NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



619 



Food is of importance, and should be 

 plentiful, concentrated and varied. 

 Definite advice on this can be had from 

 the Survey Division of the Panama 

 Canal or from others who have made 

 such trips. Their advice is essential 

 if the trip is to be a success. Woolen 

 socks are desirable. Tents are not 

 necessary, as they take up too much 

 valuable space which is needed for food. 

 It is best to have a native guide make 

 a thatch palm shelter, which he does 

 rapidly and well. Several rubber cov- 

 ered bags are useful to keep important 

 instruments, papers, matches, etc. pro- 

 tected against rains or accidental turn- 

 overs in the rivers. It is usually pos- 

 sible to rent camp equipment from The 

 Panama Canal. Two guides and a cook 

 are ample. The entire trip as outlined, 

 can be made in a week to ten days. 



The country about here is typically 

 tropical, of the humid kind. Wild 

 animals are not troublesome. A cougar 

 may be met but as a rule he is not aggres- 

 ive, though often he will follow one 

 out of curiosity. It is not unusual to 

 find out afterwards that one of these 

 big cats had been following a party all 

 day long. Three kinds of monkeys, 

 the Howler, Red-Spider, and White- 

 faced, will be met with, and to the un- 

 initiated the big Howler will cause 

 alarm. If nuts (palm) are abundant, 

 then the wild hog, or jabali, will be met 

 with in large bands, but there is not 

 much danger from them, though they 

 are capable of inflicting very painful 

 wounds. 



It is necessary to carry a gun and 

 revolver and plenty of ammunition, in 

 order to get fresh meat each day and for 

 possible protection. Snakes are not 

 plentiful nor unusually serious. Or- 

 dinary precautions are all that is 

 necessary. 



The Rio Indio-Rio Chagres Region, 

 Panama 



This is another easily accessible 

 virgin region within the Republic of 

 Panama and close to civilization. It 

 is reached from Gamboa by launch 



to Limon, which is a little above Juan 

 Mina, and then by cayuca to Alejuela, 

 a trip made with ease in one morning. 

 From Alejuela by cayuca to Rio Indio 

 is another half day. Both can be done 

 the same day if arrangements with 

 guides had been made beforehand. At 

 San Juan, the only village of many huts, 

 above Alejuela, on the Pequeni, is a 

 man, called "Old Mexico," a faithful 

 guide who knows every inch of the 

 territory. He is reached as follows: 

 Old Mexico, San Juan de Pequeni, care 

 of Alejuela Hydrographic Station, via 

 Gamboa, Canal Zone. 



The water at Rio Indio is excellent. 

 At Rio Chico and the Chagres is a 

 splendid camp site, on a sand bar. It 

 is only a few minutes from untouched 

 localities. This is a region few men, 

 other than rubber hunters, have entered. 



It is easy to get to this region, even 

 to follow the Chagres to its source, and 

 to get back again to the Canal Zone in 

 ten days. 



Other regions in the Republic of Panama 



The Chiriqui Province is very interest- 

 ing because it stretches from sea level 

 to 5000 ft. or more. The range is from 

 tropical to temperate climates. A rail- 

 road goes from David to Boquete on 

 one side, and to Alanjeon the other side, 

 with the extinct Volcan between the 

 two. While many farms are present, 

 especially in the Boquete region, it is 

 possible to get into virgin territory with- 

 out difficulty, and to secure good guides 

 and help. Hotels and private houses 

 are plentiful, so that accommodations are 

 not hard to get. The Governor and 

 Alcalde should be seen first, so as to get 

 special letters which will help getting 

 assistance in the interior. 



The San Bias region is not suitable 

 for exploration because of the customs 

 of some of the Indians. If treated well 

 and told just what one's mission is, 

 they sometimes prove of great help. 



The Darien coast, on the Pacific side, 

 entering through the River Tuyra, which 

 is comparable to the Mississippi, is 

 most interesting as one gets into the 



