La Fortuna - Costa Rica

After going from Panama to Costa Rica (via El Salvador), we took a 2 hour bus ride to a beautiful Arenal Paraiso in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Even though we arrived to Fortuna at 3AM we were set and ready to go at 7AM for an unbelievable river safari and a tour of the local volcano.

Detailed reports about those two visits are coming your way shortly...

Panama Vieja Y Casco Viejo

This morning, our last morning in Panama, we first headed out to Panama Vieja (Old Town).  The district may be in ruins, however the history is far from. Our very own Esteban led us through the beautiful commons and structures while explaining the events that occurred in the exact same place that we stood hundreds of years ago.  The community was built in 1673, a few years following the pirate invasion and destruction of the old city.    

Just some fun in the sun...

The first set of ruins we walked through belonged to the once standing Dominican Brother's convent.  Next, we were guided through a shady path surrounded by gorgeous trees stemming from crazy looking roots to a wide sunny common.  The multi-story cathedral and the Bishop's house looked over this common.  As explained by Esteban, the Spanish brought Indians from several different tribes and cultures to mix and form a new community in Old Town.  These Indians were not considered people by the Spanish and were not allowed inside the cathedral until they had learned the Christian document inside and out.  Until they completed this task, they could be used as slaves to the Christian residents.  

 

Next, we put our fitness to the test as we climbed the steep staircase to the top of the cathedral.  I think I can speak for myself and the rest of the group when I say that the view of the city across the water from the top was absolutely breathtaking.  The pair of beautiful scenery and intense history made this trip one of a kind. 

Our final stop of the Panama leg before heading to the airport was Casco Viejo (Modern City).  Observing the transformation from the old to the new city was quite the culture shock.  We stepped off the bus onto a street parallel to the ocean and a city skyline view. 

Our bus driver, Jaime, briskly led the way into the French influenced city, making sure we would return to the bus on time.  We strolled through the narrow streets, taking in the detailed French architecture.  Esteban brought us into the Iglesia San Jose (church) which contained an alter made of pure gold.  After gazing at the stunning stain glass windows and the incredible sculptures and alters, we headed back out into the blazing Panamanian sun.  This kind of heat called for a pit stop at the snow cone stand.  The group gathered around the seller as he skillfully transformed ice from an enormous block into a perfect snow cone.  Although I, personally, was a bit skeptical of the condensed milk used in the treat at first, it was actually the best thing I had tasted all day. Delicious!

Jaime requested the group to start making our way back to the bus quickly as the time was ticking.  The mix of history, beauty, and sun made for a perfect last day in Panama.

The Embera Quera Village

Warm welcome by the locals...

Today our journeys in Panama took us to a place more special than any other, the village of Embera Quera. Before arrival, we traveled by boat through the river and encountered a vast amount of plantain trees.

Boating in Panama Bryant style

Looking for alligators

We had the pleasure of giving a banana to Tony the monkey, a rescued animal with amazing branch-hopping skills.

Tony the monkey

We then continued on the village which was truly a sight to see at first, and we were greeted by the entire village with song and dance.

After a warm welcome, the medicine man of the village was the first speaker for our group. His skills and knowledge has been passed down by oral tradition, and many of the village’s home grown plants are used as natural remedies for certain illnesses. There were plants used to remove parasites in animals, control diabetes and cholesterol, and other illnesses such as fevers and colds. We viewed a house that had not yet completed its roof, and they explained to us that it takes only a few days to complete an entire roof using the trees from the forest. The problem with the houses is termite buildup, and after a certain period of time, the houses must be torn down and rebuilt so the homes will not collapse.

Medicine man at work

Tasting the medicine leaves

The village’s classroom was very interesting. The children will receive schooling in Spanish by a teacher provided by the Panamanian government, and they learn their native language from their parents. All students were taught to write with their right hands, even if left is their preference.

Gabe and Mark teaching the locals our games

When lunchtime arrived, we received a short speech from the second Indian chief of the village. He was very young, 27 in fact, and chosen to lead because chiefs have to be highly involved with the people at all times. He was chosen out of three possible candidates by election to lead his tribe. He gave us some basic facts, such as there are 17 families consisting of 47 people. People married at the age of 14-15 normally and the way a man married a woman was far different from what we expected. The two would meet in secret and when a man showed he truly wanted to marry a woman, he would sneak into her room and wait until morning for the father to walk-in, demonstrating his commitment to her.

We ate amazingly cooked fish, along with plantains and pineapples while conversing with many of the villagers. They had given many of us temporary tribal tattoos with the dye that they make.

Jordan getting inked

Alex and Elle tried on their outfits, and looked very stunning.

They were almost kept by the locals...

After eating, the village came together to perform a series of songs and dances for us. After a few dances, they then invited all of us up to dance with them. Steph was chosen as the first person to dance, which was a considered great honor. After the dance, some of us played with the children while others viewed their shop full of hand-carved wooden art and hand-made jewelry. We had an amazing day and most of us did not want to leave when it was over. This was far different from any other tour or presentation we had been a part of, and we all have experienced some of the richest culture that Panama has to offer. 

We met some great little friends

Mark left quite an impression on this little future chief

Jaewon and her new Embera friend

Stephanie checked this off her bucket list - "find the toucan within arm length"

What a trip!

 

Artisan Market

To end our long day on Friday we went to an artisan market about 15 minutes from the hotel. This is a place where the locals can sell small hand crafted goods, such as bracelets, mugs, and t-shirts.  One unique thing about this market is that the customers have to agree on a price for an item. For example, instead of buying a bracelet for $5 you can tell the person you are doing business with that you want it for $3.  Although you can get a lower price that is originally offered most of the time, that might not be the case for every instance.   It is a good place to buy souvenirs for loved ones or yourself. 

From right: Matt, Elle, and the coolest bus driver ever

Dell Panama

We were first greeted by a kind man named Fernando Lopez. He informed us that the Dell Center in Panama was the largest center in Central America containing two large buildings. The first building consisted of hundreds of cubicles and it was known as the operating building: tech support, phone calls, emails, chats, and IT assist. This support center reaches from the U.S. and Canada, and all the way to some parts in Europe. This tech support group is working 24/7 because of all the time zones they must deal with, including England and the Netherlands.
The second building we toured was only a year and a half old and it was more of the corporate side including finance, accounting, logistics, auditors, marketing, human resources, and labs for engineering. This building is also made up of many cubicles that can hold 3,000 employees. All of the workers speak Spanish and English. In the training labs, they have invested in $40 million worth of equipment mainly used by the engineers who solve computer problems. Lorenzo Batista is the main engineer for the dell Center in Panama and he has been there for 8 years and he is known as THE man around the labs.

Finally, Giancarla gave us a nice presentation about Dell and how the company works. They started in 2003 as a call center and the are transitioning to a services provider and a solutions company. In Panama alone they have 2,300 employees, 275+ management teams, and 35% are female employees. They are #1 in storage and cloud computing and they are moving towards a Cisco and Lenox type company. They have had 1420 employee volunteers for community service projects and they have contributed 13,500 hours during these projects which they are very proud of. Dell in Panama has acquired 16 companies in the past 4 years and they are continuing to strive.

To conclude the presentation, Shane gave Giancarla a gift from all of us and she thanked him by a kiss on the cheek which Shane enjoyed very much and his face was consumed by redness!

Contributed by Elle Madsen

 

Puente Del Mundo, Corazon del Universo (Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe)

There is nothing more central to Panamanian culture, tourism, and business than the Panama Canal. So it was a reasonable expectation that the canal would be a highlight of the SIE Latin America experience. If I may be so bold as to speak on behalf of my fellow students, we were not disappointed.

We rose with the hot Panamanian sun to board a ship that would take us through the marvel of modern engineering, the Panama Canal. The ship was named Fantasia Del Mar (Fantasy of the Sea) and had some surprising history. El Fantasia Del Mar was built by Eastern Shipbuilding Corporation (based in Connecticut) and was launched from Boothbay Harbor, Maine in 1977. The floor we stood on was not the only comfort of home however; we soon met many American tourists including a couple from the tropical paradise known as Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Our tour guide was able to walk around the ship and speak to many passengers personally, which served to augment his humorous narration on the ship’s PA system. He imparted on us many interesting facts and figures

·         40-50 ships pass through the canal every day and 14,000 do so every year. The new construction should expand this number to 120 ships daily.

 

·         The average cost of passage is $85,000 dollars and the record for highest price to cross the canal is $459,000 paid by Norwegian Cruise Line in 2013. The price breakdown is based on cargo: $150 dollars for a full bed, $100 dollars for an empty one, $84 dollars for a full shipping crate, $74 for an empty one.

·         Transport ships for automobiles can fit 6,000 cars at a time.

·         The Panama Canal is the only place a person can cross the Continental Divide, which separates the watersheds flow of water to the Atlantic and the Pacific, by boat.

·         There are three sets of locks that raise the water level in the canal from sea level to the 85 feet at which sits Lake Gatun. These locks weigh 720 tons each and the lock system is so large that the entire Empire State Building when laid on its side could fit between the set of locks.

 

·         The Canal construction was started by the French, at the time at the forefront of the engineering world, due in part to their success with the Suez Canal. For 13 years the French struggled with the project, as 22,000 died, largely in part to malaria. The French had such trouble with the Continental Divide that they spread rumors in all the newspapers of the world that there was gold in the mountains as a desperate bid to procure more laborers. After the French gave up their attempt, the US supported Panamanian independence against the greater Columbia and continued construction. The advances of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay in the field of malaria treatment made it possible for the United States to complete the canal.

 On our voyage we passed through miles of rainforest with few man-made distractions. There was the white-collar prison that houses the infamous Manuel Noriega. We also passed one of the world’s largest floating cranes. The so called “Herman the German” was one of four massive floating cranes used by Nazi Germany to repair U-boats in World War II . The three cranes that survived the war were split amongst the Allied Powers. Panama bought their gigantic crane from the United States in the 1990s to simplify canal repairs and construction; it took 9 million dollars to transport this crane.

Aside from the extensive history lesson, Bryant’s jaunt on the Panama Canal was one of the most relaxing parts of our trip so far. We enjoyed Panamanian fare for both breakfast and lunch and relished in the company of our peers as well as the other visitors to this wonder of the industrial age. The importance of the canal in transit as well as in the culture of Central America was palpable and our expedition was well summed up by our friendly captain: “Attention all ditch-diggers. Mosquito swatters, and adventure seekers, let it be known that these people have crossed through the Panama Canal. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT”

 

Saludos,

             Casey

Good morning Panama

We visited Panama Canal today and at 6:45 this morning on the way to the Canal we encountered the most amazing sunrise.