Andrea and I got up bright and early the morning after the transit to take a tour of the Emberer Indian Village in Panama. Mark was more than happy to stay on the boat and relax (fix broken things). The Emberer Indians originally lived in Darien, South America but many left that area to resettle along the Chagres River due to the abundance of fish in the river. Although the area was later converted into a National Park after some negotiations, the Emberer Indians were allowed to remain living in the Park. Under this agreement, they were no longer allowed to sell the fish they caught but rather developed their economy around tourism. We were invited to their village for lunch and they entertained us with several of their traditional dances. We also had the opportunity to dance with them. Like the Kuna Indians they sold their crafts and also were willing to give us temporary tattoos.

Andrea and I enjoyed the day greatly. We were taken for a canoe ride up the Chagres river in a hallowed out wooden canoe (they did have gas motors). We hiked to a waterfall for a swim. Then toured their village and ate fresh fruit, tilapia and plantains for lunch. The food was delicious, yes, even the fish. We danced with the Indians (I was picked first to go onto the dance floor!) Andrea and I were given temporary tattoos (hopefully) for $2. And then we bought some crafts from the Indians. Several of the Indians spoke English and we had a translator who was our tour guide. Thus, we were able to learn a great deal about their lives. Unlike the Kuna Indians, their huts were high off the ground due to the snakes and the jaguars. We also learned quite a bit about how they elect a chief every five years and how they use medicine men for both spiritual and physical healing. Their religion is based on nature respecting the resources around them. The photos of our visit to the Emberer Indians have been posted to the gallery.

The next day Mark, Andrea and I went on a tour of Panama City. The view of the city from our marina is quite impressive. It looks like a typical American city with many high rise buildings. Daniel was our tour guide again today and he did a fantastic job. No matter what question you asked him, he was able to answer with specific dates and the names of all the leaders involved, both Panamanian and American. He educated us about the longstanding relationship between the United States and Panama. He was grateful to the United States for all they had done to help them gain independence from Columbia and also for giving over the operation of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. The transfer of the operation of the Panama Canal to Panama was agreed upon in the Torrijos-Carter (the President) Treaty originally signed in 1977. The talks to transfer the operation of the Panama Canal to Panama began in the early 1950's. Yes, it took quite a while.



There is much cultural diversity in Panama given that over 75,000 workers were brought to Panama from all over the world to build the canal. Many of these people stayed in Panama and thus the great diversity. The predominant language is Spanish and Mark tried valiantly to speak as much as he could. More people spoke English than we expected so we were able to get around in taxis to do grocery shopping, etc. Approximately 80% of the population is Catholic but many other religions are represented. There were many sailboats that have remained anchored in this area for many years. The cost of living here is very reasonable and everyone is very friendly (even if you cannot speak their language). Check out the photos in the gallery of Panama City showing its diverse architecture.



We sail 50 miles to the islands of Las Perlas tomorrow (Friday February 3, 2012) after much time has been spent shopping, restocking, fixing, cleaning, blogging, emailing, etc. I was finally able to do my own laundry at the marina for only $1 per wash and $1 per dry. Total cost - $14 compared to $100 in the Caribbean. I also have a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables on board now. It is amazing what thrills me in our new life on board our boat. We leave the Las Perlas Islands on February 9th for 6 day trip to the Galapagos. The availability of the internet to stay in communication with friends and family using Skype and email is only going to be more limited over the next 6 months as we sail through the Polynesian Islands. But Mark will do his best to seek out those hot spots to keep the blog updated. Thanks for all the comments and emails. It is hard to describe but let me just say that it really makes us very happy to see so many of you connecting with us on this experience and expressing your support. We will update the blog again before leaving for the Galapagos.