Panama: Embera Indigenous village

Day 3 Jungle Expedition 

One of the greatest outdoor adventures of my life happened unexpectedly on a simple jungle hike through the Panamanian Jungle led by a small, muscular indigenous guide in a bright orange beaded loincloth. Without question, a must to fully experience Panama is a trip to the Embera Indigenous village. This will be an all-day excursion, including being wet regardless of cloud cover. I recommend bringing a rain jacket, wearing slick shorts (not something that will soak up water), good tennis shoes, or hiking boots.

Why all of this? How else do you get to an indigenous village hidden by the rainforest through dug-out canoes and jungle trails? When you make it to the pickup site, you will be greeted by big smiles, slightly distracting from the previously mentioned scant, elaborately beaded loincloths worn by your tour guides. Most young men are eager to speak to guests and know enough Spanish to get by. Even the less fortunate, non-Spanish speaking guests, like myself, can communicate with a few Spanish words mixed with charades.

If you have not felt small before, being tucked into a dug-out canon, slowly winding through the ever-curving meanders of the Chagres River, will ensure that experience. The jungle seems untamed from the boat and dense enough to hide anything beyond the wall of green. There is truly nothing like being in a wild jungle. It takes your breath away to see nature so enveloped, with so many plants and animals coexisting. 

 The highlight before arriving at the village is a detour to visit roaring waterfalls. The journey there is what calls for those hiking boots; let’s just say this is the road less traveled. While the majority of the path is clear and continually walked, you may find yourself ribcage deep in a torrent of water as you and the rest of your party form human chains across the turbulent river. This was the case for my TCU group last fall. While on the “bumpy” but clear path, we had to travel over a shallow part of the river to get to the other bolder-less side. After that, everything changed. We pushed forward until we reached the waterfalls, treading through hip-deep water here and there as we held on or reached out for one another. We knew it was slightly dangerous, but it didn’t seem like anything we could not handle.

After taking a few quick pictures to document our grand achievement in front of the waterfalls, heading back, we realized the path we had traveled was no longer an option. The situation had dramatically changed, and we were unsure we could “handle it.” As we pushed forward, the water behind us continued to rise. As we looked back toward our canons, an hour or more hike, we found ourselves threatened by a flash flood. Two more students and I searched with our guide for a “graspable way out.” After 20 minutes or so of searching and strategizing, we slowly sent out the strongest male students into the river as anchors as the rest (and the majority) of the female students were sent across and “caught” and then “thrown” until they reached the guide on the other side and pushed up onto the bank. This was repeated several times at different crossing points. At one time or another, everyone in the party was swept under by the current and spit up downstream. Many cameras were lost, but everyone was fine. Thankfully, my long, gangly arms gave my camera just enough length to stay above water as my feet were swept away and my head went under... a time or two.      

Of course, your jungle adventure to these falls is far more likely to be absent of flash floods and human bridges, but it will still be an adventure. The waterfalls are incredible. These are the types of places you can feel gleeful about visiting because of their rareness and beauty.

Back into the boats, hopeful of no rain but sunny skies, relax, and you are about to have the best fish of your life. Of course, I am talking about corvine (sea bass). When you climb up the wooden staircase towards the village, you will see most of the “natural, typical” livelihoods of these people cleaning their homes, chatting outside doorways, etc. Once you reach the inner part of the village, you are being entertained and, therefore, likely seeing a wishful rendition of their lives. Before “the show’ begins, you will be treated to a traditional meal. From Panama City to the Embera Village, that means fried corvine and fried plantains. I consumed this meal at least once daily on this trip, but both dishes in this village seemed like a four-star dinner. It was the best fish I may have ever eaten (with my hands) and undoubtedly the best plantains I had ever eaten. It is all served on a wooden plate after watching the cooks quickly fry it.

With a full stomach, the introduction of the tribe can now begin. For the rest of the afternoon the chief, his/her family, and other important elders will greet you and fill your heads with stories. Do not be afraid to ask them questions, with three geography professors in their village they found themselves talking about everything from acculturation with the city dwellers, youth issues dealing with globalization, and even gossip about the resident Peace Corp representative teaching the village school.

There are numerous souvenirs hand-made by the women for sale. They are displayed in booths like an American antique shop, with each stall having similar but unique gifts. The day ends with dances performed by the youth, and then, if you are brave enough, you are welcome to join in the fun! Its vacation! Don’t hold back. While this may not have been the most authentic routine for these people, at some point, you have to let go of your conflicted globalization banters in your head and simply know that today, for these types of places to stay connected to their traditions is through some kind of tourism to economically support them. I think this group of people seems to be dealing and balancing their traditional lives with outside interaction very well.

When the boat arrives back at your bus, you will feel like you have been on vacation for a week. The day is filled with so many memories for me, I honestly can’t wait tell I have a family of my own and can (hopefully) take them on this journey. 

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