Panama 2026

Not what you're thinking (if you think like us).

We got picked up by panga (small speedboat) and were.taken over to San Cristobal island by a very skilled captain who navigated through the waves for a ride much smoother than it could have been.

We met our guide Sergio who walked us through his village showing us key sites like the school, health clinic, new concrete paths, sports field and more.

He then gave us an orientation to cocoa farming. He is the farmer. He plants three varieties. They vary in how long it takes to grow before harvest (2 to 3.5 years). They harvest every four months. They get about $17 per pod from the coop.

They showed how the cocoa is processed (fermented, sun dried, roasted, ground). Molly tried her hand at grinding - hard work! They prepared a sample of chocolate. It was with fresh ground ginger and tamarind with raw sugar cane plus coco then rolled in grated coconut.

They have sloths, spiders, poisonous frogs and pretty flowers.Meer informatie