

I confess, I'm not usually excited about visiting huge tourist attractions but the Panama Canal proved the exception for me. Everybody heads to the site whenever they touch down in Panama and now I understand why. Viewing one of the most difficult engineering feats ever established is an awesome sight up close. The experience begins with a stop by the Miraflores Visitors Center, which supplies four floors of extensive history and interactive displays about the Panama Canal. Miraflores Locks is the tallest of the three sets of Panama Canal Locks, measuring over a mile long.The Panama Canal unfolds for 48 miles between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans so you can only view a portion of it at Miraflores Locks but it's still a jaw-dropping sight. Looking down from the observation deck, I witnessed a ship enter the waterway. '  Gatun Lake forms part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships across the Isthmus of Panama. I watched as the canal gates gradually opened and c...

Casco Viejo is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Panama with an interesting history. In 1671, when notorious pirate Henry Morgan looted and destroyed the old city, Panama Viejo, the residents decided to build a safer and easier to defend city. They created Casco Viejo, which translates to "old helmet," a maze-like, walled city filled with elegant 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial architecture. Some locals don't even like to call it Casco Viejo because of the association of discarding old things. Instead, they prefer Casco Antiguo, because antiques are valued and preserved. Whatever the name, I found the neighborhood to be inviting and colorful, crammed with history and art. I visited at night, when the area comes alive with music and nightlife but that didn't stop me from noting these charming murals. They appear to be painted by school children, documenting the neighborhood's cultural institutions like the Panama Canal Museum. This mural welcomes...

Panama is noted for Howler monkeys and I was on alert for sightings during my entire time there.  I was excited about hearing the distinctive screeching that they make, although locals warned me that it can be very disorienting. They hang out in the rain forest, munching young leaves in treetops. I rode a canoe deep into the Panamanian rain forest and spotted a few monkeys, like the critter above, perched on a branch. We were apparently too late to see Howlers, who pump out their screams at the beginning and end of the day.Their powerful vocal cords have earned them the title of "loudest animal in the New World."  I'd still like to experience their unusual screams, although not unexpectedly. What animals are you looking forward to spotting on your travels?

The Panama Canal may be the most famous structure in Panama but the notorious Diablico Sucio represents the most familiar cultural figure. The name translates to dirty devil and I met this character when I visited Casco Viejo, the old colonial section of Panama City. Diablico Sucio also dates back to colonial times, when villagers, especially from Los Santos, would construct a costume from a blanket painted with red and black stripes made with coal and annatto seeds. The dance connected with the character would make the dancers sweaty, blurring the coal and annotto so that it resembled dirt, hence the name. Diablico Sucio  is associated with the religious feast of Corpus Christi. The dancers use elaborate footwork, castanets, bells and a walking stick to symbolize the vivid battle between good and evil. During carnaval, these devils roam the streets and whip revelers with the walking stick unless they pay them or carry their own walking stick for protection. A UNES...

Panama displays a rich array of cultures and influences but for me, the indigenous people represent the real Panama. I journeyed to an Embera Indian village tucked into the Panamanian rainforest and that was the most memorable experience of my trip. The Embera are also called Choco` and are warm, inviting people. This photo of an Embera girl overlooking her village is my favorite photo from my visit because it shows the beauty of both the landscape and the people.

 I travel through North and South America a lot but never at once. This feat can only happen in Panama, where the Bridge of the Americas, pictured above, connects both continents as it spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.  I'll be exploring Panama on a media trip where I'll visit legendary structures like the Panama Canal, Bridge of the Americas and Casco Viejo (Old Panama), which dates back to the 1600s, when pirates controlled much of the region. I'm most excited about visiting an Embera Indian village tucked into the Panamanian rain forest, where I'll learn about native plants and rituals. Look out for posts on Panamanian culture, food and fun next week.