Happy Independence Day - Panama

Today is a big holiday in Panama - it's Independence Day and it was celebrated in style this morning in Nargana. We are anchored very close to the town and last night it was hard to sleep with all the drumming. This morning we found out why. There was a "big" celebration in the town square with drumming, speeches, singing and it ended with a "big" parade that we went to see. We think everyone in town was in the parade - classes of Kuna kids, all in uniform marched together. Boys and girls are in separate classes on the island. The boys had on dress shirts and long navy slacks; the girls pleated skirts and white blouses; the younger children had little uniforms, epaulettes and all - and the boys carried plastic swords and the little girls in sailor outfits carried batons. There were baton squads and dance squads and our favorites were both the cool drum corp in Panama straw hats and neat cotton shirts and the flute/dance troupe that were in colorful Kuna outfits and danced and played as they marched. Unfortunately, we rushed in and forgot the camera.

It was a fun morning that was totally unexpected. There was also a Colombian boat at the dock and Michael scored some cheaper diesel from them.

Yesterday was also a great day. After a walk all over Nargana which is officially Nargana-Yandup and Akuanusatupu - two communities joined together by a bridge. We walked all over the town(s). Much of the town has decided to abandon their traditional beliefs and colorful dressing and is more westernized. There is a bank here, police station, jail, lots of little tiendas (stores), a clinic, several restaurants, a bar and billiard hall and few hotels. Unfortunately no place to fill US propane tanks nor any internet. They have several public pay phones and we tried to buy a cell phone card that would work in Panama - but no luck. The people are friendly and the streets are sand roads and there are no vehicles (on land at least). Many people stopped us on the walk to speak English to us. We even found a little café that served ice cream - 50 cents a scoop!

We got some fuel in the morning from Frederico, an entrepreneur who will take garbage, bring fuel, do tours - sort of whatever you need. After our stroll through the towns, we decided it was time to take on the Rio Diablo (Devil's River) by dinghy. We hoped to see some exotic birds and a troop of white faced monkeys. And perhaps a giant crocodile. We motored up the river against the current - avoiding tree stumps and shallows. At one point, Michael had to get out of the dinghy and pull it over the shallows. Felt a bit like a Humphrey Bogart movie. Once we got quite a way up the river, we saw Kunas swimming, showering and doing their laundry in the fresh water of the river. It was refreshing cooler water. But what about those crocodiles we heard about? Little kids were splashing about??? We continued along the way and several large dugouts with motors passed us. They told us because it was All Soul's Day - they were heading to a large cemetery up the river. The boats were packed and folks had flowers and many were in Kuna dress with the traditional red makeup.
Then it became truly like a jungle movie - the river narrowed, the current got stronger, the landscape got lusher and the rain started. And boy did it rain. And it rained. We swam (after all we were soaked) and we waited on a rocky beach. But the raiin had no intention of slowing. So we decided to let the current take us back down river on a float trip. We could hear the birds and animals more distinctly and saw several varieties of pretty yellow breasted small birds; some red and black ones and we heard a lot of interesting calls.

We rowed and floated all the way back down the Rio Diablo and back to Astarte - soaked. But it was really an interesting adventure. We did see a white faced monkey on a young boy's back in town - as a pet. Not quite the same as seeing them in the wild. Maybe on the next river adventure.

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