Mera, or hello in the Chocoan language! We started this morning bright and early on a drive to the Parque Nacional Chagres, home to the Emberá-Wounaan indigenous people of Panama located near the Chagres River. On the bus ride over, our tour guide picked up some fresh fruits from a local vendor for us to enjoy later. Once we arrived, we rode on a canoe through the river to reach the village. For many of us, the canoe experience was a once-in-a-lifetime with views of the beautiful mountains and greenery that surrounds the river, even spotting a blue and grey heron!
Halfway through the ride, we hiked to The Waterfall of the Chagres River to take pictures and dip our toes in the water.
After seeing the waterfall, we finally reached the village. We were greeted with a warm musical welcome and met the Vice Noko (or Vice Chief Leader of the tribe) who taught us the cultural history and indigenous traditions of the Emberá-Wounaan people, such as rose wood carving and intricate bead work. The Vice Noko also described how tourism plays a major role in providing stable income for village members and sharing the Embera culture with people across the globe.
We then enjoyed a specially made lunch (which included our fresh fruit!) before buying hand-crafted souvenirs from their market. We also watched a series of traditional Emberá dances, where some of us also joined in on the fun! To end the visit, we were given a brief tour of their village, where we got to see some of their animals, before hopping back onto the canoes.
Back on the bus, we traveled to Panama Viejo, another UNESCO World Heritage site. We learned more about Panama’s history at their museum from an archeological standpoint. We also got to climb up an old bell tower to see amazing views of Panama’s coastline.
We ended the night at Os Segredos Da Carne, a Brazilian Steak House. While enjoying a delicious selection of styles of meat and a buffet, we recapped the day's events and looked forward to what tomorrow holds!
See you then!