Hola Familias!

This is Marin writing to all of you from the beautiful & humid Las Tablas! Today we had a long, bumpy and music filled hour-long bus ride to a beautiful beach hostel/hotel at la Playa Venao. There, we played CAREFULLY in the surf with our attentive lifeguard José, took a dip in the pool, and took long walks along the shore! Many of us were very pleased with having lunch outside of our usual restaurant environment. We were able to enjoy the breathtaking view of the ocean and tree-filled hills while we devoured pizza and bottled Coca-Colas.

Although it was muggy, gray, and even a little rainy, it did not fail to impress. The scenery was like nothing I’ve ever seen before; lush green hills, dark soft sand, and comfortably warm blue water. It was exciting to see many people out in the water surfing and enjoying themselves in Panama.

Afterwards, we stopped by a very cute town called Pedasí where we picked up snacks, souvenirs, and walked around. Once back at the hotel, we did a reflection session on the effects of tourism on the community and the environment. We had many good ideas and thoughts based on our observations of today and the past week (which has its pros & cons). It was interesting to witness the development of a very remote area of Panama being filled with workers and visitors from all over the world.

Hope everyone is doing well back at home and we will see you soon!

– Marín Ruiz (: