My Trip to Diwarsikua -Misael

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As a missionary kid in Panama, I have gone to villages before but never this far into the jungle. The day started at 2am, when I woke up to get ready for the trip to Diwarsikua, a village. We had to wake up early because the drive was four hours then another two hours in a canoe to Diwarsikua.

I put breakfast in the oven and then started getting the supplies ready such as food, water, and camera equipment. Once everything was in the car, we began the four-hour drive towards the first village, Puerto Gavilana, picking up our team along the way. We stopped at the last store to get supplies and breakfast for the team. The rest of the way everyone slept until we arrived at our destination.

We had to stop one more time to switch to a truck because the last road was just dirt. The truck we switched to only had five seats in it, but there were ten of us, so five had to sit in bed of the truck. But it was not that bad since it had a metal frame with a tarp covering it, so the sun would not beat down on us. The dry, dirt road was only wide enough for one car to drive through at a time. Thirty minutes remained on the bumpy road, which was surrounded by tall trees that kept the weather cool.

We arrived at Puerto Gavilana and headed to the hut we would stay at. While still in the truck the kids from the village were smiling and waving all around us. We got out of the truck and carried the supplies to the hut. We then found out who was going to take us to Diwarsikua.

The canoe that we took to Diwarsikua had been handmade from a tree called Cavanillesia platanifolia. While carrying blocks of wood we walked down the hill to where the canoes were tied up in the water. The canoe was very skinny and could fit eight people. I later realized the blocks of wood were our seats.

The first half of the trip was maneuvering around big patches of thick grass that the motor of the canoe could not go through. Sometimes they had to pick up the motor out of the water to unclog it from the grass that surrounded us. Multiple times we almost got stuck or had to push through the grass.

I had started the camera right when I heard the engine turn on. At this point of the trip, I was taking pictures of the landscape when the canoe suddenly came to a halt. I looked at the driver as he was pointing towards the water.

I looked towards the direction that he was pointing and saw the head of a crocodile and immediately took a picture! I only got a couple of pictures before the crocodile went under water. I wondered where it went but never saw it again.

The higher the sun rose the hotter it became. There was still a lot of wind from being in the canoe, like sticking your head out of a car. The farther we went, the less open water there was. We got to the end of the lake and arrived at a river.

The river provided shade from the sun which helped a lot. The water became very shallow around us because it had not rained in a while. I sometimes heard the bottom of the canoe hit the rocks on the floor of the river.

At one point we all had to get out and push the canoe until it could float normally. It was very hard walking in the thick, muddy, water, where you could slip or get stuck in. The water was getting clearer and clearer the closer we got to the village. I did not know we had arrived at the village because it was blocked by trees and was hidden well. We had to climb up a steep hill to see it.

We finally reached the village, ending the journey that I enjoyed so much. My favorite part was listening to the monkeys, birds, and all the nature around me! Even though it was a long, hard adventure I would love to go back as soon as possible.

-Misael