riding a boat through the canal (we were close enough to the canal wall that I could touch it)
hanging out with my sisters:
beautiful scenery
swimming in the Chagres River and in the Caribbean Sea:
Happy memories forever.
Showing posts with label Panama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panama. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2020
Panama Memories
I am so grateful for my trip to Panama. Here are some fun memories:
riding a boat through the canal (we were close enough to the canal wall that I could touch it)
hanging out with my sisters:
beautiful scenery
swimming in the Chagres River and in the Caribbean Sea:
Happy memories forever.
riding a boat through the canal (we were close enough to the canal wall that I could touch it)
hanging out with my sisters:
beautiful scenery
swimming in the Chagres River and in the Caribbean Sea:
Happy memories forever.
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
Another Adventure in Panama
One day we decided to go to Fort San Lorenzo. It is a place we remembered visiting when we were kids (my older sister) or remembered seeing in pictures (me). It's the site of an old fort that was built in the 1500s to protect the area from pirates and marauders. The info on the signage there says that ironically, this fort was attacked often. The ruins that are still there now are from the 1700s. They are crumbling and needing to be held up with supports. Apparently Panama is looking for someone who can help restore/maintain the ruins so that they don't completely collapse. Anyone know some experts?
I have scanned some of our parents' old slides. This picture is in about 1951, the family visiting Fort San Lorenzo. Even the signs have changed, as it was owned, at the time, by America but is now Panamanian.
us at the current sign in 2020
In 1950s, the ground was messy and bumpy.
Now it's much more grass-like and appears easier to walk on.
my brother, his friend, and my two sisters in 1950s
me, 2020
Our parents took this from the fort.. it shows where the Chagres River meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Here we are in the same spot, 67+ years later. It was awesome and emotional being in these old spots that our parents lived and moved. They would be so pleased to know that we got to go back and learn about our first home. The next pictures are from our recent visit.
The visitors' center there is new, and one must now pay to get in. I feel sorry for the people who work there, because the road into the fort is long, VERY bumpy, full of potholes.. our driver had to dodge and swerve around all the big holes.. quite a physical feat just driving us in and out of there. Can you imagine commuting on that road every day?
More about Panama in my next post or two.
The visitors' center there is new, and one must now pay to get in. I feel sorry for the people who work there, because the road into the fort is long, VERY bumpy, full of potholes.. our driver had to dodge and swerve around all the big holes.. quite a physical feat just driving us in and out of there. Can you imagine commuting on that road every day?
More about Panama in my next post or two.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Our First Adventure in Panama
One of our first days in Panama was one of our best and most interesting. Our guide, Alex, suggested that we visit the Embera tribe. We pretty much did anything he suggested, because he knew a lot more about the opportunities than we did.
First we had a canoe ride over to the Embera village. Our canoe driver was Reigu. He was quiet with a nice smile and sooo helpful. (He spoke Spanish but not English.) Every time I turned around I saw him grabbing our bags and carrying them all for us, like a Sherpa, and he was also always present when we had to walk over bumpy, rocky paths to get to our final spot - the waterfall. His arm would be right there to help steady us or catch us if we lost our balance. Same with Alex. He was fabulous. I might write something just about him later on.
Such beautiful kids! The Embera people are small and appear to be kind and happy. They speak their own language and Spanish. They rely on tourists to provide an income and any extras we can. We brought along fruit which the kids loved. I also had some packs of gum in my pocket. You should have seen the kids jump to life when I pulled those out and handed them out. I mimed to them "sharing" since I only had a few packs with me. We did see them share, but boy were they grabby at first when I had those packs of gum in view. LOL!
They fed us a delicious meal of fresh fish and fried plantain. Yummy!
They (with interpreters) explained how they dye reeds and make their cloth. Unfortunately I couldn't hear most of what they said. Then they danced and we danced!
Alex helped find some families with young kids, and we gave them five quilts! Highlight of the day!
After all the dancing and hanging out, they set out tables of their wares to sell.. beautiful bracelets, earrings, various kinds of cloth, bowls, etc. Then we departed and got back on the water to find the waterfall.
arriving at the waterfall.. we jumped in and swam in our clothes. It was refreshing and so fun! This part of the trip was an "Alex Special." Most tourists don't get to go to the waterfall. We experienced many Alex Specials during the week.
First we had a canoe ride over to the Embera village. Our canoe driver was Reigu. He was quiet with a nice smile and sooo helpful. (He spoke Spanish but not English.) Every time I turned around I saw him grabbing our bags and carrying them all for us, like a Sherpa, and he was also always present when we had to walk over bumpy, rocky paths to get to our final spot - the waterfall. His arm would be right there to help steady us or catch us if we lost our balance. Same with Alex. He was fabulous. I might write something just about him later on.
Such beautiful kids! The Embera people are small and appear to be kind and happy. They speak their own language and Spanish. They rely on tourists to provide an income and any extras we can. We brought along fruit which the kids loved. I also had some packs of gum in my pocket. You should have seen the kids jump to life when I pulled those out and handed them out. I mimed to them "sharing" since I only had a few packs with me. We did see them share, but boy were they grabby at first when I had those packs of gum in view. LOL!
They fed us a delicious meal of fresh fish and fried plantain. Yummy!
They (with interpreters) explained how they dye reeds and make their cloth. Unfortunately I couldn't hear most of what they said. Then they danced and we danced!
Alex helped find some families with young kids, and we gave them five quilts! Highlight of the day!
After all the dancing and hanging out, they set out tables of their wares to sell.. beautiful bracelets, earrings, various kinds of cloth, bowls, etc. Then we departed and got back on the water to find the waterfall.
arriving at the waterfall.. we jumped in and swam in our clothes. It was refreshing and so fun! This part of the trip was an "Alex Special." Most tourists don't get to go to the waterfall. We experienced many Alex Specials during the week.
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