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Day 1 Upon arriving in Panama city you will be greeted at the airport and transported to The Country Inn Amador at the entrance of the Panama Canal. After a quick break, you will visit the Panama Canal and experience it through the eyes of architects and urban planners that have watched its complicated history shape the area around it.
Your tour will include the Panama Canal Commission Building, Geothals Monument, the former Albrook US Military Air Force and Clayton US Military base. You will conclude your tour at the Miraflores locks where you will see one of the world’s greatest engineering innovations and learn about the operations of the canal itself. After your tour, you will dine at Casa Arias, which was originally the residence of Tomás Arias, a co-founder and first president of Panama, and is currently the main offices of Earth Train. Here you will meet key members of Earth Train and designers who will provide insight about the effect of the canal and its occupation on the urban fabric of Panama City. You will discover how growing international concern for the protection of Panama’s unique natural and cultural heritage has led to green solutions for preserving and protecting the country. Earth Train is a non-profit dedicated to the development of new leaders, new networks, and new tools that catalyze a new paradigm in sustainable environmental and cultural practices.
At the heart of Earth Train’s mission is the encouragement of youth leadership, activism, and team building in the service of creating a sustainably healthy and just world. Earth Train works in collaboration with the indigenous peoples of the Americas to help ensure their future. Earth Train believes that cultural renewal is key to inspiring the sustained engagement of young people. Music and the arts also provide a powerful tool set for effecting public policy. Earth Train is currently working to develop Junglewood, a center for performing and visual arts, to be located at the entrance to the Mamoní Valley Preserve. Meals: Dinner
Day 2 Panama City Today you will embark on a tour of Panama Viejo, the first city founded in the isthmus by Spanish conquerors at the beginning of the colonization period. Pirate Henry Morgan who sacked the town in 1671 left the remaining ruins. You will then head to the second colonial city of Panama, now referred to as Casco Antiguo, established in 1673. The architecture reflects the period between 1850 and 1920, effectively its heyday thanks to canal projects and the development of the trans-isthmian railroad. Later it began to lose its function as a socially diverse urban center as the neighborhood became increasingly poor and abandoned. Currently designers are working to redevelop this UNESCO World Heritage Site from squatter haven to a model of affordable housing, historic preservation and inclusive development.
After a Panamanian lunch you will visit with the design team of the currently under-development BioMuseo, a center for learning, discovery, national pride, and a new appreciation of Panama's natural wealth. The Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, is being built at the entrance to the Inter Oceanic Canal where it will showcase Panamanian biodiversity through interactive displays and exhibits designed by Bruce Mau. Eight exhibits show how the geographic bridge of Panama was created, the great exchange of flora and fauna, and much more. You will receive an exclusive in-depth perspective from the designer’s point of view.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Carti and Wichub Wala Your architectural and long-term planning activities will continue in Porvenir, an Island off Wichub Wala, where you will visit the Kuna cultural museum and resume discussion from the day before. After this visit, you will then go to the island of Carti for lunch and a final round of meetings.
You will conclude your intellectually rich day with a beach afternoon and dinner at Nisqua Lodge. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 Carti and Mamoní Valley Your time in Kuna Yala will come to a lovely close with a beach morning on an island off Carti. You will then be transported by jeep back to the Upland Forest Campus and arrive for dinner back at Centro Madroño. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 Mamoní Valley At Centro Madroño you will engage in sustainable design sessions and brainstorming with Craig Roberts, principal at Hart Howerton, a global design firm specializing in sustainable environments.
The charrette begins with a picnic overlooking one of Earth Train’s waterfall locations. Your sessions today will focus on what you learned in Kuna Yala and also emphasize Earth Train’s design/build plans for Junglewood, a creative community for the performing and visual arts currently housed at Centro Madroño. Founded by Grammy award-winning jazz musician Danilo Pérez, the program brings together musicians, visual artists and scientists for a collaborative exploration of nature and creative expression. Planning is now underway for the development of Junglewood’s physical facilities on nearby land. Junglewood is a partnership between the Fundación Danilo Pérez, Earth Train, The Institute for Global Jazz of Berklee College of Music and Rainforest Capital, LLC. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 Mamoní Valley Today you will return to Panama City by jeep for your flight home or stay to volunteer in Centro Madroño.
Volunteer Opportunities: implement the vision you created over the past few days by volunteering at Earth Train. You will have a choice of helping detail plans for Junglewood design and construction or improving and transforming existing Centro Madroño structures.
Panama Green Design Logistics Visas: Panamanian law requires that travelers must either purchase a US$5 tourist card at the airport in Panama before clearing customs, or obtain a multi-entry visa from a Panamanian embassy or consulate before traveling to Panama. U.S. tourists are allowed to stay in Panama for 30 days without an extension. See http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_994.html for the most up-to-date information. If you are a citizen of another country visit http://panama.visahq.com/ to find out whether you require a visa to enter Panama. Immunizations: There are no required immunizations for Panama, however, see http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/mamerica_carib/panama.php for a list of recommended immunizations. A yellow fever immunization is strongly recommended. You will arrive in and depart Panama via Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, Panama. Inclusions:
Exclusions:
Kayaking: Participants of the Kayak trip should be in reasonably good shape and ready for Class 2 to low Class 3 river conditions.
All kayak gear including life jackets, helmets, etc. will be provided, except for Hennessy Hammocks, which each traveler will have to bring. Hennessy’s are complete hammock/mosquito netting/rain fly units. You may self-report this trip as a Structured Self-Reported Course to the AIA for AIA Continuing Education Credits. This trip may be eligible for the newly required Sustainable Design Credit. Day 3 Panama City to Mamoní Valley Preserve You will be transported to Las Margaritas, a town east of Panama City and escorted by Earth Train staff to Centro Madroño, Earth Train’s life science center in the Mamoní Valley Reserve. The 10,000-acre reserve in the upper watershed of the Rio Mamoní is Earth Train’s world campus for learning and research in the fields of biology, biocultural restoration, sustainable development, green technology, and the arts. Here you will receive an orientation and a gear check for your upcoming two-day kayak* trip with Earth Train and the Kuna Coast and Forest Guard.
* The kayak trip across Kuna Yala is only possible via Earth Train and with the permission of the Kuna General Congress - with which Earth Train has a formal partnership agreement. Earth Train, as a founder of the Kuna Coast and Forest Guard, is offering the unique experience of crossing Kuna Yala in a kayak to the participants in this adventure in recognition of your role as volunteer advisors. This extraordinary by-invitation-only experience is not available from any other source. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 Upper Rio Cangandi After breakfast at Earth Train, you will begin your venture into the rainforest to work with the Kuna people on design for climate adaptation. The Kuna are indigenous people, most of whom live in areas that are considered at high-risk for displacement by climate change. Kuna Yala is one of these regions, a semi-autonomous Kuna territory stretching 232 miles along the Caribbean coast of Panama.
You will start your journey by hiking over the continental divide, down the Kuna Trail to Rio Cangandi where you will kayak campsite on the upper Rio Cangandi for dinner and to set up camp for the night. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 Wichub Wala Today you will paddle and portage to a Cangandi, a traditional riverside village. After meeting the villagers, you will be transported by dugout to the mouth of the Cangandi and Mandinga rivers and then travel by launch from the Mandinga to the island of Wichub Wala, in the Caribbean Sea. After a nice lunch, you will begin the first series of Climate Adaptation Meetings. The potential for rising sea levels due to climate change is particularly threatening to the Kuna as, according to the Rainforest Foundation, approximately 80 percent of the population lives at sea level. The Kuna also depend on fish and other marine resources for their livelihoods, so their food security is also threatened by climate change.
The Kuna are keenly aware of the problem of a rising sea due to global warming. Decades of coral mining and land filling have degraded the barrier reef and greatly exacerbated the problem. Larger storm surges over recent years have resulted in the ocean’s entry into their small island villages with increasing frequency. Consequently, the Kuna leadership is now beginning to prepare their people for a gradual and organized migration to the mainland. The Kuna are working to design green dwellings that will keep them safe from climate-related crises. You will join them in visioning and building for sustainability and participate in an architectural and long-term planning charrette in Carti. The meeting will include the participation of key players in the field, such as Enrique Arias, the former secretary general of the Kuna General Congress. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Alternative for Days 4 and 5 (for those not kayaking, please inquire for pricing): Camping, Emberá Community This adventure takes you to an indigenous community in Chagres National Park. You will get to know the culture of the Emberá Indians and witness artisans at work and learn about their medicinal use of rainforest plants. Emberá dance and music evokes scenes of a time before the colonization of the Americas. If you wish, you can try the traditional body painting using the “Jagua” fruit. You will also observe a variety of birds found in this area.
You will have the opportunity to walk in the jungle, swim under a waterfall and learn from this magical and ancient culture. Spend the night in your own open-air hut, built on stilts above the ground.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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