Your Comments & Questions

Have a heart . . .

Richard, Are you able to able to share the name of the cardiologists both in Chiriqui and P-city that were recommended to your wife Thanks, Mountainman

Sure . . . the Cardiologist, whose office is at Mae Lewis Hospital in David, is Dr. Franklin Anguixola Santos [507-774-2453] and the surgeon, Dr. Norberto Javier Calzada, [507-204-8300 Ex 811] Cardiologos Associados de Panama, in Panama City at Hospital Paitilla.

New home construction . . .

I am a student researching the homes of the Indigenous people of Panama and I will like to get more information on how they are built. I have seen pictures, however I need more detailed information on how they are constructed (materials, structure).Can someone point me in the right direction?Celia Evangelista

 Celia, Come on down and see for yourself! For Kuna, Embera and Wounan, almost all of their houses are primarily palm. Different types of palm are used for the sides, thatched roof, and flexible flooring. Bamboo is also a popular building material. Over around Bocas del Torro wood is the primary material. My Embera friend tells me it takes about a week to build a house, and it is a project in which the entire village helps out. The Embera houses are generally open on the sides, except during the windy season, when they put up palm siding. Tradition is very important, so the Embera used a notched log as a front stairway. Usually the “kitchen” is made by putting down layers of banana leaves, then dirt, then more banana leaves until you have a non-flamable base sitting on top of the flooring, You add three big logs, to support the pot, and voila! – a stove. Our local Gnobe Bugle prefer a “fagon”, the outside raised cooking platform, to the little gas stoves we supply because they are able to better control the heat and flame with the open fire. My Embera friend’s house is a lot cheaper to build, goes up quicker, and has a whole lot less problems than mine!

Veragua Rainforest . . .

Is there any way to arrange in advance a taxi to bring (pick up later) my husband and me from the cruise ship port to Veragua Rainforest? Or is it easy to arrange that at the port after we arrive there? Kyung Mueller

There are lots of cabs right at the end of the pier. The red cabs are the licensed ones, and the ones you should use. There are also several local tour operators who will take you out to Veragua with others in a mini-bus. Take a raincoat or poncho along since it rains in the rainforest!

Private tours in Panama . . .

Found your address at a cruisecritic blog. I’m from Tampa Florida and taking a cruise to the Canal with Island Princess. We will be there Friday October 16. I was originally told that I could only do the Cruiseship tours, but then I found a posting on a Friends of Mario that does tours. Seem you live there and have experience cruising. Can I tour with private tours when ariving on a ship? Anyone you recommend? Thanks, hope I’m not overstepping by asking for your assistance. Madeline Tejera

There are lots of questions about this on Cruise Link. First, check out my Panama Cruise  page . . . A lot depends on which ship you are taking and the itinerary. Princess has a variety of options and without spending a lot of time on their Website, off the top, I don’t know what ISLAND PRINCESS is doing on October 16th. If the ship is calling on the Pacific side at Amador (part of Panama City) you can do whatever you want, same thing if it is stopping at Colon (Colon 2000, RCL pier, or Cristobal) . . . If you have enough time. Remember, Panama looks small on the map but traffic is horrendous especially in the afternoon just before a lot of ships are sailing. If the ship is dropping anchor in Gatun Lake to let off guests there for shore excursions, in Gatun Lake you cannot get off the ship unless you are taking a shore excursion booked on board. You tender off to a place called “Gatun Lake Yacht Club” . . . where there is not a yacht or any other kind of boat in sight! There is nothing at Gatun Lake Yacht Club but a parking lot where the tour buses are waiting. It is the Panama Canal Authority, not the cruise line, that only allows guests to disembark who have purchased shore excursions. (Man, I know that line backwards and forwards!) Reason: it is a secure area of the Canal with no public access: no cabs, no vendors, nada.

I don’t know anything about Mario. He either has a big following, or a lot of family members who post on Cruise Critic. I do know Anne Gordon who offers independent tours of the Embera Indian Village. She is a gringa from California, married to an Embera man from the village, so she knows a lot about Embera life and has many unique insights.

My advice is generally to take a ship tour. You spend all this money on a cruise, why go through the hassle and risk of doing your own thing? A ship’s tour is generally the easiest, safest, and most efficient way to get the most out of a relatively brief time in a port. The cruise line vets operators to make sure they have insurance, monitors their performance, and will never leave if a tour bus is late. If you go on your own you take your chances. The further the attraction is from the pier, the more important it is, IMHO, to take a ship tour.

I know folks don’t want to feel they are in a “herd with Red number Eight” stickers. Well, folks, I have news for you. Take your independent tour to Ephesus . . .and there will be 4 Holland America groups behind you, 6 Royal Caribbean groups ahead of you, 3 Princess groups to your left, and a bunch of crazy Germans from AIDA eves-dropping on your “private” English guide. Go to the Colosseum and you’ll stand in a line of thousands waiting to get in along with all the ship tour groups. I don’t get it!

Start with the blog . . .

Hi Richard, I got your e-mail off your posts on Cruise Critic (OhioLair on CC). I have been doing research on what to do, where to do it and so on by scouring the boards. Everytime I found something informative and interesting, it was one of your posts! Thanks for all the info, and if you have any other suggestions I would appreciate a reply. We are sailing on the Statendam Oct 30th from San Diego… with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco (I liked your Carona suggestion), Puerto Quetzal, Puerto Chiapas, Fuerte Amador (The causeway sounds like an interesting area) and Cartagena! Always on a budget, any inside suggestions, hints or tips will be greatly appreciated. I am also going to check out your blog when I have a few minutes.  Thanks, Larry Potts

Hey Larry! I’ve tried to put a lot of effort, and certainly a lot of time into this blog to answer most of these questions. Start with my Panama Cruise  page, then go to the right hand column and click on the “Cruising and Travel” category and it will open a whole list of blogs on cruising and travel.   I realize the cost of tours booked through the ship is more than the cost if you book independently, just like the cost of a Coke or a beer is more onboard.  That’s how the cruise line makes its money, especially if you look at the prices of cruises right now.  Believe me, I understand “saving a buck”, but when you go on vacation you need to loosen up the sphincter a bit and enjoy life!    There are ports where I’d say, “Do your own thing!”  If you are going to Portofino, just go ashore independently, find a nice cafe, pay $50 for a cup of coffee and sit there and soak up the ambiance.  But there are many ports where the attractions and the things you came to see aren’t right next to the ship, and those are the ports where it is easiest, most efficient, and often cost-effective to take the ship’s tour, even if it is more expensive up front.

* * * * *

Well this morning is a spectacular Sunday morning in Boquete!  Absolutely stunning!  This past week has been “the week that was”, which I’ll tell you about later.  The guy who usually works on Sundays for me doing concrete and block work fell last week on his regular job, and can’t work this morning . . . A day with no workers!! No questions!! No struggling with Spanish!! Also no progress, but . . . hey!

I’ve got a dozen “Sailaway” and “Sailin” presentations to work on . . . so I’m off to sit on the front porch, relax, and sip our own coffee.  We just had the first batch of last year’s harvest roasted and it is wonderful!  This year’s coffee is looking great and our harvest should begin next week.

Have a great day!

A Rainy Night in Boquete

The weather this “rainy season” in Boquete has been strange . . . not that much rain. Usually by September it is raining every afternoon, but not this year. Usually the rain is a welcome relief and a good excuse for me not to work, a chance to sit back and read a book or at night have a fire in the fireplace to take off the chill and the dampness.

My project right now is finishing the remodeling of the little casita our worker lived in, to get it ready for my brother Ed to move into. And we are making very good progress. It’s a good example of the fact that you don’t haveto spend a fortune to live in Boquete. Figuring in the value of the land, the original investment, and the remodeling, it will be a very nice 900 sq ft casita for under $35,000.

Now some business . . .

Ron, who read my “18 Rules for Retail Businesses in Panama”  had some of his own suggestions . . .

Good morning, Richard: If you ever decide to re-issue your “Eighteen Rules”, you might consider the addition of two more:

19) Never permit your employees any measure of authority or responsibility to accommodate a customer without referring the matter to management. This could lead to the dreaded state of customer satisfaction.
20) Never permit a customer to breach the barrier that isolates management from the real world where the employee interacts with the customer This could lead to management having to actually deal with a customer’s problem with the same terrible result as item 10).

A very good Panamanian friend of mine, who chooses to be anonymous, but acts as my “conscience” when I disrespect the bounds of cultural awareness and differences, responded to the same blog . . . Here’s some of what he had to say . . .

Some of your statements in my opinion are absolutely correct . . . I always have good customer service and sometimes not only good but very good . . . And I believe this has nothing to do with the store policy. I did notice alot of differences depending on who the employees were dealing with [locals or extrajeros]. . . . I wondered if you ever get a good customer service from Panamanians? To me, Panamanians are very nice people, though when it comes to been an employee in my opinion they are managed like cattle . . . Since reading this blog, now I feel as a Panamanian, that [the perception is that] we do not give a good service.

Please, share how you would manage a retail store or any other business. And very honestly, I consider you a very good critic, a man who see the both sides of the coin. It would help foreigners who plan to invest in Panama and some Panamanians who are maybe dealing with a project and have no idea of of how to manage people, or have no MBA, but simply want to start a little store.”

My friend knows how to poke me, gently, but in the right places. I promise more. There is a real need here. As I’ve mentioned before I see so many folks who want to go into business, who have a sign painted, make a logo, and open for business . . . and three months later are closed having only lost money. It’s one of the reasons I’m excited about the new university project I alluded to a few weeks ago, that eventually will make business courses available to anyone in the country with Internet access.

Lynn McKee, who has the Century 21 franchise here and in Bocas, wrote . . .

This is so funny and mostly true! Although the other day just to put it to the test I bought an ice cream sandwich in a cup which turned out to be mush when I got to the car. So I trotted back into the Romero in Bugaba and showed them my problem and was allowed to go pick another one which I took from the very back of the “freezer”. Excitedly I returned to my patiently waiting spouse in the car and opened up the new “treet” to find – yep -more mush! So I decided not to give up as I usually do and headed back one more time. I was cheerfully given my refund and an apology to go with it!

After returning to the parking space and my long suffering spouse (who hasn’t said a word about my diet) I looked out the window and saw (in the store next door) a Dos Pinos freezer in the front window! Score! I walked in with intrepidation and picked one out of the freezer, felt it and there it was, nice and frozen! At this point I didn’t even care how many times it has been frozen. It is hot out, I am hungry and I am on an ice cream mission. The nice cashier (who is surprisingly not talking on the phone or to another employee) pleasantly takes my money and actually asks me if I need a spoon (for my ice cream sandwich in a cup) to which I cheerfully respond; no Gracias, it’s perfect just like it is. Every once in while we are surprised with good service and it is, shall we say, “remarkable”. Lyn McKee

The freezer that frustrates me is Deli Baru in Boquete . . . the only place to get Häagen-Dazs . . . best diet food out there . . . usually your choice of ONE flavor, and usually frozen, thawed and refrozen, at least once!

Bonnie has a new one on logos . . .

Speaking of logos, I saw an intriguing motto painted on a service vehicle in David: “It’ll itch your ass.” Couldn’t tell what the product was, but I assume the motto is a loose translation of “It’ll tickle your fancy.”

Cartagena . . .

Reading forums on Cruise Critic you are so knowledgeable about ports in Panama and Panama Canal ports, do you have any recommendations on independent tours in Cartagena? Thanks. Marge

Sorry, Marge. With independents you pay your money and hope for the best. Sometimes they are great, and save you money . . . and sometimes they are disorganized, push you into their brother-in-law’s shop (as opposed to the “preferred stores” of the cruise line!), and once in a while they get you back to the pier after the ship has sailed. You can look for others recommendations on line, then work by email and PayPal and hope for the best, or you can let the cruise line do all the work, monitor the tour operators performance, be sure they have insurance, etc., and pay a little more, and go with a group. With only a short amount of time in a port as marvelous as Cartagena, I think the best and most efficient use of your time is to book a shore excursion with the cruise line.

Dam ship . . .

Hi Richard. I have been reading about you all through the Cruise Critic boards. Any chance you will be on the Oosterdam’s 11/2/09 transit? I hope so… Linda

Hi Linda! Right now I’m scheduled to be home until the end of November, and then I’m off on ROYAL PRINCESS until the end of March.

Embera . . .

Richard, This is our first Panama Canal cruise and so we don’t want to miss the experience of going through the locks but I did want to see the Embera Village people. Is there another place where I will see them, see the kids dance, buy their wares? Marlene

Marlene, If you are docking at Cristobal Pier in Colon there are always groups of Embera there from two different villages. They sell their craft work and usually perform dances in the area with the bar just as you come back into the pier from your tours. Their craft is usually set up right beside the gangway.

Living Will . . .

From Dixie Elwell . . .

MY LIVING WILL

Last night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room and I said to him,
‘I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and
fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’

He got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine.

Well . . . that’s a deep subject!

Just starting to build our house this week, between David and Boquete…thanks for all the advice. Maybe we should quit while we’re ahead. But hey, I’m up for the adventure. Can you tell me if you recommend a well driller? Linda

Unfortunately, no. My advice in the Boquete area is forget drilling a well. I have two. One works . . . but only in the wet season! Guess why I spent a lot of money to drill a well . . . I wanted a back up water supply in the DRY season. I understand these guys have better luck in the lowlands.

Been there, done that . . .

Thanks for all the info on the Panama Canal. Thinking of taking the cruise in 2010. What ships do you think have the best cruise there. No children; adults 60+. Thanks, Betty

Generally, the “mass market” ships [Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL] cater more to families and havelots of kids, particularly when kids are out of school. The more expensive cruise lines will generally havefewer kids, and particularly on longer cruises. Makes sense. Most of the Panama Canal cruises are longer, and more expensive, so they rule out a lot of families. Sometimes grandparents will take all the kids and their families, but usually this is only during vacation times. You won’t find a cruise line with a “no children” policy, but generally on Holland America or Celebrity, on a longer and more expensive cruise, at a time when most kids are in school, you will have few if any kids. On ZUIDERDAM we would usually have 6-10 children, most involved in a well-run “Club HAL” program. At Christmas . . . 250 kids! In generally Holland America would be a good choice.

The marvelous Internet . . .

One of the fun things for me has been to have friends from my past with whom I have lost contact, find me online, and re-establish a connection . . . Ray Hommes, with whom I went to junior high; Richard Canter whom I worked with in college for several summers at camps; Jay Groendyke my best friend in college . . . and others who’ve stumbled on my Blog! Now two more old friends . . .

What a world this technology offers us! I won’t even try to explain how I came upon your website. Suffice it to , I did! And the first thing I read was this piece about Robert Stauter. All the memories of my AIM year came back- and more. I must say you sound well and your life full. Good for you! And mine is the same. 20 years now as a Catholic priest. And life keeps moving on, and I sometimes just try to hang on for the ride! Stay well, Richard. I will enjoy tapping into this website often to read of your adventures! Tom DeVries

Dick, What are you doing in Panama? I haven’t heard hide nor hair of you in years. I was actually looking for Henry Kwant and when I typed in his name, your piece came up. Let me know what you’ve been up to. Harry Kooyman

Authentic Embera Indian Village Tour

This is my favorite Panama tour for a number of reasons:

• It is an authentic cultural experience, visiting folks who are trying to preserve a lifestyle that has existed pretty much the same since before Columbus came to the Americas.   That’s tough in a country rapidly moving from “second” to “first” world status.
• It is something “right out of  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC” and unique to Panama.
• These are warm, welcoming people who love to share their heritage and since their homeland is now part of the Panama national park system are unable to hunt as they traditionally have done and support themselves from tourism.  It is a good model for sustainable tourism which has been good for the Embera, good for the country, good for the environment and good for Panama.
• These people are our friends and in large part the reason why we discovered Panama as a retirement destination.
• This tour is a unique experience and folks come back to the ship saying things like, “That was the best shore excursion I have taken – ever” and “That was the best experience of my life.”

There are about 7 Embera Puru villages in Chagres National Park that are used by the various tour operators.  You never know which village(s) are going to be used.  Often, so as not to overwhelm a single village, a ship will use several villages.  The decision as to which village will be used is made by the tour operator, the Embera village chiefs, and environmental considerations such as the depth of the rivers that must be navigated to reach the villages.   And to answer the question guests always ask, “No, there are no highways to the villages that you can’t see.  They are what they are.”  The villages are different.  Some have very primitive facilities for guests and others have put in flush toilets and tiled bathrooms for guests.  I prefer the primitive!  The villages are all authentic where the people live and work.  Some have small schools in the villages or nearby that are provided by the government.  A few have Peace Corps workers in residence.  There are variations in the traditions of the villages in terms of dress and ceremonies, but they are all pretty much the same. 

I have a friend who is the head of the anthropology department of a European university who has studied the effect of tourism on the Embera.  His research indicates that it has been very positive.  Traditionally in Panama Indians are looked down on, and particularly the Embera since they were viewed as being more “primitive” because of their style of dress, or lack of dress.  Suddenly these people are popping up on tourism posters and videos and the country is waking up to the tremendous treasure of Indigenous peoples.

There is little oral history of the Embera people.  Long before borders, and long before the creation of a country called Panama, these folks lived primarily in what is called Columbia, and remember that before the US-encouraged “revolution” in 1904, Panama wasColumbia.  Today the Embera are strongest in the Darien region along the Columbian border, but about 50 years ago a few Embera, looking for a better way of life, came down from the Darien and settled in the Chagres River areas of Panama, in and around what is today known Lake Alajuela originally constructed by damming the Chagres by the US as an additional water reserve for the Canal, and known as Madden Lake. Several of these pioneers worked for the US Army teaching jungle survival techniques to soldiers and the first US astronauts.

In spite of this valuable contribution, many of the US Zonians looked down on the Embera, primarily because they dressed with few clothes. They were looked on as savages, and there are accounts of people who grew up in the Zone who were told by their parents not to leave the US Canal Zone because there were “savages” and “cannibals” living in the jungles.

These were hunter, gatherer people who, yes, did use arrows dipped in poison made from some of Panama’s notorious poison tree frogs. They settled around Madden Lake and the tributaries that fed the dam. They hunted, farmed, and fished, fish being one of the staples of the Embera diet. After the US turned over the Canal and US-occupied territory to Panama, Panama realized the rain forest and watershed around the Canal was essential to Canal operation, and so much of the area, including the areas in which the Embera had lived, suddenly became protected national park. So, no more agriculture and no more hunting. This was a bleak and hungry period for the Embera who suddenly saw their livelihood taken from them. A few adventure tourism groups began visiting the jungle villages, and eventually tourism has become the livelihood of the Embera living in the Chagres. They welcome tour groups to the villages where they live, introduce guests to Embera culture and sell their amazing hand-crafted baskets and carvings.

This is not a “Polynesian Cultural Center”: these are real Embera living in real villages who are committed to preserving a traditional lifestyle and sharing their traditional values and art with the more “civilized” world. They are articulate, sensitive, intelligent people who are very aware of the world outsidetheir village, yet manage to preserve a culture, and maybe even an innocence that is welcoming and accepting of others who come from outside and who have different lifestyles and values.

I have often pointed out to my friend, Erito Barrigon, who is the chief of one of the villages, how ironic it is that here he lives in a tiny palm hut in the middle of the jungle, and people come from all over the world to listen and hang onto his every word.

If you are on a cruise, or visiting Panama, a visit to an Embera village is an experience not to be missed. It is like stepping into the pages of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. It is an experience that is unique to Panama. And the amazing, and tragic, thing is that so few Panamanians have ever taken advantage of the opportunity to visit and get to know their Embera neighbors.

The Embera Puru community of San Juan, with only 123 people, is the least touristy of the Embera villages, probably because it is a little more difficult to reach, but these are wonderful people, warm, hospitable and anxious to share. It is well worth a visit!

Passengers on cruise ships stopping in Panama often have the opportunity of visiting an Embera village. You can also make the journey yourself. From Panama City you take the road to Colon, outside the city past where Corridor Norte intersects the road to Colon, you turn off to the tiny village of Nuevo Vigia, on Lago Alajue or Madden Lake. From here you take a dug out canoe across the lake and up the river for a spectacular 1.5 hour trip. On our most recent trip we saw amazing birds, turtles, even a monkey and a huge alligator!

Anne Barrigon [ http://www.emberavillagetours.com ] does conduct independent tours to the authentic Embera Indian village at Rio San Juan de Pequini. You can contact Anne directly for information. Hers is an interesting story. In 1956 five missionaries were killed in Equador and their story was immortalized in a book written by the wife of one of the martyred missionaries called, “THROUGH GATES OF SPENDOR.” In 2004 a Christian movie company decided to make a movie about that story and used the Embera village of Rio San Juan de Pequini as a setting for filming, using the Embera to play the role of the Ecuadorian Indians. The movie was eventually released in 2006 as “THE END OF THE SPEAR.” Anne Barrigon worked on the film . . . and ended up falling in love with and later marrying one of the Embera men.

And and her husband live in Panama City and she conducts tours to the village. Prices depend on the number of participants, but for 6 to 8 people run around $75-90 per person.

I recommend getting to Nuevo Vigia about 9:00am which will put you back about 4:00pm. The Embera have spectacular baskets and carvings that they offer for sale at the village. Tourist money is pooled but the money from the craft work goes directly to the seller. Take enough money because the Indians don’t take American Express, or Visa or Mastercard, just US dollars (which isthe Panamanian balboa).   Ship guests would always complain to me, “Richard, you should have told me to take along more money!  There were so many beautiful things I wanted to buy!”  Take some money and spread it around.  Don’t assume . . . well, I paid $95 for the tour . . . of that amount only about $15 goes to the Embera tribe.  And if you buy something, have your picture taken with the person who made it: it will make the souvenir so much more meaningful!  And this is not Mexico, so don’t bargain.  Sometimes the artist will offer you a “special price” on the spot: take it!  If not, it is polite to say you really like something and ask for a “special price” and they may knock off 5%.  Some of my worst souvenirs are where I beat someone down on the price to save $5 . . . and then went back on the ship and dropped $20 into the slot machines without thinking.  Am I shilling?  YOU BET!  These are my friends and when you see the quality of the craftsmanship, you will be happy to pay them for their work.

You will be amazed to learn of the many plants the Embera use for natural healing and to hear the stories of modern pharmaceutical companies who have visited to learn the secrets of jungle plants.

Reading The Mail

This is from Dixie Elwell via my wife, Nikki, and I thought you’d enjoy it . . .

Getting used to new technology is difficult . . .

more so for some of us than others.

I was in Starbucks yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to fart. The music was really, really loud, so I tried to time my farts with the beat so no one would notice.

After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my latte and noticed that everybody was staring at me.

Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.

It is hard to believe that when I was in the dot com business, near the beginning, folks were making extravagant predictions to the effect that someday the Web would be as ubiquitous as refrigerators, and just taken for granted. When I try to talk with my 18-month-old grandson, Rian, via Web cam, when he sits still long enough, he is immediately grabbing for the keyboard. I suspect he will be emailing before he can read. The computer is just another part of everyday life . . . I was going to say, like the telephone, but who has a telephone anymore outside of the office? And even offices are going to cell phones. My daughter, Noelle, tells me that there is a whole line of retro-toys, including the little toy telephone that she used to have as a kid. Crazy!

From Beverly . . .

Hi Richard, Hope you’re enjoying your family, Panama, and time off the ship. I was on the Zuiderdam sailing the end of March into April, 2009.

I bought the large Embra Peru basket from the chief’s wife in the village; she made the basket. I think the chief’s name was Claudio. I am attaching a picture of myself with the chief, his wife, and the basket. If possible, would you email the exact name of the village and the correct name of the chief and also his wife’s name. I know it may take some time to come upon this information. I’m very patient. I consider myself fortunate not only to have the basket, but also the pictures attached.

I’ve been singing your praises on www.CruiseCritic.com. You did so much to add to the cruise. Without your lectures, the cruise experience would not have been the same. The Zuiderdam is a very happy andfriendly ship….makes for a great cruise. I appreciate any information you can provide. Regards, Beverly Achenberg 

Thanks, Beverly, for the nice complement! One of the things I suggest is that when people buy a basket or carving from the Embera, that they have their picture taken with the artisan. It makes the item so much more meaningful if you remember the person who made it. I’ve met these folks when I visited their village, along with 60 of my ZUIDERDAM friends, but I didn’t remember their names, so I called on my friend Anne Gordon for help. Anne is married to the brother of the chief of another Embera village and conducts excellent independent tours to the village.

Hi Richard, No problem. This was in the village of Parara Puru, the 2nd one on the Chagres river. The chief’s name is Claudio and his wife’s name is Ubertina. They are dear friends, and very nice people. Claudio is a very sweet and warm man. Anne
Anne Gordon de Barrigon
Embera’ friend and family member
Panama cell 011 507 6 758-7600
http://www.EmberaVillageTours.com  

Jan wonders about Mario and Old Panama

Hi, I enjoy your comments on www.CruiseCritic.comand want to thank you for all the information you have given. I have a question. I am on the Princess cruise in September that is a full transit. This year the ship is docking at Amador one day and transiting the canal the next day. We will have a day to tour. The tour of the old city with “My friend Mario Tours” lasts 6 hours. I have some mobility problems and use a cane. I need to rest sometimes but just for a few minutes. If you are familiar with this tour or one similar, do you think it is too strenuous? I realize that you do not know me and my capabilities. Just want to know if it is rough terrain, stairs,cobblestones, broken pavement, high curbs? Fast paced walking? Also, how hot and humid will it be in September? Thanks for your help. Jan

I know nothing about Mario. I see him mentioned a lot on Cruise Critic . . . he must have either a lot of family members commenting, or a lot of loyal former customers. For whatever reason a lot of folks on Cruise Critic have an aversion to ship-sponsored tours. Maybe it’s the cost issue. There is no question that just like a bottle of beer or a can of Coke, it costs more on the ship. The cruise line does have to make some money, but there are the added costs of organizing the tour, doing all the work, controlling the quality, and making sure the operators are licensed and have insurance. Some people claim that it’s not the cost, but they just don’t like being with a “group.” OK, so you go to Ephesus or the Colosseum and there are 50 million tour groups, and your little “independent” group is sandwiched in amongst the bus load groups. I frankly don’t see the difference.

Anyway . . . I digress. Panama City, or just “Panama” as it is known within the Republic of Panama, is actually three cities . . .

• Modern Panama with all the people and skyscrapers
• Casco Viejo, the old city from the French era reminiscent in many ways of New Orleans
• Old Panama, the original Panama City dating back to the 1500’s that was burned in the aftermath of the raid by the pirate, Henry Morgan.

Sometimes it tour groups Casco Viejo and Old Panama are confused. In the Casco Viejo there are tiny streets that really don’t accommodate buses, so much of the tour is a walking tour over uneven and some cobblestone surfaces with steps, etc. It is the only way to really see Casco Viejo. While there are some places to sit down, unless you are on a private tour you will find yourself left behind.

Old Panama is a UNESCO site and a restoration, in progress, of the ruins of the old city. There is actually a bridge you can still walk over from 1513! Again it is a lot of walking, and some uneven and gravel surfaces. There are no benches or places to sit down.

And Panama City, being 9 degrees off the equator and at sea level is always hot and humid.

My advice, Jan, take a ship-sponsored tour, maybe the train, that involves less walking. The concept of “accessibility” is pretty much unknown in Central America making it difficult for people with limited mobility or walkers, scooters, and wheel chairs.

Costa Rica tours . . .

Greetings, We are booked on the Zuiderdam for the 10 Day Sunfarer in February. With all your Z’dam experience I’m guessing you may have been to Puerto Limon. We are looking for recommendations for one of the shorter excursions. Do you have any comments on the “Off Road Adventure” or “Pineapple Farm – A Taste of the Tropics”? I’ve posted the question on Cruise Critic Ports of Call and had no responses. Thank you very much, Mike Weddle

You’ll have a great trip on the ZUIDERDAM, Mike! “Puerto Limon”, literally “Lemon Port”, not because they raise or ship lemons, but because years ago there was a big lemon tree downtown, since obliterated by the town hall. But “Lemon Port” is a good name for this place, because it really is a lemon of a port. If you stay on the ship and just walk around town, not necessarily recommended, you will be VERY disappointed, particularly if you judge all of Costa Rica by Puerto Limon. But, if you “get off the Dam ship” and take a tour that takes you out into the real Costa Rica this will be a highlight of your cruise. Although I’ve done most of the tours in Puerto Limon I’ve never done the Pineapple Farm or Off-road Adventure. My wife, and the ZUIDERDAM shore ex staff went ont he Pineapple Farm and loved it. The Off-road Adventure is always sold out, which is why I never got to tag along, and guests have always come back and raved about the adventure and the funny guides. My personal favorites are the Veragua Rain Forest and Tautic Hacienda.

And finally . . .

Can you please furnish contact info for my Carl (Calley Janson, Cafe Volcan Baru, Chirqui province? Thanks, Tim Killen

Sure enough! Google . . . Carl Janson, Vice President, Cafe Volcan Baru, S.A., 011.507.672.2018,
carl@estatecafe.com

Clearing My Desk

My allergies are killing me.  July is the worst month.  Note to self: get contract for next July and be at sea!

To escape working on the 15 new lectures I need for ROYAL PRINCESS this fall, I will clean off my desk . . .

Thank you! Thank you!

I love your website. I have been researching Panama for the last 2 years. My husband and I are making our way down there in 01/10. We will be staying in various areas throughout Northern Panama. I am AF retired and my husband will be retiring in 2011. I am also a teacher with certification in ESL and ESLBL. He does remodeling jobs on the side. We look forward to our relocation adventures and thank-you for the vast information your site provides. Pam

Embera Canoes . . .

Thank you for this great blog. One question about the Embera Indian Village Tours – if you have difficulty with getting in and out of a canoe would there be an alternative to see the village? Not sure I could do that , especially if there was no dock available! Ginny

Actually the “canoes” are great big trees that have been chopped down and hollowed out by hand. Each one seats about 20 people two abreast, so they are very sturdy. You get in from shore, not from a dock, so it is very stable and easier than getting in from a dock. There are lots of Embera folks to help you in and out and getting up and down. They are used to hosting older folks with weak knees. Go for it!

And what about the ZUIDERDAM . . .

Richard, I follow your posts on Cruise Critic and have learned so much from your website. I hope you will be on the Zuiderdam’s partial canal transit in April 2010. Carol O

Thanks for asking Carol, but I will be on the ROYAL PRINCESS at that time. Princess and Holland America are of course sister companies, both owned by Carnival. And before anyone asks, Princess asked first, and as my friend at Holland America observed, “The early bird gets the worm”, me, I guess, being the “worm.” You will have a great time on ZUIDERDAM Carol, even without me. Great ship, great crew, super itinerary!

Retirees or Beach Bunnies???

To echo many others on this site, thanks for all the wonderful information you are providing. For most of us, this cruise is the one time we will go to Panama, so we want to get the best out of it we can. Your blog helps so much.

We love Holland America (and wish we could see you!) but on this trip we chose Princess because we liked the ports better. The 7 hours at Half Moon Cay was the deal breaker. What is the thinking, when most of the passengers will be retirees and not beach bunnies?

Jo-An, I will actually be on Princess this winter, on the ROYAL PRINCESS doing primarily the Amazon. Your thoughts about Half Moon Cay as the first port of call, the day after embarkation, were initially mine as well. In reality, it works wonderfully! I would greet everyone coming off the tenders on Half Moon – almost to a person they looked tired, hassled, a little shell-shocked. When I’d remind them they were going to a “beach party not a wake” you’d see a hint, just a spark mind you, of a kick-back, fun, vacation mood. By that evening when I’d see the same peope before the show they would be a little red, but relaxed, ready to have fun and on vacation! Half Moon had worked it’s magic!

For Brent . . .

Brent is the “Techspert” on Holland America’s ZUIDERDAM who assists all our special guests in undertanding and using Microsoft’s photo and video software . . . and it’s free!  Brent is amazing!  Eight hours a day he takes the same questions over and over and over again!

So for Brent, and anyone who has ever called a computer help desk . . . only difference being these guys speak English and not Hindi or Spanish . . .

Canal Question . . .

Hi Richard, we are a youngwed couple from Poland and will do the full transit with the sea princess and have the following schedule
04.10.09 PUERTO AMADOR, PANAMA (8AM-6PM)
05.10.09 PANAMA CANAL (5AM-4:30PM)
Can You recommend me a tour to see panama city on the 04.10. ? are there some ancient churches, sites and stuff from colonialization times to see? what else could we do with the day at Puerto Amador. I think the 05.10. will be reserved for the transit and we can not get off the ship, isn´t it? thank you in advance..
Thomas Lodzinski

Thomas, check out my page Panama Cruise for ideas . . . You might find it worthwhile to hire a taxi at Amador to show you around the both the Old City, the remains of the original 1500s city, and Casco Viejo, the old French section. I’d guess about $20 an hour for cab and driver. And you are correct, on the fifth you will actually be in transit through the Canal.

There was a lot of interest in my comments about fly traps . . .

Bonnie Williams . . .

Where does one get those fly traps? I haven’t seen them.

Bonnie, We bring them back when we go to the States. I haven’t seen them in Panama. They are a seasonal item at Home Depot. Ah, Home Depot . . .the things you miss!

Great idea from Shirley . . .

I use those same traps here in Alaska. They do get the flies, but if I cook meat with the door open some still come in. I hang the traps in trees so they are out of sight and I don’t have to smell that awful odor. I also use a little meat, with a little water, so it doesn’t dry out. What ever draws those flies into the house will also draw them into the trap. Here in AK I take the traps down at the end of the season, empty them into the burn barrel, while the fire is going, and reuse the traps the next year. Probably no burn barrels in Boquete, in Costa Rica we had the only one around.. . .

Thanks Shirley, I’m going to try it! Now why didn’t I think of that???

Try hanging plastic bags (like zip lock bags, or something similar) filled simply with pure water, wherever you don’t want flies to bother you. This works for my grandfather – he hangs them from the cover of his porch and wah-lah – flies don’t come there – and there are always flies in the area where he lives.

Probably looks like hell, but if it works . . . hey.

OK, it’s back now to working on my Port Talk for Cape Verde . . .

Visiting an Embera Indian Village

One of the most popular blogs I’ve written has been about visiting the Embera, one of the seven indigenous groups remaining in Panama. If you have the opportunity, this is a “must do” in Panama. Many of the cruise ships offer trips to various Embera villages, some more “authentic” than others, each with some of their own unique traditions. And, if you live in Panama or are visiting for a longer period, you can make the trip on your own.

No trip to Panama is complete without the adventure of visiting the Embera Puru village at San Juan! It amazes me that most Panamanians have not made this trip and know nothing about this group of indigenous people who live very much the way they did when Columbus arrived. They are intelligent and articulate people who are struggling to preserve a way of life that is threatened on all sides.

Civilization has encroached again and again on the Embera. The Embera are closely related to the Wounaan, but with different languages. In all of Panama some estimate that there are less than 30,000 remaining. The folks of the Embera Puru live in the Chagres National Park. Great, we’re all for national parks, but the Embera have had to pay the cost of the creation of the park. Since 1984, these Emberá have had to abandon agriculture as a way of eking out an existence due to park regulations. They were virtually starving when they turned to tourism as a form of communal income. The Embera Puru community of San Juan, with only 123 people, is the least touristy of the Embera villages, probably because it is a little more difficult to reach, but these are wonderful people, warm, hospitable and anxious to share. It is well worth a visit!

Passengers on cruise ships stopping in Panama often have the opportunity of visiting an Embera village. There are five or six Embera villages that are used, and no two are exactly alike.  Each village has its own traditions, and some are a little more “touristy” than others.  The decision of which village to visit is made by the Embera chiefs, to spread the business around, and there is no way of knowing in advance if you are on a ship which village you will be visiting.  But regardless of which village you visit, you will have a fascinating glimpse of Embera life and it will be a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My favorite village is the home of my friends and is the village at San Juan de Pequini, a fairly long bus ride and  then an hour ride by dug out canoe. This is an authentic Embera village that may see 2 or 3 groups of visitors a month.  You can make the journey yourself. From Panama City you take the road to Colon, outside the city past where Corridor Norte intersects the road to Colon, you turn off to the tiny village of Nuevo Vigia, on Lago Alajue or Madden Lake. From here you take a dug out canoe across the lake and up the river for a spectacular 1.5 hour trip. On our most recent trip we saw amazing birds, turtles, even a monkey and a huge alligator!

Anne Barrigon [http://www.emberavillagetours.com/] does conduct independent tours to the authentic Embera Indian village at Rio San Juan de Pequini. You can contact Anne directly for information. Hers is an interesting story. In 1956 five missionaries were killed in Equador and their story was immortalized in a book written by the wife of one of the martyred missionaries called, “THROUGH GATES OF SPENDOR.” In 2004 a Christian movie company decided to make a movie about that story and used the Embera village of Rio San Juan de Pequini as a setting for filming, using the Embera to play the role of the Ecuadorian Indians. The movie was eventually released in 2006 as “THE END OF THE SPEAR.” Anne Barrigon worked on the film . . . and ended up falling in love with and later marrying one of the Embera men.

And and her husband live in Panama City and she conducts tours to the village. Prices depend on the number of participants, but for 6 to 8 people run around $75-80 per person.

I recommend getting to Nuevo Vigia about 9:00am which will put you back about 4:00pm. The Embera have spectacular baskets and carvings that they offer for sale at the village. Tourist money is pooled and this is the only way the Embera can survive since the park does not allow them to grow food. You will be amazed to learn of the many plants the Embera use for natural healing and to hear the stories of modern pharmaceutical companies who have visited to learn the secrets of jungle plants.

Playing “Catch Up”

OK, after being gone for an extended period on the ZUIDERDAM I am definitely playing “catch up” around the house and the garden!  We use a kind of grass here that grows by runners.  It grows fast, particularly in the rainy season, making it easy to get a green lawn fast.  You cut it with a weed wacker, which is almost the universal implement, next to a machete, in Panama.  Lawn mowers are as rare as snow blowers.  This grass is nice because it holds up well during the 4 month windy and dry season.  The problem is the runners go everywhere, and since nobody has been controlling them in my absence . . . much “catch up”!

I thought you might enjoy seeing the view this morning that I woke up to . . . taken from my bed . . .

Another Nail in Mexico’s Tourism Coffin

As if it couldn’t get any worse with drug wars, shootouts, piles of decapitated bodies, and the pig flu . . . Now there is a shootout between cops and robbers right in Acapulco that kills 16!

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Soldiers fought for two hours with armed men apparently holding police hostage at a house in Acapulco, leaving one soldier and 15 gunmen dead, a military official said Sunday.

Three soldiers and three Mexican bystanders were wounded. Several Mexican tourists were evacuated from small hotels in the old Acapulco neighborhood, which was once popular with Hollywood stars but has since become run-down.

The gun battle erupted Saturday night when soldiers received a tip about the presence of armed men at a gated house, said an army colonel who led the operation and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The gunmen opened fire and hurled some 50 grenades at soldiers who arrived at the house, according to the colonel, who wore a ski mask as he led reporters through the scene.

Several gunmen tried to flee, but crashed their car into a Humvee blocking the gate. At one point during the fighting, armed men with grenades arrived in a car to reinforce the gunmen in the house, but they died in the shooting, the colonel said.

Soldiers found four Guerrero state police officers handcuffed inside the garage of the house, the colonel said. The officers, who were still bound and sitting the floor when reporters arrived, said they were being held captive by the gunmen, the colonel said.

The soldiers did not know the police were inside when the shootout began, and the colonel said their claims would be investigated.

“We found them like this, handcuffed, and they say they were kidnapped. So, if they were kidnapped, as they say, then we rescued them,” the colonel said, pointing to the four men.

Residents cowered inside their homes and several small, low-cost hotels while the fighting lasted.

When the shooting subsided, several people too scared to stay in the area were evacuated in an ambulance.

Am I glad we didn’t retire in Mexico! Actually I love it when cruise ships I’m on stop in Acapulco: the greatest view in Acapulco is from the deck of the ship! It is a beautiful harbor to look at from the deck of the ship, but other than that . . . And if you’re cruising to Acapulco and want to see something, my advice: take a ship’s tour and avoid wandering off on your own.

Mail Bag

From Norway . . .

hei – Here in Norway we watched the episode (Exiled . . . Embera) to day greate episode…I want to by a braiseless that Chere make. were can I do that? mvh anne beth

Cher is an entrepreneur . . . no wonder she lives in a castle! Cher says, “A portion of the proceeds of the “Cher My Love” Bracelet will be donated to the children of Embera, Panama.” Here’s the link for the bracelet.   And thanks for reading my blog in Norway!!

Photos for the Embera

(The visit to the Embera Village) is a must, MUST see! . . .  no matter what the price, you HAVE to go!   . . .  And  Richard, have you recieved the photos that I sent some time ago (for you to pass on to the Embera)? Sherry Forrester

Hi Sherry! Not yet . . . Panamanian mail is nothing like in the US. Generally it takes at least 3 to 4 weeks for a letter from the US to get to Panama. As yet . . . nothing. My address is Richard Detrich, Apt 0413-00004, Boquete 0413, Chiriqui, Republic of Panama.

About my comments on real estate in Panama . . .

True enough Richard and there are not many Real Estate Offices here that practice the way we did when we were Realtors in the US. I was an agent in Florida for 13 years and sure was suprised when we came here. For those reasons I decided to join CENTURY 21 Boquete Gold – a name brand company that does adhere to the standards and practices that we from the US and Canada are familiar with and people you can trust. Lyn McKee

Hi Lyn! Nice way to slip in a little commercial! But I’ll let you since you are a regular reader and neighbor in Palmira. Frankly I think people will judge you by your professionalism and honesty and not by any brand label from the US. Century 21, ReMax, Coldwell Banker and all the rest, I don’t think made much difference in the US, and I don’t think it will make a difference here. People worked with REALTORS they could trust and had good experiences with in the past. If we had a US style real estate structure, with licensing and control, and a local real estate board of REALTORS who subscribed to and enforced a code of ethics, THAT would make a difference. Just a puke-colored gold jacket (Who ever picked that color?) . . . which I know you don’t wear . . . doesn’t make any difference IMHO. Being Century 21 may get you some referrals, and folks may feel more comfortable walking into your office, but in the end it’s all about you.

Finding a surgeon . . .

Could you recommend a doctor for a hernia operation? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Valma

Fortunately for me I haven’t needed a hernia operation and I haven’t heard of anyone in particular.  When we needed a cardiologist here’s how we went about it.  First we started asking around, talking with gringo friends who had been here from back in the US Canal days and who had retired in Chiriqui.  There was pretty much unanimity as to who the best cardiologist was in Chiriqui and who the best cardiology man was in Panama, should we need an angioplasty and stents.  Then we talked to the folks at Chiriqui Hospital where we have a kind of insurance/discount policy.   Everyone agreed . . . so we called up the recommended cardiologist and asked for an appointment.  He stunned us with his reply, “How about tomorrowevening at 7PM?” . . .  an unimaginable response in the US!   It turned out my wife needed an angioplasty and two stents.  Once we sorted out the insurance papers and permissions we easily got an appointment at Hospital Punta Pacifica which is affiliated with Johns Hopkins.    Hope that helps!

OK, it’s off to gardening!  How it works during the “wet” or “rainy season” in Chiriqui . . . mornings generally start out beautiful!  So you get up early and start early.  The work day begins at 7AM!  You’ve got to get all your gardening done in the morning, because around 12 noon or 1PM the clouds start building up over the mountain.   By 2PM the humidity is going up and you know it “needs to rain.”  3PM the thunder starts to rumble and the rain follows watering everything you planted in the morning!

And so what happened to the “Princess”?

MTV also did a follow up show in which Cher talks about her time with the Embera and how it changed her outlook on life.

Cher and her Mom talk about the experience in the Aftershow

“Exiled” to Embera Puru Village

MTV came up with an interesting concept for a reality TV show. Take a spoiled rich kid and drop them into an Indigenous village somewhere in the world and see what happens.

Cher . . . well Cher was a Jewish Princess who lived in a castle in Florida. According to MTV:

Cher is the sweet little princess of her family’s castle (no, seriously…a castle) in Palm Harbor, Florida. As the baby of the family, Cher has led a fun, carefree life and has been spoiled, sheltered and protected by everyone around her — especially her doting mother. Cher is now 18 and is heading off to college…but her parents aren’t quite sure that they’ve given Cher the life skills to make it on her own.

In this episode of Exiled, Cher’s family will give her the ultimate crash course in survival when she is sent to live with the Embera people in Eastern Panama. Cher will be forced to rely on herself in order to assimilate with the Embera and to adjust to life in the jungle. She’ll live in a hut on stilts with an entire family, and will learn–fast–that in the Embera culture, everyone has to contribute in order for the group to survive…and that even princesses have to hustle to get the job done.

So Cher ends up going to the Embera Puru village at San Juan de Pequini where my friend Erito is the chief, and here’s what happens . . .

So In case you missed it, here’s the link to watch – you gotta see this! Cher & The Embera

As an interesting aside, I was on the dock at Cristobal talking with Lisette, who is the Embera girl in the picture above and who acts as Cher’s guide to Embera life in the Village. A guest from the ZUIDERDAM came up and said, “Oh, she’s the star from the MTV show!” and insisted on taking a picture. I think Lisette was embarrassed!

Panama?

When I give my “Escape to Paradise” lecture on board ship, people always want to know how Panama got on my short list of countries when we were looking for a place to retire.  So here’s the abbreviated story . . .

I was serving as Protestant Chaplain on the ROTTERDAM which was doing the 10-day Southern Caribbean itinerary round trip from Fort Lauderdale which includes going through Gatun Locks and into Gatun Lake, the same itinerary I am now doing on the ZUIDERDAM.  Today the ship enters the Canal through Gatun Locks early in the morning, disembarks guests going on tours in Gatun Lake, and then the ship turns around and goes back through the Gatun Locks to meet guests returning from tours at the pier at Cristobal, Colon.    In those days the ship remained in Gatun Lake until guests returned from tours.

My wife saw this “Authentic Embera Indian Village Tour” and wanted to go.  It was expensive and I said, “It will just be some hokey, touristy thing” – not that Holland America would ever do a “hokey, touristy” tour, but we had been on some othercruise lines that did offer some “hokey, touristy” tours.  So I told her, “You go, I just want to go ashore and say I’ve been in Panama.”    So I paid $30 to get off the boat and go ashore to the “Gatun Lake Yacht Club.”  Talk about a misnomer!  There was . . . and is . . . absolutely nothing at the “Gatun Lake Yacht Club”.  No yachts, no canoes, nada, nothing.  There were a few Embera Indians there selling baskets and somehow I got in a “conversation” with one of the Embera guys.  Interesting since I didn’t know Spanish and he didn’t know English.  But somehow we began to communicate. 

Perhaps because paying $30 just to get off the ship was kinda “hokey, touristy”, the shore excursion operator began serving free beer to ROTTERDAM guests.  So I got some beer, and brought some back to my new Embera Indian friend.  Soon I met all his brothers, and soon I was getting beer for everyone.  Pretty soon the shore excursion operator began serving the beer to me and my new friends.

So here we all are drinking beer with the ROTTERDAM in the background . . .

Well it turned out that my new friend, Erito, was the chief of this particular Embera Puru village.  His younger brother, Auselio, was in love and wanted me to take a picture of him and his girl friend.

Auselio took a liking to me and gave me some Embera beads.  Not having anything to give him in return, I gave him the ROTTERDAM shirt off my back.  And he said, about the shirt and this beautiful bare-breasted Indian girl, “I can’t wait to get back to the village so I can put my girl friend in the t-shirt so she will look sexy like American girls.”

And I had to explain that in America we try to get the t-shirt off !

Well, they got my t-shirt, my 24 Hour Fitness gym bag, and they would have gotten my shorts, but I figured if the Chaplain came back on the ROTTERDAM wearing nothing but a red loin cloth, I’d never get invited back on Holland America!

Five hours later my wife returned from her Indian Village tour (which by the way turned out to be fantastic!  and that is still the reaction of our guests on ZUIDERDAM who take the tour today!) and found her half naked husband and his Indian amigos.  They kept saying to me, “We want you to visit our village.”

When I went back to Ventura I went on line to try and find out more about the Embera and their village and in the process, by accident, I stumbled onto all the information about retiring in Panama and the benefits of retiring in Panama.  So that’s how Panama made the list!

It’s because of Erito and his brothers that we live in Panama today!  And we’ve remained good friends with Erito and all the folks at the Embera Puru village at San Juan de Pequini.  We’ve visited them and they have visited us.  And, as an aside, this is Erito and his brother-in-law Fernando, when I had them visit on the ZUIDERDAM at Christmas.

To be continued . . .