Waterfall

Another day spent in Panama brought us new experiences and more stories to tell. This time we headed out for a day with a Panamanian tribe that was still living like they did 100 years ago. We were picked up from a river bank by two men dressed in traditional clothes. They were both standing in a canoe, one at the back by a small motor, and the other in the front with a large stick. After we all got in they started up the motor and we went off at a surprising speed. The first place they took us off to was a waterfall, the canoe wound through a river, over rapids, rocks and more. Sometimes we had to get out of the boat and walk while the two men pulled the boat along. Finally we got to the waterfall and changed into our swimsuits. Dad and Damon headed straight for the waterfall, while Maddie and I were slower in the ice cold water. Mom sat on the side and watched. When we got to the waterfall it was blasting down on us making it hard to hear and see, but there were a couple places that we could sit under the constant flow of water! Maddie soon went back to dry off but Dad, Damon and I climbed up some rocks towards the top of the waterfall to see the small river leading to it. Slowly more tourists coming with different tribes started to arrive and crowd the place. After that we saw some guides from the tribes jumping off a huge rock down into the river. It looked like fun so Dad, Damon, and I went to go try it out also. After a couple times of doing it Dad decided to stay down while Damon and I took one last jump before leaving. While climbing up the rock it was slippery in some places and I took a wrong step. I fell down the side of the rock and caught myself just before it could get worse. I was lucky and only ended up with a few scratches and bruises. (I AMLOST DIED!) Luckily we had lots more fun in that day and I soon forgot about it.

-Elena