When I studied up on the Embera Drua indigenous people of Panama, I was eager to meet them in person.  So needless to say, when I had the opportunity to go to Panama, I was delighted to know that I would have my chance to interact with them.  Getting to Panama is easy, but getting to the tribe’s village is well, a bit more challenging.  There are no roads or airport strip nearby and the only way to get there is by canoe.  From Panama City, it takes about one hour to drive to the starting point of the river.  That is where I met with a few of the tribesmen who were taking me to their village.  Once settled on the dugout canoe, they took me up the Rio Chagres river against the river’s strong current.  The canoe trip itself is well worth it and you will get a real feel of the dense rainforest.  After one hour we reached the village where all the villagers came out to welcome us.  I felt as if I stepped back in time and into a National Geographic documentary.  This was raw and uncut and I couldn’t believe that places like this still exist this day and age.  The women fished in the river and prepared the food while the men built more canoes and tools with their own hands.  The kids ran around naked playing in the rainforest and some of the young ladies performed a special dance as a welcoming gesture.  They served me delicious fried plantain and fish which I happily accepted.  Most of the villagers spoke only their native language but some did manage to speak Spanish to me.  With hand gestures, I greeted the head chief of the tribe and he looked at me and smiled.  That was enough for me to feel accepted.  I took one last picture with them, family portrait style (last picture), and thanked them for having me over.  I hopped back on the canoe and just like that was on my way back to civilization.  The villagers hardly have any interaction with the outside world and they like it that way.  Their tradition and values will live on forever.