-Buen provecho!

-Buen provecho!

-Gracias.

-It's said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out."

Today, we're steppin' out in Panama to discover its turbulent past, exciting future... -Té bueno!

-...colorful present... and yes, the Panama Canal.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

-When many of us think of Panama in Central America, we think of the Panama Canal.

Yet Panama is much more than the Panama Canal.

My discoveries began in the Plaza de la Independencia, where Panama declared its freedom from Colombia in 1903.

Wow!

Ah!

This is a secret place behind the store.

And it's where Panamanians come for breakfast because the prices are great and the food is local.

-Hola, señora.

¿Qué es?

-Es la de pollo.

Very tasty.

Very inexpensive.

Gets you going in the morning, and you get to eat with the locals.

[ Whistle blows, church bell tolls ] Early morning in the historic center of Panama City.

As you can see, there's a new Panama City.

It's only like 20 years old.

So this is a country that's still in flux and still making good on the desire to rise people up and benefit from the prosperity and the resources that they have.

Of course, one of the main ones is the Panama Canal.

This is a good place to start because as far back as 1527, Charles V of Spain sent someone to Panama with the idea of constructing a canal.

And on the floor of this room is the original design by a French architect of what the canal could look like.

And then the museum takes you into the actual construction of the Canal Zone by the French, which started in 1881, and they worked on it for nine years, and due to the diseases and other difficulties that the French have, they give up the canal and the Americans come in and are able to overcome some of the difficulties and many of the difficulties as the French had, and they're able to be more successful at the creation and ultimately do create the canal.

There's so many stories here wrapped around this canal that you could spend a good half a day here if you're really interested in finding out the backstory and the truth of the story of the Panama Canal.

And you have in the museum, life in the Canal Zone, which is actually a part of the United States until 1999.

And, of course, difficulties in some of the challenges the United States was facing were illustrated also in the Canal Zone.

There was segregation and there was inequality as far as what people were being paid, depending on who they were and what they looked like.

And finally, the final treaty, which was made in 1979 and actually was put into effect in 1999 between President Carter and the president of Panama, where the Panama Canal was given back to the Panamanians.

And as I said in 1999, 20 years later, it was actually taken over once and for all by the Panamanian people.

-So it's really a 22-year period to be able to go from an American administration to a full Panamanian administration.

So you had CEOs that are now Panamanians, you have lockmasters, you have pilots that are full Panamanians, and now it's all of us that when we started earlier, prior to 1999, we're all being trained little by little.

And now today, of course, our decisions on maintenance, our expansion, our future investments, upgrades that we need around, well, it's all handled by us.

-How important is the Panama Canal to Panama?

-100% important to all of us.

It's in our bones.

It's something that it represents us.

-Yeah, I was going to ask you, how important is it to you?

-100% every day.

To me, it's important.

I've been doing this for the last 23 years, and to me, looking at it every day, it's understanding what all the people that did before brought us to where we are today.

-With the pride that Panamanians feel in the canal, um, Americans built it.

Some people would say, "Well, why do you have pride in it?

We built it."

-It's in our land.

-There is that one little thing you have.

-You have to be clear on that, it's in our land, so therefore we should be part of it.

We'll take it from now.

[ Laughter ] -It's a thrill to sail through the world's most famous canal.

But let's put that aside for a while.

There's more to discover.

And delayed pleasure doesn't mean I'm missing out.

As I said, Panama is more than a canal, and that includes having a hot time in the new Panama City.

[ Band playing ] [ Chanting, cheering ] Ah!

Wow!

Yeah!

Whoo!

Flying here in Panama.

-Que bueno.

Located on the edge of Panama's old quarter, the Casco Antiguo, a Unesco cultural World Heritage neighborhood, is El Mercado de Mariscos.

On display daily is the aquatic bounty from Panama's Atlantic and Pacific waters.

Oh, look at this guy.

-Here it comes.

-Look at this guy.

[ Laughs ] They're lying in wait, knowing they're going to get a sample here and there.

Or maybe they can steal a sample.

-These are Caribbean lobster.

The Caribbean lobster has no pinchers.

They have antennas.

-Oh, right.

Because they're really giant crayfish.

-And that's a variety of shrimp.

-So this is a variety of shrimp.

-Yeah, yeah.

But this is the -- This is from the Caribbean.

Yeah.

-These are all Caribbean fish.

-Mackerel season is starting right now on the Pacific.

-Oh, mackerel.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-That's a dark meat inside.

But, it is tasty, let me tell you.

-I love mackerel.

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Well that's great.

That's fabulous.

-Yeah.

So this, you see the gentleman right here?

-Yes.

-This is the fillet area.

-Ah, he's filleting the fish.

Hola, cómo está?

-The fishmongers will gravitate towards them 'cause this is easier for restaurants.

-¿Cuántas libras de pescado usted filet?

-600, 700 pounds.

-Qué?

-600, 700 pounds.

-[ Laughing ] 600 pounds.

-¿Cada día?

-[ Laughs ] -He is filleting 600 pounds of fish a day.

So you can see that this is a very viable product of Panama.

When you come, it's one of the things you need to sample.

And there are restaurants nearby.

-There is close to 30 restaurants... -Oh, my gosh.

-...around the corner.

-Yeah.

This is a whole other part of the market.

-Yes, sir.

This is all the eateries.

-So the food from the market comes here.

Can't get any fresher than that, huh?

-No, sir.

-Cortesía, mi amor.

-Señora.

Oh!

-De Don Alfaro.

-Angela's saying this is on the house.

-Oh, gracias.

-This is on the house.

-Gratis para ti, mi amor.

-♪ Mi amor ♪ -Mucha gracias.

Mucha gracias.

[ Laughs ] -Two different ceviche and a cocktail.

-Okay.

-This is shrimp.

This is, uh, octopus and sea bass, and that's sea bass ceviche.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

That's a combination, uh, ceviche.

That's got a little bit of everything in there.

There's king crab in that as well.

-Mmm.

That's delicious.

-Yeah.

-To feel the true pulse of Panama, one must leave the city behind and follow Mark Twain's advice and light out for the territory.

We climb into the right spirit by boarding one of the Diablos Rojos.

Former American school buses that are flamboyantly decorated "Red Devils."

So these are the Red Devils only in the countryside.

And he gets to decorate it as he sees fit.

-They are color-coded.

-You got to know what the color coding is, and if you do, you'll know where you're going.

-So to foreigners, it looks like party buses, but they're really color-coded routes.

So the big color tells you what the main route is, and the single line horizontal tells you whether it loops around.

So as a Panamanian you know your routes.

So notice that there is no line, no bell, nothing like that.

So what you yell is "parada" or bus stop.

Here we go.

This is our bus stop coming up.

-Parada!

-Parada!

-There you go.

Yeah, just like that.

Okay, here we go.

-Our Diablo Rojo can only take us so far.

So we ride -- boldly ride -- to Panama's equivalent of the mythical Spanish El Dorado, the Azuero Peninsula.

Here I seek authentic Panama.

Gracias.

A land of boisterous festivals and the visions of local folk architects, of fashion... pottery... and music.

The Pujador drum came to Panama with the Spanish-enslaved Africans.

A section of tree trunk is carved out and covered by cow, goat, deer or boar skin held in place with rope.

The drum is tuned using cuñas, pieces of wood placed so as to adjust the tension of the rope.

Que bueno!

-Ahora vamos de pie.

-Sí.

Oh, we're going to stand up and play.

-Uno va tocando en desfiles.

Va tocando.

-Y caminando.

-Y caminando.

Y bailando también.

Y de vez en cuando... -Y tomando también.

-También.

-Todo eso, todo eso.

Sí, sí, sí.

Porque un músico que vaya ahí... No, tiene que radiar alegría.

Sí, you have to radiate joy.

Yeah.

That's nice.

-O como un solo.

-Oh, wow!

Gracias!

Gracias!

-Gracias, Randoph.

-Cómo no, cómo no.

-Bienvenido, cómo no.

A la orden.

Cuando guste.

-Gracias mucho.

-Panama has a full calendar of festivals honoring everything from coffee and flowers to dresses that knock men off their feet, and dirty little devils.

For the Corpus Christi Festival, held 60 days after Easter, José del Carmen González sculpts faces out of clay, covers them with papier-maché, creating masks that transforms mere humans into soul-snatching demons.

[ Chuckles ] Corpus Christi es de muchos años.

-Muchos años, sí.

-Con los españoles.

-Esa es una costumbre que se creó aquí porque la trajeron los españoles cuando vinieron a colonizar la América.

-¿Hay muchas gentes que hacen estas máscaras?

-Sí, hay varios que hacen máscaras, pero talleres, uno en Parita, y el mío aquí.

Talleres.

Así como que todos los días.

Ellos lo hacen para cuando viene la temporada nomás de la fiesta.

Nosotros trabajamos los 365 días del año.

-¿El favorito diablo de usted?

-Para mí, el favorito son los diablos de rostro humano, porque son estilo de gente reflejando más a lo que es diablo.

[ Both laugh ] -Muchas gracias, José.

With origins in 16th century Spain, la pollera has gained the reputation of being the world's finest traditional dress.

It is a symbol of Panamanian heritage and showcased during festivals and national celebrations.

-Hola!

-Mucho gusto.

-Igualmente.

-Qué linda estás vestida.

-Muchas gracias.

-¿Cuánto tiempo necesitas para hacer...?

-Bueno, normalmente de dos años necesitamos -- Two years?

-Uh-huh.

-It takes two years to do one dress?

-Yes.

-Oh, my gosh.

-De 25 a 30 personas... 25 to 30 people... -Trabajando en un vestido.

-¿Trabajando en diferentes cosas?

-Diferentes áreas del vestido.

-Este es uno.

Qué lindo.

-Esta es una pollera zurcida.

Los diseños que utilizamos en los vestidos son exclusivos.

-Solo uno... -Uno y ya.

Una sola vez.

-Very exclusive.

Only one of these dresses looked like this.

-Si estamos en un festival y tenemos 30.000 personas, 30.000 polleras, son 30.000 diseños diferentes.

Wow!

¿Cuánto es para uno como este?

-Ahora mismo, el vestido está entre 8.000... -8.000.

-Uh-huh.

...hasta 15.000 balboas.

-[ Laughs ] -Solo el vestido.

-¿Solo el vestido?

8,000 to $15,000.

Because the balboa, which is the local money here in Panama, is 1 to 1 with the American dollar.

So about 8,000 to 15,000.

¿Y para usarlo una vez?

-No, en Panamá este vestido se utiliza todo el año.

En el transcurso del año en diferentes áreas de Panamá, diferentes provincias o diferentes pueblos hay festividades.

Many, many festivals and events that you can wear this through.

-¿Y el año que viene necesita otro nuevo?

-Vendes esta y compras una nueva.

-Muchas gracias.

-A la orden, siempre.

The Azuero Peninsula's rural villages are centers of Panamanian music, hospitality, and food.

They all come together during our dinner with the Cedeño family.

Edilma and Luis, muchas gracias por esta noche.

Thank you very much for having us here tonight.

And we get to feature some of the home cooking here in Panama.

Muchas gracias.

-Salud!

-Salud!

They just brought us a dessert.

-Se dice que el nombre "Cabanga" es porque anteriormente las abuelas, como no había dinero para comprar postres lujosos, las abuelas preparaban ese dulce porque tenían papayas sembradas en sus patios y cuando estábamos los nietos en las casas de las abuelas siempre nos preparaban "Cabanga".

Al partir esos niños a su vida de adulto, esa añoranza de ese postre que las abuelas nos daban nos daba "Cabanga".

-Now that you are visiting some places here in Panama, when you get back to the US, you're going to get some cabanga.

-I'm going to be sad... -Sí.

-...that I left Panama.

-Because you are going to remember all the good times that you were in Panama.

-And all the beautiful things I saw here.

-So that we call "Cabanga."

-I'm so happy to have been able to come to Panama, because there's so much tradition here and an effort to pass things on.

We've seen so many wonderful things in the different arts and the artisans we dealt with.

It's a real discovery for me and I'm sure it will be for my viewers.

So muchas gracias and thank you for adding this to one of my memories.

-♪ Tengo una pollerita ♪ ♪ Que cuando me la pongo tumba hombres ♪ ♪ Tengo una pollerita ♪ ♪ Que cuando me la pongo tumba hombres ♪ -Es tradicional de aquí de la Villa de los Santos.

Es una Pollera con líneas que cuando estaban en los bailes, el hombre se había tomado sus tragos, el movimiento de las líneas lo mareaba, y se iban al suelo.

Por eso el nombre de "Pollera Tumba Hombres".

-"Tumba Hombre."

Knock down.

I think -- I think it's because they look so beautiful.

It would make -- It would also tumba hombre.

-[ Singing in Spanish ] [ Cheers and applause ] -There's music everywhere in Los Santos.

Especially on the run up to Panama's pre-Lent Carnaval.

We're out in the countryside in the Villa de Los Santos, the saint's village, where they're getting prepared for Carnaval.

And they will be the battle of the bands for Carnaval.

There'll be dancing, there'll be music, that'll be coming soon, and they're practicing tonight.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Okay, it's time to head back to the canal.

It's hard to say how many tourists go through the canal each year, but of the 2.5 million visitors that came to Panama in 2023, 82% visited the Miraflores Visitor's Center.

But what's it like to cruise the canal?

-Let's get ready for this beautiful journey today along one of the beautiful wonders of the world.

-First time through the Panama Canal.

This is kind of momentous and historic to be able to come in through here.

So what made you want to come on the Panama Canal?

-Actually, it's been my husband's dream to see the canal and to be on the canal, and I've gotten excited and am enjoying it, I think, as much as he is now.

-Good.

Good.

-My parents always dreamed of coming and seeing the canal and never made it, so that's also special.

-Oh that's great, so they're kind of traveling along with you, I love that.

Well, here we are in the Miraflores Locks.

It really looks different from this perspective.

We have a huge cruise ship next to us.

And we also have a big trip from Hong Kong in front of us.

♪♪ Well, Edwin, it was exciting being at the first lock on the Caribbean side and the water going up, and we don't have too many more feet before we'll be ready to roll out of here, I guess, right?

-Just a few more inches here and we'll be done.

-How many locks on the canal?

-Uh, together we have five, but our original locks three, and two built by Panama later on.

-So when people are going through the canal, whether they're on a sailboat or in a huge cruise ship like the one we've got next to us here, they're only going to be going through three locks?

-Exactly, only through three 'cause the private ones, for now, are not using our new locks.

Those are primarily commercial-based.

-Panama is more than just the canal, obviously.

-Oh, definitely.

Definitely.

-And I appreciate the fact that you get to see a little bit of Panama as you go through the canal.

-Yes you do.

-And you can imagine, with your help, what it took to get through the Isthmus of Panama.

A canal cruise takes you through the heart of Panama.

Its traditional heart is kept beating by eight groups of almost a half a million indigenous people.

The Chagres River and its surrounding river systems, once the haunt of pirates and conquistadors, are the ancestral homelands of the Panamanian Emberá.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Oh, gracias.

-Es hoja de pijao.

Patacona plantain y pescado.

Siéntase en su casa.

-Thank you.

Muchas gracias.

-Feel at home.

-Feel at home.

-Feel at home.

-Okay, gracias.

Thank you so much.

It's not just a presentation, people live here.

When the national park was set up, they were told they couldn't hunt anymore, but they didn't kick them out of the national park and their traditional places of living.

So they have a number of different villages set up through the park.

It's another layer on top of the Panama experience, beyond Panama City and the canal, and the arts and crafts, and all the other things that we've experienced here in Panama.

Here's one more wonderful surprise.

When Chagres National Park was established in 1985, the Emberá we met were convinced to trade their traditional hunter-gatherer existence for life in the protected park.

Due to their animistic beliefs, environmental stewardship is central to their way of life.

By sharing their cultural practices, they create an ecologically sustainable way for visitors to participate in their culture and enjoy local nature.

[ Cheering ] Thank you for stepping out with me in Panama, Central America.

Before this trip, all I really knew of Panama is that it is a canal.

A great and glorious canal, perhaps.

But Panama is more than a canal.

It's a country with a long history of dreams, struggles, disappointments, and successes.

A country of natural beauty.

Mountains and forests.

Lakes and rivers.

Islands and beaches.

A country of diverse cultures, celebrated in numerous festivals with colorful traditions by artisans of music, crafts, and the arts.

And Panama is a country of people farmers and fishermen, mestizo and indigenous... -[ Laughs ] -Salud.

-...and some of the kindest and most passionate people I've ever met.

Every trip is a journey of discovery.

In Panama, I discovered more than I expected.

For instance, there is a dessert made with papaya, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar by grandmothers called cabanga.

Cabanga also means longing for or missing something.

This trip I discovered Panama is more than a canal.

Next time, driven by cabanga, I'll be coming home.

Qué sopa, Panama?

Till we meet again, remember the words of Mark Twain -- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness."

May your next adventure always be your best.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

♪♪ -For a DVD of any of my "Steppin' Out" adventures or my companion memoir and travel book, "Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys," call 888-876-3399, order online at josephrosendo.com, or e-mail me at [email protected].

-♪ Mm, mm, mm ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Now that we've stepped out in Panama together, learn more at josephrosendo.com, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my magazine, blog, podcast, and social media.

Stay in touch -- 888-876-3399, or e-mail me at [email protected].

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ ♪♪ Hey!

Whoo-hoo!

Whoo-hoo!

-Guess what she's making for us to try.

-She's making -- It looks like snake.

-Me faltan... -Iguana.

-Here you go, Señor Joseph.

-Mmm!

-Iguana.

That's the iguana.

They prepare it traditionally without taking the skin off.

-How interesting.

-Yeah.

-Well...

Try everything, wherever you are.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪