Get to Know our New Intern

Hello!  I’m Raffaele Capomolla and I’m the new Communication & Social Media Intern at EcoCircuitos Panama.   While I be here until November of 2017  I’m looking forward to working with you, share my skills and knowledge and learn more about Panama’s amazing biodiversity, history and culture.

I was born in Switzerland and I’m studying Tourism management at the Swiss University of Applied Science HESSO Wallis.  My favorite classes were marketing and social media innovation.

I speak 6 languages and my biggest passion is traveling and meeting new people from around the world.

I love doing sports and learn about new cultures.  I practice soccer and fitness.

I look forward to applying my studies and international experience to my new work at EcoCircuitos Panama.

 

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We value the inputs and innovative ideas of interns from all over the world. Depending on their education, experiences, cultures and practices in their home country, every intern has a different point of view that can make positive contributions to our company. EcoCircuitos Panama strongly believes in learning from each other and creating mutual benefits through knowledge exchanges.

 

 

Surfing in Santa Catalina

by Carina Forster – Intern from Austria

The laid-back town of Santa Catalina hosts a charming mix of international surfers next to locals who are still catching lobsters with their bare hands.

Surfers in Panama

Surfing in Panama

Coast of Panama, ideal for surfing

While more experienced surfers test their limits in the world-class waves at a spot called the Point, the smaller but still quite powerful waves at close-by Playa Estero are perfectly suitable for beginners like me.

After making my way through the first set of breaks, the first thing I instantly did as I was surfing in Santa Catalina for the first time was holding on for a minute to admire the wild beauty of widely-stretched Playa Estero.

However, there is not a lot of time to enjoy this view, as waves are constantly rolling in, forcing every single part of your body and mind to concentrate on this very moment. At some point you see the perfect one, which is going to be your wave, and you start paddling, going faster and faster, giving all your strength until you feel the ocean taking you with it. You stand up, riding the wave, forming a part of this incredible force of nature. The pure feeling of happiness makes you forget everything else, it makes you swim out over and over again, until you reach your physical limits.

And there is nothing more pleasureful after an exhausting day of surfing than having some fresh fish for dinner while enjoying the sunset on abandoned Playa Estero.

A short time travel to Embera –Quera Village

just a little dancing

EcoTeam

Dugout canoe

boat tour to Gatun community

Tour in a local community

Fish and chips

By Marius

Yesterday, Laura, Roberto, Marc Fabio and I went on a site inspection to an indigenous village of the Embera. After a one hour drive from Panama City, we parked our car at an unimposing parking lot next to the street. Until that moment, I was not very impressed of our trip but what came next changed my mind. We walked a couple of minutes to a small river where some interesting looking man waved to us out of a large self-made boat. Their long hair and their varicolored clothing made us realize that they must be our hosts for that day. The Embera Quera Village is a peaceful place, with friendly people, away from the noisy civilization, that can be reached only by boat. From the moment, we went aboard, our time travel begun.

The half – hour boat trip itself was an adventure. We saw a lot of wild animals like monkeys, a lot of birds, tortoises and even a caiman. In my eyes, the most impressive animal was the Jesus-Christ-lizard. As the name suggests, it is able to walk on water. . Once we arrived we were welcomed by the Embera. The women danced and the men greeted us with traditional music played on self-made instruments.

Atilano, the Chief himself, welcomed us and we learned about their culture and life in the village of the Embera- Quera. The Embera were not the only ones who were happy to see us. A cheeky baby monkey and Tony the toucan were also very curious about the new visitors. After a delicious traditional lunch the gardener and medicine man, Miguel Flaco, showed us the rest of the village and explained the curativeness of the different plants. As we walked between the traditional houses, we got a deeper insight of the life of this interesting and friendly people. I really felt like a time traveler when I saw the simple but wonderful way of life. I was deeply impressed to see people who live in such a close communion with nature. It was amazing to see the women dance their traditional dances, accompanied by the man`s instruments. We even got the chance to dance together with them. After the traditional dances we were able to buy some beautiful handmade trappings and jewelry. We learned that 10 % of their earnings are given to their Children`s educational found. By travelling to the Embera I had the chance to support those people and to see an impressive and unusual way of life.

After this experience I really wanted to spend more time in this village with its friendly people. This wonderful day will stay in my mind and in my heart forever. For more information about this tour or others do not hesitate to visit our website www.ecocircuitos.com or contact us directly at 1-800-830-7142 We are looking forward to organize a trip for you!

Unforgetable Transit the Panama Canal

By Etienne Kaya – French intern

I would like to say thanks to EcoCircuitos Panama and Panama Marine Adventures for this great experience adventure!   My tour started in the morning at the Flamenco Resort and Marina.  Passengers board motor coaches for a 45 minute ride to the town of Gamboa, a scenic road in the watershed and close to Soberania National Park. Once in Gamboa, we board the Pacific Queen Yacht boat to start the adventure. During the transit it is possible to see the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides. In this area I also observe the work in process for the Panama Canal expansion project. Before to enter Pedro Miguel Locks I see the new Centennial Bridge wich is beautiful engineering piece. Then I enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel from Miraflores Locks. At Miraflores Locks the vessel is lowered 18 meters in two distinct steps. Once in the Pacific Ocean the vessel sail to the beautiful Flamenco Marina where passengers disembark. On the way to Flamenco, we pass under the Bridge of the Americas, and later, at the moment it is possible to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline. Staff was extremely professional and knowledgeable. The guide was so well-informed about the details of the Canal. For example the most expensive regular toll for canal passage to date was charged on May 16, 2008 to the Disney Magic, which paid US $331,200. The least expensive toll was 36 cents to American adventurer Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 1928.  What a fantastic and memorable tour!