Today was definitely unforgettable, to say the least! When we left at 8 am, the weather was beautiful, dry, and sunny, but around 12 pm it took a turn in the complete opposite direction! Juan, our awesome tour guide here in Panama City, took us about an hour and a half out to the Chagras National Rainforest. We took canoes out on the river and did a mini-hike up to a beautiful waterfall. We got a chance to swim in the water, take in the scenery, and observe nature at its best. Right now Panama is considered to be in its "dry" season, so the water level of the river is significantly low, which makes it more difficult to maneuver a canoe through some areas that have a lot of rocks/trees at the bottom. Those who were on the same canoe that I was on learned this the hard way, firsthand :)! On the way to the waterfall our canoe wasn't able to make it through, got stuck in the current, and we all went overboard! Luckily everyone made it safe and sound and I managed to save my camera from water damage in the process. I wouldn't be able to afford another broken camera in Panama! lol... We spent a little time at the waterfall and then the rainforest's down pour began! We started scrambling to get all of our things together and ran back to our canoes. We finally reached the Embera tribe's village and got under cover. For a while I stood by the fire that the Emberan women were cooking at, in order to warm up and see how they prepare their food.
They cooked us delicious fish & fried plantains
and cut up the juiciest local fruits 
(pineapple, watermelon, papaya, oranges, avocado, bananas, etc.) for us. After we ate lunch, the Emberan people showed us how they make their beautiful artwork and some of their traditional dances (called "monkey" and "eagle" dances)! The rain died down for a little while and then it started down pouring even worse, so we had to scramble back to the canoes asap! We finally made it back to shore where our bus was awaiting our arrival! hah... I was soo excited to get back to the bus because thankfully I left my dry towel there! It was truly a great experience and I had a blast!
(pineapple, watermelon, papaya, oranges, avocado, bananas, etc.) for us. After we ate lunch, the Emberan people showed us how they make their beautiful artwork and some of their traditional dances (called "monkey" and "eagle" dances)! The rain died down for a little while and then it started down pouring even worse, so we had to scramble back to the canoes asap! We finally made it back to shore where our bus was awaiting our arrival! hah... I was soo excited to get back to the bus because thankfully I left my dry towel there! It was truly a great experience and I had a blast! 
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