EJ Latitudes 1/08.qxd - Frontiers Elegant Journeys

manatees. I saw toucans, aricaris, oropendolas, swallow-tailed
hawks, several species of herons, kingfishers, anhingas, parrots, and
jacanas. The wide-open canals make viewing easier than at many
other parks — superb for spotting crocodiles, giant iguanas, basilisk
lizards sunning atop the branches, and caimans luxuriating on the
fallen branches at the side of the river. The river guide from the
hotel was great, pointing out wildlife we would never have noticed.
Whether you want an active vacation or prefer total relaxation – or,
for many, a combination of both — Costa Rica will not disappoint.
Panama City is known for its lively nightlife. It all takes place in
three sectors of the city: the business district, Casco Viejo, and the
spectacular Amador Causeway. My highlight of Panama, however,
was a visit to an Embera village. We traveled by small motorboat
45 minutes up the Mogue River into the Darien Gap (the missing
link in the Pan-American Highway that otherwise stretches from
Alaska to Tierra del Fuego). We entered the Darien Jungle to spend
some time with the Embera Choco people, the original natives of
the area. The timing has to be right, going in as the tide is swelling
and getting out before the water level starts going down, but the
slow journey makes for great birding.
Young girls and boys led us by the hand to the village of thatchroofed
homes on stilts, where villagers are able to live off the land
sustainably and make some extra money from tourist visit fees and
handicraft sales. Since
mass-market tourism in
the Darién is wholly
absent, the Embera rely
on ancestral means of survival,
and village life continues
unabated whether
tourists are there or not.
Guests to Mogue are
treated to an open and
honest look at traditional
Embera lifestyles, traditions,
dance and crafts. If
you speak a little Spanish,
you’ll revel in the opportunity
to talk with some of
the last remaining inhabitants
of the neotropical
rain forest.
Whether searching for an ecological gem of wildlife and flora or
cosmopolitan nightlife with a Latin flair, these two countries can
provide both to meet any traveler’s expectations.
Cindy Smith
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