A Day with the Devils in Portobello

it was a hot day and a friend, Sandie and I were off to Portobelo for the Diablos and Congo Festival.

Many of the folks who came to Panama to work on the canal were from the Caribbean but had African heritage. They came to work but they built homes and raised their families and have stayed to add to the color of Panama. This particular festival is designed to honor that heritage and the energy is amazing.

The Congo dancing is full of color and lots of animation unlike the formality of the folkloric dancing which is done with the Polleras and is a form of courtship.

This entire day was full of color and action but our personal favorites were these two little “diablos” (devils)

If you get a chance to go to the Portobelo show next March be sure to take it in. It is a day you will not forget

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Lovers and Chocolate Lovers, lend me your eyes…

Panama – For Lovers and all those who love chocolate!

With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, this is the week when we buy chocolate for our loved ones or whisk them away on a romantic weekend. Imagine if you could combine chocolate and an idyllic weekend in paradise? You can in Panama!

Bocas del Toro – For Romance and Chocolate

I was reading a report last week from Reuters about the top destinations for chocolate lovers and I was surprised, and pleased, to see Bocas del Toro, Panama, at number 6 on their top ten. Bocas is an archipelago of Caribbean Islands just off the north-western coast of Panama. The islands are a perfect destination for a romantic holiday because they offer:-

* Stunning white sand beaches fringed with palm trees

* Coral reefs teeming with marine life

* Idyllic, beautiful islands

* Lush rainforests and mangroves

A true paradise on earth and only 40 minutes by air from Panama City!

But where does the chocolate come into it?

Cacao

Cacao is a native plant of these islands and has been harvested and consumed by the indigenous Kuna people for centuries. The Kuna people drink up to 40 cups of cacao per week and this is said to protect them from a host of diseases, it keeps their hearts healthy and is said to be the secret of their long lives.

You can learn more about the cacao bean by going on a tour of the Green Acres Chocolate Farm and Jungle on Bocas del Toro, a fantastic farm where cacao beans are grown, harvested, roasted and finally the cacao products sold to visitors. The property is 35 acres where in addition to cacao plants, also has jungle plants, orchids, pineapple trees and many jungle animals, including colorful tree frogs. A tour of this farm makes for a great day out.

If you just want to taste handmade chocolate made from a traditional Kuna recipe, you can buy it from The Chocolate Shop at La Veranda Hotel. Heather Guidi, the owner of the shop, uses organic cacao, a local Kuna recipe and historically authentic methods to lovingly produce her chocolate; she also loves to tell visitors all about it.

So, forget about Switzerland, Belgium and other “chocolate countries”, Panama is the place for chocolate, love, beauty and a great life. Plus at this time of the year we have endless sun and warmth.

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Kuna Air? Really?

We know that Panama’s Kuna Indians have their own homelands but do they really have an airline?

This is really our wonderful photographer, Dan Hendrichs having a little fun. Let’s see what Photoshop can do. But you would not believe the number of Panamanians who have seen this picture and done a double take, ” I didn’t know the Kuna had their own airlines” is a common response.

Well for the record you will have to fly a local airline to get to Kuna Yala but you will not find Kuna Air. In the meantime. Enjoy the fun with us.

Be sure to show Panamanians this and ask them about Kuna Air. You will get some startled responses.

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Formal Costume or Native Dress, Which do you prefer?

Whether it is the formal Pollera, pictured on the billboard or the colorful native dress of the Kuna Indian, worn proudly by the young Kuna woman in the foreground, the costumes of Panama are unique and beautiful.

However, the Kuna costume is generally made to fit the Kuna and since the Kuna are the second smallest people in the world, larger only than the African pygmy, they do not ft too many North Americans. Although they do make beautiful gifts for young teens.

Everything is hand made in the Kuna costume, and like their art work, the Mola, the costumes are very colorful. The Kuna are also quite shy about revealing too much skin so you will see them covered usually from head to toe as this young lady shows us. They are getting more used to the amount of skin that many of us are willing to show and think nothing of it, especially in Panama City, but if you travel to their homelands of Kuna Yala in the far northeast corner of Panama do not be surprised if they stare at you if you wear a revealing top or short shorts.

There was a time not long ago when people were not allowed into Kuna Yala without being properly covered, men in pants and shirt and women with shoulders and legs covered, at least past the knee. These standards have been relaxed somewhat as they have now interacted more with people from northern regions who bare skin when it is hot. However the men still can not go bare chested, and women cannot wear skinny bikinis, without risking being asked to leave.

Since Kuna Yala is one of the most interesting places in Panama to visit, nestled away along the Caribbean sea, with pristine, bright blue waters, diving and snorkeling enthusiasts are likely going to be willing to cover up a little, in order to see all the wonders that there are to see here.

This is their land, please respect it and their customs. You will be fascinated by this area of Panama, where the natives still live just as they have done for years and years and even centuries.

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Monkey Talk

Don’t the monkeys make you feel young? So much energy and so much flexibility. Wonderful!
Take the opportunity to see the monkeys to be in their presence and just enjoy the magnificent scenery all around. Talk about getting away from all our worries and cares.

When you come to Panama do not just settle for Panama City even though it is vibrant. Get out of the city, get over to the Caribbean side, get into the rain forest, find nature and enjoy. There is so much to see and do. Every day a new vista, every day a new adventure.

Find the monkeys and feel young again.

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Portobelo

The guns at Portobelo in their current state are amazing. Talk about a step back in time. These truly were the cannons that were put in place shortly after Christopher Columbus founded this beautiful port and named it Port Beautiful. Portobelo

There is no charge for entering this historical place and you can go right up to the fort, see where the gunners who guarded the ports stood, see the cannons as they were left, 180 years ago when Portobelo was deserted and activity moved to the city of Colon.

If you want to snorkel or dive, you will be amazed at all the interesting parts of history you will find here hidden beneath the waves of the Atlantic. Not long ago they in fact found a ship which they believe to be the ship that Christopher Columbus lost here 400 and some odd years ago.

So come and spend some time in Portobelo and let your imagination run wild. Imagine this beautiful port filled with those huge sailing galleons, what did the men from Europe think as they gazed out for the first time on a whole new world. Consider the trips of the gold across the country of Panama long before there was a road or a railroad or the canal. If you think we hqave life hard, imagine their days work. What did they eat, what thoughts did they think

This really is an extraordinary place. In America there would be a huge charge to enter this historical place and an amusement park set up around this very historical location, but here in Panama it just waits for your investigation.

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Panama Caribbean Coast and Islands

The Caribbean coast of Panama is the home to numerous islands, coral reefs, native tribes, rainforest preserves and every aspect of a natural recreational wonderland.

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Kuna Indian and their Molas

The Kuna women with their unique costume and tiny size are readily identifiable all over Panama City as well as Kuna Yala which is their home. Never do you see a Kuna woman with empty hands. They are usually seen carrying a young child or making one of their distinctive Molas. This handiwork has been handed down through the generations and they weave intricate patterns using many layers of colored cloth.

Today, unfortunately, they have started creating designs that sell commercially. However, originally this was their form of art and worship and the designs were for the purposes of recognizing their deities, their stories and their history.

Look carefully and you can sometimes find the original art work hidden amongst the commercial art molas they have started to create in order to sell them to the unknowing visitor.

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The Port of Colon

Colon has one of the largest ports in the world and is incredibly busy and active.

The city was founded by American entrepreneurs in 1850 as the Atlantic terminus of the Panama Railroad, then under construction to meet the gold rush demand for a fast route to California. For a number of years early in its history, the sizable United States emigré community called the town Aspinwall while the city’s Hispanic community called it Colón, in honor of Christopher Columbus. The city was founded on the western end of a treacherously marshy islet known as Manzanillo Island. As part of the Panama Railroad’s construction, the island was connected to the Panamanian mainland by a causeway and part of the island was drained to allow the erection of permanent buildings.
Colón, circa 1910
Colón, circa 1910

Much of the city was burned during a Colombian civil war in 1885, and again in a massive fire in 1915.

In 1948, the southeastern corner of Manzanillo Island was designated the Colón Free Trade Zone. The Free Trade Zone has since been expanded through land reclamation on the Folks River and annexation of parts of France Field (now Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport) and Coco Solo.

During its heyday, Colón was home to dozens of night clubs, cabarets and movie theaters. It was known for its citizens’ civic pride, orderly appearance and outstanding native sons and daughters. Politically-instigated riots in the 1960s destroyed the city’s beautiful municipal palace and signaled the start of the city’s decline, which was further accelerated by the military dictatorship of Manuel Noriega from 1968-1989.

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