This morning we visited the Embera people of Playo Muerto who greeted us upon our wet landing. They lead us to their village, a designated UNESCO Heritage Center, where they performed several folk dances, and we had the opportunity to purchase their beautiful handmade crafts. I bought a Tagua “vegetable ivory” bird carving and a Cocobolo turtle carving.

Back onboard ship, several members of our group took a guided tour of the ship’s bridge conducted by the captain.

Later that afternoon, I watched a documentary and a musical show on the life of French sculptor Camille Claudel and attended a lecture “Conservative with a Camera” by Tim Martin.

The Captain’s Gala Dinner was held this evening, and I received a surprise invitation, along with a select group from our tour, to sit at the captain’s table.

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• Playa Muerto and the Embera People

Our first stop was at Holandes Caye in the San Blas archipelago. We took a Zodiac shuttle followed by a wet landing (we stepped into the water and waded to shore – a new experience for me!).

I chose a naturalist walk on the island where we visited a Guna village. We then returned to the ship to watch an interesting documentary, “The Last Treasures of the Maya Snake King”, which discussed the recent discoveries of Mayan cities in the jungles of Central America.

Later in the afternoon, we had a lecture by Tim Martin, “30 Years of Wildlife Film Making”, on his personal experiences as a photographer. After dinner, we watched a documentary on the history and challenges of building the Panama Canal, “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama”.

We checked out of our hotel and began our busy day with a drive to Old Town Panama (Casco Viejo). In 1671, the pirate Henry Morgan had captured and sacked the city and eventually retreated to Jamaica. The Spanish rebuilt Old Town, and it is now a UNESCO Heritage Center. While people can buy property there, it is extremely expensive as they are required to meet UNESCO’s stringent building standards. Our walking tour included St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Joseph’s Church, and Cathedral and Herrera Squares.

St. Mary’s Cathedral

St. Joseph’s Church

Herrera Square

Originally part of Colombia, Panama became independent in 1903 and signed a treaty with the U.S. to build the Canal. The Canal returned to Panama after a new treaty was signed in 1977. We toured the former U.S. Canal Zone and visited the Agua Clara Locks after lunch.

Iguana

Coatimundi

In the late afternoon we boarded our ship, the Le Bellot. After settling in, we had a reception and orientation talk followed by dinner. As tomorrow’s beach activities would not begin until mid-morning, I was able to crash in my cabin the rest of the evening.

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• Old Town Panama (Casco Viejo)

Our local guide gave us a brief overview of the country of Panama as we headed out of Panama City. It is the size of South Carolina, with half of the population living in Panama City. The Spanish arrived in the 1500’s, followed by immigrants from other countries. Panama’s major exports are bananas and coffee; its economic engine is driven by the Canal, tourism and banking. The construction of new locks has allowed for the passage of larger container ships through the Canal. Panama has not experienced any major earthquakes, fires or hurricanes. Annual rainfall averages 6 ft on the Pacific side and 12 ft on the Atlantic side. The high-rise buildings that currently mark the Panama City skyline did not appear until 2000 when Panama regained control of the Canal. We also learned that the famous “Panama hats” are actually not made in Panama but in Ecuador.

We went to the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve and visited the Sloth Sanctuary and the ecological exhibits which featured a frog habitat and native plants.

Gamboa is the halfway point on the Panama Canal. As the Reserve overlooks the Canal, we could see ships and boats of all kinds as we headed back to Panama City. A black iguana greeted us at our lunch stop.

After lunch, we toured the Biomuseo which is dedicated to the natural history and cultural and biological diversity of Panama.

My day ended with another great dinner at Masi that included prawns cooked in garlic and butter, cocoanut rice and a chocolate dessert.

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• Biomuseo

• Gamboa Rainforest Reserve

Our welcome dinner wasn’t until 6 PM, so I slept in and had a mid-morning breakfast. The Masi restaurant has indoor and outdoor areas, and I amused myself watching pigeons and other birds scavenging for food off the outside tables and floor. After a day of relaxation, we had our welcome reception and dinner in the hotel’s Tejas restaurant and enjoyed a surprise performance by Panamanian dancers and musicians.

This was a very long day with a gate change and a long wait at Panamanian customs but otherwise uneventful. The JW Marriott Hotel, located on the waterfront and housed in one of the tallest buildings in Latin America, has panoramic views of the Panama City skyline and the Pacific Ocean. I had a bedroom suite which included a wet room. My dinner that evening at the hotel’s Masi restaurant included steak, a glass of chardonnay, a chocolate dessert, and cappuccino.

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Views inside and outside my room at the JW Marriott

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