One dollar - un Balboa

The "Balboa" is debuting a new look. It was released along with a campaign to educate the public and is valid for all transactions. The dollar and the balboa are both legal tender currencies in Panama.
The Balboa is named after Spanish conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who discovered the Pacific Ocean nearly 500 years ago. The Balboa has been equivalent to the US dollar since 1904 and it even circulated as paper money for a breief period in 1941.

Religion and folklore in Las Tablas

There will be over 25,000 people flocking to Las Tablas this month to celebrate the town's patron saint, Santa Librada. Also they will enjoy the National Pollera Dress Day on July 22. This town is considered the heart of the Azuero Penninsula and Panamanian folklore. There will be lots of celebration, music and dancing.

Followers of Santa Librada will follow the tradition of the "novenas," nine days of mourning in preparation for the big day when the patron saint will be carried out of the chuch. It will be adorned with gold jewelry and a long wig made of locks donated from the faithfuls, and she will lead a magnificent procession through the town in a very extravagant float. It is one of the most unusual religious ceremonies and attracts people from all over the world.

Then there is the Pollera Queen parade. There will be an accordion contest and a traditional hat contest.

Panama Travel and Tourism

The Embera

The majority of the Embera continue to live a traditional lifestyle, but they also welcome visitors. They are not as well known as some Native american groups in Panama as they have traditionally lived in the dee[p rain forest of the eastern Darien province, but that is beginning to change. Parara Puru is a small village of Embera on the Chagres River ab out an hour from Panama City that welcomes tours from the outside.

Depending on which village you choose to visit you will meet Anne, a US citizen with a 20 year career as an animal trainer in film and TV. She met her husband while working on a films in the jungles of Panama, and is now married to a member of the village.

The Embera is one of seven recognized tribes in Panama. They first migrated from Colombia to Panama's Darien region. Then over the last quarter-century some of these families established villages on the Chagres River.
Normally you will arrive in the village by canoe and are greeted by music and kids. Embera Puru has about 100 inhabitants, 15 or so thatched roof huts, a gigantic "town hall" and a small "guest houe" for visitors. You are allowed to wander around on your own during your visit, you will also hear about their history and culture. Then lunch over an open pit fire which is served in banana leaf "plates." You also enjoy a trip into the jungle to hear about medicinal plants, just the Shaman and what nature provides. Ladies attend basket weaving which they are so famous for.
They explain that crafts are priced at $1 for each day it took to make the item. They also dance and play music.

If you want to visit the Darien province itself, it is for the cautions adventurer. There are no hospitals, clinics or pharmacies. You need to make arrangements to go with a guide as danger ebbs and flows in the Darien. These people made their way from Colombia in 1830 and are proficient hunters using poison dart blowguns. They are renown for making canoes so stable that the Panama Canal Authoirty buys them for transportation to up-river areas. Women are considered among the world's best basket makers.

The Darien National Park is one of Panama's jewels with 576,000 hectares of rain forest rich in wildlife.

The Embra People of Panama

Panama's Kuna People

Kuna Yala

Kuna Yala means in the Kuna language "Kuna territory." It is also known as San Blas, a name given to this territory by the Spanish conquistadors and which remains to this day. The region borders on the west with the Province of colon and on the east with Colombia, to the south you find the provinces of Panama and Darien and the 365 islands that make up the archipelago that extends out into the Caribbean Sea.

Most of its population is concentrated in these islands. By the mid 19th century they started populating the islands of the archipelago. The continental part of the "comarca" (territory) is mostly uninhabited. They have been able to preserve the biologic diversity of the region and their culture.

For the Kunas the land is the mother of all things. She is the guardian of all that exists and represents the spirit, the strength and the vigor of the Kuna culture. The elders have taught the Kuna people that there are 8 spiritual levels in which they can find themselves: gold, silver, iron and other minerals that maintain Mother Earth. If they allow these minerals to be exploited, their trees will dry up and production will decrease. That it is why it is so important for them to take care of the environment and not abuse it.

The Kuna culture is one of the most studied and their traditions amaze and surprise tourists. One of the most striking practices is the fact that their young do not receive their names until they reach puberty. Until they reach puberty, the Kuna women are called by a nickname. The women wear the beautiful "molas." Molas are considered one of the most sophisticated handicrafts in Latin America. They are made from brilliantly colored cotton textiles. Cuts are made in the clothe making layers which are later sewn. To complement the molas, the women wear brightly colored cloths tied around their waist, in a manner of skirt and a red handkerchief with yellow designs on their heads. They also adorn themselves with necklaces, rings, and bracelets of gold with thich they complete their daily attire. The Kunas wrap their ankles and wrists in bracelets made from bright colored "chaquiras" (beads called winis in the Kuna language).

Their economy centers around the harvest of coconuts which they sell mainly to Colombian ships that sail in the region. Coconuts are traded for clothes, food or accessories such as sunglasses.

Another aspect that catches the attention of tourists is the high incidence of albinism in the Kuna territory. Experts attribute this to the fact that they rearely marry outside their community. Children of the moon, as the albinos are called, are revered and treated as special people.

Border crossing into Costa Rica from Panama

Guabito, Panama (and Sixaola, Costa Rica) is one of the few border crossings with Costa Rica, this one located on the Caribbean side, in the Bocas del Toro province. Guabito is a town in the Changuinola district of the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama. Guabito is a small town located directly across the Rio Sixaola from Sixaola, Costa Rica. An elevated former railroad grade and bridge connect Guabito to Sixaola. The border crossing is popular with tourists going between Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro. The Costa Rica-Panama border is also a time zone boundary so Guabito is one hour ahead of Sixaola. Few tourists stop in guabito longer than necessary to clear Panamanian customs.

The bridge across the Sixaola River is for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic and was built in 1908! A new bridge is very badly needed but Costa Rica and Panama are having discussions on its construction.

Panamanian amphibians victims of deadly fungus

Workers at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore have spent the past decade creating a frog-breeding program that now makes the facility the largest U.S. breeder and shipper of the Panamanian golden frog. The program is part of a larger effort by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to propagate the endangered species in captivity with an eye on one day rebuilding the wild population in its natural habitat.

The "waving" is a language of "hand" motions the frogs evolved to communicate amid the din of falling water in Panama that drowns out their chirps. Maryland Zoo veterinarian said the Panamanian golden frogs once were abundant in Panama. A national icon and a symbol of good luck, their image appears on the country's lottery tickets, in hotels and gift shops. But today they're absent in the wild, reduced by habitat loss, toxins and over-collection, then wiped out by the deadly chytrid fungus that has affected 30% of the world's amphibian species. They also discovered the frogs like running water in their tanks. So the adult tanks have a steady trickle of water falling through the lid. Temperatures are kept near 70 degrees, like Panama's mountain forests.

Hammocks!!

Like so many nations, Panama's country folk love their fairs. One of the most popular is the Azuero Fair (Feria de Azuero) held in Villa de los Santos in Los Santos province of central Panama. Azuero is the name given to the "hump" of central Panama that sticks out into the Pacific. Along with the standard country fair events, there are plenty of vendors selling crafts. Here's one of a kind of craft that we all definitely enjoy!

Contadora Island and Punta Manzanilla

Here is something special about standing on this beach, as this man does near Punta Manzanilla on the Caribbean coast in eastern Panama. You may be alone, but the surf provides ceaseless motion and sound. It is huge, but id doesn't frighten you, it calms you. You don't really "look" at anything, you experience it. It is not static, it is a living creature in its won right.

Off the Pacific Coast, a few minutes by plane from Panama City, are the Pearl Islands. This tranquil beach is found on the largest island, Isla Contadora. The name translates to "Accountant's Island" as this was the location of the counting-house for the Spanish pearl trade of past centuries. The island has eleven white sand beaches, including Panama's only beach for nude sun-bathing, Playa de las Suecas, literally Beach of the Swedish Women and sea from Panama City. But unlike the city, "traffic" here adds to the relaxing environment.

Caiman, nokeys and cows....

This is a "caiman," a smaller cousin of the crocodile. This particular follow is a "Spectacled Caiman," called that because he has a ridge between his eyes. Don't worry, you wont find him in your backyard in Panama! Indeed, you will be very fortunate if you ever see one as they don't hang out with humans and live only in remote locations. Our friend here was found by workers for Futuro Forestal, a reforestation project in Panama.

They are called "howler monkeys" and they are the loudest land animals. Measuring up to a yard (meter) in height, these monkeys are "folivores" which means they eat leaves, fruit, buds, flowers, and nuts, not us! Indeed, howlers are relatively friendly animals and are not threat to their Panamanian neighbors. However, a mother is a mother, so keep your distance when baby is asleep.





Chiriqui province in the fart west of Panama is our equivalent of America's Texas. Local folks are extremely proud of their province, and there are plenty of cattle. This fellow is very typical. Most Panamanian cattle are hybrids, but you can see the influence of the Brahma family in this gentleman.

All about fish!

You might be surprised to know that salmon is a popular fish in Panama. Of course, our native varieties, especially corvina, are the most common, but salmon has its place in the marketplace too. We even have a local producer of a variety of smoked salmon specialties whose products are also exported. Where do the salmon come from? From fish farms like the one on the left from cocle province in central Panama.

You can see part of Panama City's skyline in the background. The city and the surrounding suburban area are home to well over a million people and nearly all have one thing in common...they eat seafood! This is one of the seafood markets near the city where fishing ships head with their catch. The main seafood market in Panama City is very well run. It's a project sponsored by the Japanese government as a gift to all of us who live here. Now, that is a thoughtful gift.
In a small restaurant on the beach near Las Lajas in the Chiriqui province, this was a lunch special. Those round yellow items in front are patacones, fried slices of plantain. The plantain is a member of the banana family, but it's larger, starchier and not as sweet. It is used much like a potato and it's a perfect accompaniment for a fresh fish.

Free insurance for all tourists visiting Panama

Starting January 15, 2011, all visitors arriving at Tocumen International Airport in Panama will be covered by a state-appointed health insurance policy for 30 days. This measure is expected to increase Panama's competitiveness as a destination.

Each visitor will be given a pamphlet containing an identification card for beneficiaries. This card needs to be presented together with a passport in order to get medical care. If the visitor is injured while consuming drugs or under the influence of alcohol then the coverage is voided.

The benefits will cover accidental diseases within 30 days of your stay in Panama, hospitalization and medical expenses arising as a result of injuries from an accident, medical transportation (including rental or air ambulance if required), hotel expenses (maximum 10 days), pharmaceutical costs, accidental death and repatriation of the body to the country of origin, legal and administrative assistance after an accident, including documented loss of documents, translations, etc.

The policy covers medical expenditures up to $7,000 and if the visitor needs to be transferred to another medical center, overseas transportation up to $40,000 will be provided. The insurance also contains $20,000 in coverage if a visitor dies while in Panama.

Mountain living.....

Thinking of the past, looking toward the future is what this man is doing. As you are deep in the mountains of the continental divide you have to walk or take a horse to get there, your 4x4 is useless. This pensive gentleman is a farmer looking down on some of his land. This is a tough place to make living and he has sold his land to a gringo who will develop it. He is getting a good price for his land. He says his children will go to the university with the money. His teenage daughter is especially bright and she plans to go to medical school. As for him, he will buy a better piece of land and continue farming, but his children come first. Like so many of us, we make sacrifices so that our children will move forward and succeed.

Before people arrive and look around for themselves, they think only of palm trees when they think of Panama. We have plenty of palm trees, but they are only one variety of many. The photo on the left was taken near La Pintada in Cocle province in central Panama and provides two examples, plus a very nice view of one of our many mountains.

Trees.....

Not just pretty. It is flamboyant! Our birds and flowers are colorful but our trees can be very impressive too. The photo can only give a hint of its beauty in real life.








This is a mango tree. Yes, the tree that produces those under-ripe, over-priced fruits you see in the supermarket in the US and Europe. In Panama they are very cheap, or they can be free if you have a tree in your back yard. This one is not unusually large but you will never go hungry during mango season with a tree like this one!

Panama Viejo

Panama Viejo, or Old Panama, is the ruins of the first settlement in Panama City. It was destroyed by the Pirate Henry Morgan in the late 1600's. Morgan decided on Panama instead of Cartagena de Indias or Veracruz (which was also considered for pillaging) because of its riches from being a commercial center between the oceans. Most of the city was destroyed during a pirate raid in 1671, but the ruins remain today. Definitely a good place to stop by during your visit.

Today, visitors can stop in Panama Viejo to see the museum and tour the remains of the "first" Panama City. The museum includes a viewing of the archaeological collection which has been recovered at this site. The pieces record the presence of Europeans, Indians and the first Panamanians all living together in the city.

A couple of Panamanian women pose and take pictures wearing their 'polleras,' Panama's typical or traditional dress which can be seen throughout the country at various celebrations during the year. These dresses can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and can take up to a year or more to make. These young ladies are pictured in front of the old ruins.