Jumping off Rocks and Dancing with the Embera Tribe

Another perfect day in Panama!
Day 3 in Panama started at 8am with a bus ride out to the rural part of Panama province to spend the day with the Embera tribe, indigenous people originally from Colombia who migrated into the area they are in now. They live a completely traditional life, living off the earth and sharing their culture with people who visit. Our friend, Johan, was our guide for the day (15 years old!). We traveled by canoe and by foot through the river and the jungle to a gorgeous waterfall! Swimming, sitting under the water, and jumping off a rock into the water took up most of the morning. Then we traveled by canoe back to the Embera community to eat lunch and learn about their history. The women from the tribe cooked us fried plantains and tilapia fresh from the lake on an open flame inside the hut. We picked up an assortment of fruit (pineapple, watermelon, oranges) and ate those for dessert. The chief of tribe told us about his past and how the live today (making crafts, dying palms, making their homes, etc). This man's father trained astronauts (Neil Armstrong!) and military personnel about how to live in the jungle. The Embera people respect and depend on nature so much that they fight to keep the land presevered, and live in such a way that allows for continued sustainability of the nature resources they have. We could learn so much from these people! They also showed us some dancing, and we got to dance with them! Little girls came up to us and invited us into the circle, and young men found their dance partners around the large hut to move to the drums, flute, and singing from the older males in the tribe. It was such an awesome experience!!! We wrapped up the day with shopping for crafts and getting henna tattoos (plus a great banner picture :) with the people of Embera before we boarded the canoes to go back to the bus.
We've already seen and experienced so much of beautiful Panama, and it's only the third day!!! I can't wait to see what else is in store for us in the rest of this trip!!

Love, Jordan and Team Panama

"Are we properly branded for this picture??" -Mitch Moore