Panama! I didn’t get to go to my trip in Panama (seeing the Embera Indians) but I eventually was able to leave the ship and along with Janna and Tom, got to drive up to Panama City where I had a great time. Panama City is remarkable. Like many major cities, it has diverse pockets of neighborhoods that show its socioeconomic differences. Luis and Annette took us on a tour all over the city and showed us the old and historic portion of the city, the new highways, the beautiful skyline with new architecture, and of course the canal zone. We ate at a lovely restaurant that was frequented by locals overlooking the water. As we ate our dinner, we could see the ships waiting in line to enter the canal. The food, particularly the seafood, was exquisite. I had fried whole Corvina ( a local fish that is sometimes exported) with arroz (rice) and this really good local hot sauce. The next day, the three of us went around the old part of Panama City and just walked around and explored. We hired a guide who gave us the history of the city and even shared with us the gentrification happening throughout that part. There are various “stars” now living in that part of the city as well as various offices including the nation’s president’s. At moments, I was lost in thought about the various colonial legacies left to Panama by Spain, France, and the United States. Amongst of all these colonial legacies, you can see the indigenous community dressed in colorful clothes, short, dark, some with their children carried over their shoulders. The indigenous community we kept seeing were the women and children of the Kuna. They were working in the streets selling tourists bracelets, hand sewn blankets, bags, and quilts, necklaces, and other items. I couldn’t help but imagine as I looked into their eyes their anger and resistance against a society that took away the world that was theirs. It became a sharp reminder to me of the history of conquest and of the racial mixtures in the Caribbean.
My favorite thing that I did in Panama was simply to walk around and observe the people. I briefly chatted with an elderly man who played his guitar on the street and sang for us. He was fantastic and quite striking. If I successfully attach his picture, you can see that he has a proud look to him, his face lined with experience and knowledge that can only be obtained by being out in the streets and seeing great disruptions, transitions, and joy.
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