The Island Village of Playon Chico, Panama

Located on the Atlantic side of Panama lies a magical set of islands called the San Blas. The Kuna Indians call this land home and are lucky enough to live amongst the thousands of tropical islands that make up this paradise. Lindsay and I stayed on a tiny island called Yandup and the closest village to us was called Playon Chico. I had read about it so I knew it was small and remote but nothing prepared me for what we saw as we were landing in this remote village. Almost all of the structures are wooden huts except for a few small cement buildings like the airport shack, police station, etc. When we first flew in we immediately took a small boat out to Yandup so only got to see the village quickly as we floated past. However, one evening during our stay at Yandup our local guide “Leo” took us into the village which was truly one of the most unique Lindsay and I had ever seen. There are no streets in Playon Chico just dirt paths that criss-cross through numerous huts, etc. The locals are busy doing day-to-day activities and many of them are selling crafts out on the street. The Kuna Indian women wear beautiful colored clothing and seeing so many of them in one place was amazing. There were of course tons of little kids running around, many of them naked, and they were all as fascinated with us as we were with them. At first Lindsay and I almost felt bad for them but we quickly realized that these kids, and people, were living a life that very few people will ever get to enjoy…A simple life of family, nature and community. I remember vividly seeing people huddled around the 1 pay phone in the village waiting to talk to family members who were probably living in Panama City. Our guide Leo would simply take us from area to area explaining the culture and showing us points of interest. I remember being particularly impressed with the town police station which was just a small concrete building with a hand painted sign that said “Policia Civil Playon Chico.” The entire time we were there we were constantly being followed around by little kids who were always smiling and laughing. As we were leaving the village we were all sitting in the boat waiting to leave just as the sun was setting. I remember thinking how remote this place was and that very few people would ever be lucky enough to see it…then all of the sudden I saw two white guys walking through the village in white shirts and ties. Sure enough the village had a resident pair of LDS missionaries who were lucky enough to live amongst these people and help them in their daily lives. I of course ran to talk with them and they were just as surprised to see me as I was to see them. They offered a few more insights into how the Kuna people live and we had just a great chat. Eventually the evening was done and we were on our way back to Yandup Island in our little boat. This was not our final goodbye to Playon Chico as Lindsay and I flew out of there on a tiny little plane. As we flew over head we looked out the window and said our final goodbyes to the incredible Kuna Indian village of Playon Chico, Panama.