continutes to affect — this country. Witnessing the sheer size of the enormous PANAMEX cargo ships, which pass through the canal with only inches of clearing on either sides, is a marvel to behold. I didn’t realize that the canal actually works as “water stairs” to lower or raise the ships to the appropriate sea level where they are traveling to. You can also can sit at a restaurant and order lunch as you watch the massive ships go through, something that is not at all easy. Each ship takes an enormous amount of man power and about 45 minutes of technical maneuvers to get these ships through the lock. It’s amazing. On the way back from the Canal, we decided to take a detour through the Jungle to go visit the nearby Embera tribe. We had no idea what to expect, which made it even more exciting. First we drove through an old abandoned American Military base in the jungle. It was so creepy; it looked like one of those fake suburban neighborhoods they build in the desert to test nuclear bombs on, but this one was in the middle of the jungle. We parked at the edge of a river, and a handcarved canoe with an Embera tribesman in nothing but a loincloth paddles up to collect us. We were then paddled out to their village through crocodile-infested waters and glided through a sea of gorgeous green lily pads in
order to cross over to their village. Once we were there, they took us on a hike through the rainforest, explaining the flora, fauna, and what they use for herbs and cooking. They also took us around their village, performed their native dances, prepared us a meal from fresh fish and plantains, and then showcased their gorgeous carvings and weavings, which are available to purchase to help support the tribe. They create these pots from palm leaves that are so perfectly woven that they can hold water without leaking. It was pretty impressive. I attempted to dance with them — and failed quite epically. Still, it was a truly unique experience and so amazing that people still live like this only minutes away from a major city like Panama City. We spent our last couple days in Panama City, biking around Casco Viejo, taking photos, and enjoying their local food. I was obsessed with Casco and all of the colors and textures of the old buildings. As a photographer I was in heaven there. We also decided to visit Panama City’s three closest islands, Maos, Perico, and Flamenco, all three connected by a causeway to the mainland and accesible by a quick bike or taxi ride. We had dinner while watching the sunset from the islands and walked around and checked out all
of the opulent yachts parked there. If you have time for a few extra days, I suggest going to the San Blas islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama. You can either charter a yacht or take a jumper plane there, but these islands have pristine white beaches and turquoise water with amazing coral reefs to go snorkeling. The options here are endless, since they do have an island for almost every day of the year! Adam was right: I was completely wrong about Panama. I was wrong to think I could expeirence everything this country has to offer in only a week. I left feeling a bit teased by my experience. There is so much to do here and so much more ground to cover. You can’t possibly see all of the islands, witness all of the wildlife in their jungles, try every new adventure sport, learn Spanish, or even perfect your tan in only a week. What makes it even more fabulous is that you can do all of this in style and comfort now that boutique hotels like Tántalo are becoming more popular and prevalent there. It is so exciting to watch Panama boom and become such an major travel destination. I am excited to see where it will be in a few years. In the meantime I am going to go back and enjoy it there as often as possible while it’s still Central America’s best l.a. kept secret.
july/august 2012 l.a. centric 51