Call of the wild
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Here is a link to a story about a trip across Panama
with Austin-Lehman Adventures - check it out - maybe
it will be a perfect fit for your panama adventure
vacation!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22647392/?pg=6#TRAVEL_BestAdventureTrips_Concierge
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22647392/?pg=6#TRAVEL_BestAdventureTrips_Concierge
Punta Valiente
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
One of our favorite excursions is to go to Punta
Valiente. There we visit one Ngobe Bugle village and
then walk across a trail created by another to one of
the longest stretches of beach in Western Panama.
The Ngobe Bugle is a combination of two separate groups which were joined together when the Ngobe Bugle Comarca was created. The villages we visit are a part of this comarca. The Ngobe Bugle are Panama's most numerous indigenous peoples with a population of about 190,000. A comarca is a protected area that governs itself comparable to a reservation in the USA.
The majority of the Ngobe Bugle live in small communities or villages like the two that visit. They live in huts raised off the ground with a penca or thatch roof. The primary handcraft of these Ngobe Bugle is the chacara. The "chacara" is a type of woven bag made by the women that displays their numerous ancestral legends, mimicking the skin and colors of their animals and the landscape of the comarca. These bags are made using fibers from the pita and cabuya plants.
When the children are in school we visit the village school and bring different items for the children. We also take photos of the different villagers. We print copies of the photos and take them back to them on the next visit. All the children gather around to find one of the photos of themselves to take home.
The Ngobe Bugle is a combination of two separate groups which were joined together when the Ngobe Bugle Comarca was created. The villages we visit are a part of this comarca. The Ngobe Bugle are Panama's most numerous indigenous peoples with a population of about 190,000. A comarca is a protected area that governs itself comparable to a reservation in the USA.
The majority of the Ngobe Bugle live in small communities or villages like the two that visit. They live in huts raised off the ground with a penca or thatch roof. The primary handcraft of these Ngobe Bugle is the chacara. The "chacara" is a type of woven bag made by the women that displays their numerous ancestral legends, mimicking the skin and colors of their animals and the landscape of the comarca. These bags are made using fibers from the pita and cabuya plants.
When the children are in school we visit the village school and bring different items for the children. We also take photos of the different villagers. We print copies of the photos and take them back to them on the next visit. All the children gather around to find one of the photos of themselves to take home.
Lure of adventure
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The lure of adventure. What is it for you? Do you
want activities to keep you busy morning, noon and
night? Do you want to rest and relax and have a dose
of adventure on the side?
You can order your family adventure either way. One family we know does a bit of both. The dad and the son get up and go fishing off the dock each morning beginning around 7:30 am. Mom and daughter sleep in a little bit and they all meet up for breakfast in the main lodge building around 9:30. After breakfast they head out to one of the nearby islands for a day of sun filled adventure. We pack up boogie boards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment and lots of sunscreen. We send a picnic lunch made to order and various other snacks to keep them satisfied as they work up an appetite. They return from the beach early in the afternoon and escape from the sun for a few hours either inside their cabana or on the porch in the hammock. After the brief respite from the sun, Mom and Dad take some fruity cocktails back to their room for a bit of quiet time. The children come over to the main lodge building to play with our kids for a couple of hours. They enjoy a delicious dinner together before heading back to the cabana. At the cabana they stargaze briefly and then head off to sleep in order to rest up for the next day of their adventure vacation.
You can order your family adventure either way. One family we know does a bit of both. The dad and the son get up and go fishing off the dock each morning beginning around 7:30 am. Mom and daughter sleep in a little bit and they all meet up for breakfast in the main lodge building around 9:30. After breakfast they head out to one of the nearby islands for a day of sun filled adventure. We pack up boogie boards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment and lots of sunscreen. We send a picnic lunch made to order and various other snacks to keep them satisfied as they work up an appetite. They return from the beach early in the afternoon and escape from the sun for a few hours either inside their cabana or on the porch in the hammock. After the brief respite from the sun, Mom and Dad take some fruity cocktails back to their room for a bit of quiet time. The children come over to the main lodge building to play with our kids for a couple of hours. They enjoy a delicious dinner together before heading back to the cabana. At the cabana they stargaze briefly and then head off to sleep in order to rest up for the next day of their adventure vacation.
Diverse Interests Unite
Thursday, September 27, 2007
So you want to take your family on a family adventure
vacation. Do you all want to do the same things when
you go out to explore the area? Are there competing
interests that need to be fulfilled each day?
Generally speaking you can fulfill multiple areas of interest each day when you visit Bocas del Toro Panama. Because the archipelago has so many diverse opportunities there are ways to make sure that even a family where each member wants to do something different can spend time together.
You may want to go fishing, but your wife is more a sleep in kind of person (I am very familiar with this situation from personal experience). You can get up and go fishing in the morning and meet her back at the lodge building for breakfast.
The kids like to play on the beach either snorkeling, building sand castles or kayaking. So after your breakfast you can take a boat over to one of the many Panama Islands and set up your base camp for the day. Mom can hang out on the beach enjoying the serenity of the islands. The kids can do their thing together or a part. Dad can bring along a rod and do some wadefishing. Then you all can convene for lunch together and possibly a walk along the beach.
Generally speaking you can fulfill multiple areas of interest each day when you visit Bocas del Toro Panama. Because the archipelago has so many diverse opportunities there are ways to make sure that even a family where each member wants to do something different can spend time together.
You may want to go fishing, but your wife is more a sleep in kind of person (I am very familiar with this situation from personal experience). You can get up and go fishing in the morning and meet her back at the lodge building for breakfast.
The kids like to play on the beach either snorkeling, building sand castles or kayaking. So after your breakfast you can take a boat over to one of the many Panama Islands and set up your base camp for the day. Mom can hang out on the beach enjoying the serenity of the islands. The kids can do their thing together or a part. Dad can bring along a rod and do some wadefishing. Then you all can convene for lunch together and possibly a walk along the beach.
Panama Vacation
Monday, September 17, 2007
Come to Panama to play. Each day in your day to day
life includes plans and a schedule. When you come
here you are on vacation. Remember that. Live by it.
Enjoy the beach. Enjoy the jungle. Enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy the different plants and animals. Enjoy the view. Enjoy the stars. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the ocean. Enjoy the exhilaration that accompanies the different excursions in which you participate. Enjoy the hammock. Enjoy the quiet. Enjoy the moonrise. Enjoy the privacy. Enjoy the sleep. Enjoy the lively conversation. Enjoy your seclusion. Enjoy your book. Enjoy the lack of a schedule.
We understand that you are on vacation and that you have to make all kinds of decisions and plans on a daily basis in your life. So here, we help you relax. We plan your meals for you based upon the preferences you have given us in advance. We let you sleep as long as you want to do so. We ask you what your interests are and then make suggestions for your excursions for the day. We give you time to play and we give you time to relax. We take you out of your everyday so that when you return to it, you are refreshed.
Enjoy the beach. Enjoy the jungle. Enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy the different plants and animals. Enjoy the view. Enjoy the stars. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the ocean. Enjoy the exhilaration that accompanies the different excursions in which you participate. Enjoy the hammock. Enjoy the quiet. Enjoy the moonrise. Enjoy the privacy. Enjoy the sleep. Enjoy the lively conversation. Enjoy your seclusion. Enjoy your book. Enjoy the lack of a schedule.
We understand that you are on vacation and that you have to make all kinds of decisions and plans on a daily basis in your life. So here, we help you relax. We plan your meals for you based upon the preferences you have given us in advance. We let you sleep as long as you want to do so. We ask you what your interests are and then make suggestions for your excursions for the day. We give you time to play and we give you time to relax. We take you out of your everyday so that when you return to it, you are refreshed.