One Beautiful Day in Panama

Who? Bob Where? In Panama, we remember those who have come before us and treat them with respect, as evidenced here at the cemetery in Chepo, a town east of Panama City. As we lay the year 2007 to rest, let us do the same.

Photographer: Jeff Where? The Emberá are not as well-known as some Native American groups in Panama as they have traditionally lived in the deep rain forest of the eastern Darien province, but that is beginning to change. Parara Puru is a small village of Emberá on the Chagres River about an hour from Panama City that has maintained its traditional culture while welcoming tours from outside. During a hot day’s work, we might choose to jump in the river to cool off, but how much more satisfying it must be to simply stand under the river.

Photographer: Bob Where? This is a “spine cedar”, used in furniture, veneer, and as a substitute for mahogany. Along with a number of other species, particularly teak, it is a tree grown at some of Panama’s reforestation projects. Expatriates can even get a visa by investing in a reforestation project. Here, Max Coll of Futuro Forestal gets close, but not too close, to one of their project’s trees in Las Lajas, Chiriqui province, in western Panama.

Who? Jaime Where? It’s mid-day and the fishermen are out on the water. Señor Esteban and his staff are at lunch. In a few hours, this little shop will be full of seafood and buyers, but not yet. This shop is found at Puerto Coquira, a small port on the Bayano River near the town of Chepo in eastern Panama province. Although a river port, Coquira is very near the ocean and the seafood sold here is literally seafood. Some of it will end up in refrigerated trucks on its way to Panama City, some of it will be sold in shops like Señor Esteban’s, and some of it will be eaten today in one of the port’s little restaurants. Coquira is a rare gem and the one concern is that someone will come along and “modernize” it!

Photographer: Coni Uzelac Where? Trying to keep track of Panama City’s growth is an on-going struggle. This one of the area on the bay will be completely out-of-date in a year, strikingly so in two years, the part of the bay you see now will be filled in, parks created, and a ten-lane Cinta Costera (coastal beltway) will connect the eastern and western sides of the city, drawing traffic away from the currently very crowded streets of the city. As with the photo of Casco Viejo before, this photo is too wide for this page, but clicking on it will give you a full view.

Who? Sieg Pedde What? They’re 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 no threat to their Panamanian neighbors. However, a mother is a mother, so keep your distance when baby is asleep.

Photographer: Bob Where? For the second year, members of Retirement Wave from a variety of nations, most certainly including Panama, gathered together to have fun and share the holiday spirit. This is the cake that greeted them and let it be our greeting to you as well!

Photographer: Bob Whether it’s a Marriott, a Sheraton, a Radisson, or another of the major hotels, we have them in Panama. But the small country hotels can offer more. Here, from the balcony of Los Capitanes Hotel in El Valle, we get a glimpse of a scene that cannot be found in Panama City.

Photographer: Woody Where? A word like “solitude” is not one we would normally associate with Panama City and its million inhabitants, but this boater crossing Panama Bay at dusk dwarfed by the shadow of a new condominium under construction (Destiny Tower) gently reminds us that there is solitude to be found, even in the midst of a crowd.

Photographer: Sieg Pedde Where? This is taken near Rovira Arriba and Boquete towards a cloud-enshrouded Volcán Barú, Panama’s most famous volcano. Made of volcanic rock, the walls were built over a period of many years and are the volcano’s ancient gift to the people. Far from the rush of the city, the mountains of western Panama offer their own special beauty and tranquility.