The family-owned Yandup Island Lodge is located on a private island across from the remote Playon Chico community on the Caribbean coastline of San Blas, Panama. The eco-lodge offers two tours a day: a visit to a beach on one of the archipelago's deserted islands and a cultural tour that connects guests to the local Kuna Yala indian community.

When he learned we were on our honeymoon, a knowing smile stretched across Charlie’s face. Gazing pensively across the sea in the direction of a distant palm-tree skyline, the old Kuna man slowly muttered, “Ah, luna de miel en Kuna Yala…” On our third trip to Central America, my new bride and I were no longer backpacking. No hostels during this trip. Though they do exist in Panama’s Kuna Yala, or San Blas Islands, we had aimed to stay in Caribbean luxury this time. And the Coral Lodge did not disappoint. After departing from Charlie in El Porvenir, where we had awaited transportation, we took a choppy boat ride eight miles west of the Kuna Yala boundary. Along the way, we passed deserted islands so iconic that Hawaiian Tropic and Playboy shoot there. And the perfection above-ground was matched below the surface offshore. I’ve since snorkeled in oceans around the world, but never seen coral so magnificent. During our days at the Coral Lodge we stayed in one of six thatch-roofed villas that jut out from the mainland over the turquoise waters of a small bay filled with its own coral reefs. From our back, private balcony we could while away the days in a chaise lounge or hammock, or dive in for a swim or snorkel around the bay. We also spied howler monkeys during rainforest walks, went sea kayaking, and relished the ecolodge’s gourmet food. It was a brief, indulgent taste of how the other half lives, and I can still picture Charlie’s nod of approval.

Of the many boat excursions available in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, the trip to Playa Estrella stands out for its numerous multicolored starfish residing in the tranquil, crystal-clear waters. The beach is truly an "oasis" of calm and the shallow warm water is perfect for bobbing around and relaxing.

Head to Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City, a stunning mix of Art deco, Caribbean, French and Colonial architectural styles. Hungry? Look for the Havana Club. I thought I'd walked onto a set. 'Buena Vista Social Club’ was playing on a small screen in the corner of the room. A red barbers chair guarded one of the four wooden doors. I couldn't help but stare at the wall to wall wood panelled bar. The rum stained floor and the overpowering chandelier probably rescued from the ruins of an old ship envelops the room with echo of countless tall tales. No better way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Playa de Estrella is easily accessed by boat in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Every boat captain on the island knows how to get there and will include the beach as a stop during a day trip to several locations. The attraction of this beach is the warm, shallow, crystal clear water and, of course, the starfish. In addition to starfish, you see schools of silver fish and stingrays enjoying the shallows.

Dugout canoes are the mode of local transportation in Panama’s Kuna Yala (aka Guna Yala and San Blas Islands). They also become floating markets to sell wares to foreigners sailing in the area. My new bride and I were on one such chartered sailboat, which led to a special encounter. Throughout our honeymoon, we were visited by merchants known by the boat’s owners, Swedish couple Christina and Ulf. Items for sale included lobsters (a local specialty), the catch of the day, mangoes, coconuts, and molas, which are embroidered works of art traditionally worn as vibrant panels on a Kuna woman’s blouse. Most Kuna don’t have electricity, so Ulf often charged cell phones overnight. One transaction led to an invitation by Kuna couple Pricilliano and Adelaida to visit their family island. Known as Gunboat Island, the entire speck of Caribbean paradise was roughly the diameter of a quarter-mile track. Three generations (more than 10 family members) live in two huts with thatched roofs and sand floors. During the day, clothes hang from the ceiling where hammocks drape at night. Meals are prepared over an open flame. An outhouse sits on a pier. But cultural differences only run so deep. Over several hours, we bonded with two young girls, Elaida and A., who played in the water and sand and climbed palm trees with us. I let them shoot photos and see them in my viewfinder, and they squealed with delight. It was the perfect encounter for a young couple with dreams of starting a family.

The women of the Kuna (native islanders) wear bright and colorful outfits that seem to match their tropical surroundings perfectly. The Kuna inhabit a stretch of islands located off the Caribbean coast of Panama, near Colombia. The islands are most accessible by plane from Panama City. There are several hundred islands to explore, so it's best to charter a sailboat for a week to visit a handful of them and visit many of the island villages of these remarkable people. We chartered our boat from San Blas Sailing at the following: www.sanblassailing.com

Meandering along the streets of Casco Viejo is a walk down a physical timeline; with old Spanish ruins next to forgotten French architecture neighboring restored boutique hotels, this historical neighborhood manifests Panama City's colorful past. The diversity in buildings reflects the array of people who occupy this peninsula, from hat-totting tourists to barefoot residents to the President himself. The energy of the place is packed between the thin streets, filled with shops, cars, pedestrians, and restaurants and then shoots out over the extensive coast line of the canal. My favorite people watching activity is to capture a drama in the making, and that is exactly what I caught between this boy and his elder. It is for these moments that it pays off to constantly lug around a SLR.

These little red frog are the namesake of a beautiful stretch of sand on Isla Bastimentos, an island in the Bocas del Toro archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is easily reached by water taxi from Bocas del Toro and has a few good trails across the island where you can spot some wildlife on the way to the beach.

The Comarca Kuna Yala, also known as the San Blas Archipelago, is a remote group of nearly 400 islands strung along the Caribbean coast of north-eastern Panama. The Kuna Yala are a semi-autonomous Indian group who inhabit the area and most of their communities are only accessible by boat or plane. During our visit, it was not uncommon to see men paddling or sailing around the islands, searching for the best catch of the day.

The anticipated Museum of Biodiversity, designed by Frank Gehry, opens this year, and the Panama Canal will soon double its capacity. To prepare, luxury hotels, such as the Trump Ocean Club and Le Méridien, are cropping up. And in the historic Casco Viejo neighborhood, Spanish colonial buildings are reopening as restaurants, boutiques, and trendy hotels such as Tántalo, home to the city’s first rooftop bar. Photo courtesy of Tántalo/Facebook. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Casco Viejo is a UNESCO site located in Panama City, Panama. We stayed in the quarter at Las Clementinas (www.lasclementinas.com), a really lovely and comfortable hotel with an amazing rooftop patio and view of downtown. Casco is a great mix of locals and visitors. As we enjoyed the sun on the balcony of the hotel, we could see the locals gather down below on the sidewalk to play an informal game of bingo. Casco is in the process of being revitalized but it still has the old colonial feel and is a great spot for unique restaurants and nightlife.

Panama City is best known for its fish market, but a few blocks away on Avenue B near the Chinatown Gates lies the equally interesting Mercado Publico. The market is divided into four main sections: meat, produce, dried goods and a court full of fonda food stands. The market is a great place to get a sense of Panamanian cuisine and a cheap place to buy food. After exploring the market, I recommend cutting across Calle 15 to the bustling Avenida Central, a festive street full of cheap clothing shops, rowdy vendors and food markets.

The public buses on the streets of Panama City are recycled school buses which used to chug along suburban streets in the United States some thirty years ago. Plain yellow has been traded up for brilliantly multicolored designs of birds, flowers, sexy women, Carlos’s name…whatever… The city is phasing them out, slowly replacing the old school rattlers with sleek air conditioned coaches with sun-glazed windows. In the meantime, the city buses are shots of brightness, sometimes even trimmed with flashing disco lights at night.

Avenida Central is a lively street outside of Casco Viejo full of discount clothing stores, cafes, restaurants and food carts. Many of the businesses feature hand-painted signage that add to the festive atmosphere of the street.

While visiting Boquete, dinner at Madre Tierra is a must if you want to enjoy creative cuisine paired with incredible views. The poolside restaurant is perched within the mountainside of the eco-resort, Rancho de Caldera. Chef Craig Miller prepares intimate, exquisite dinners composed of locally produced food while guests enjoy the sun setting over the lush Panamanian valley. Reservations are required for the restaurant's fixed-price dinners (around $30) with a choice of meat, vegetarian or vegan tasting menus.

Authenticity has a smell. And Isla Colon smells like a real place. Can’t put a finger on it but you won’t find it in suburban gated communities. It’s the smell of burnt rubber from the sudden breaking of vehicles to make way for errant pedestrians, the aroma of deep fried- cholesterol laden-but absolutely delicious food being cooked in a corner kiosk. It’s the smell of freshly cut watermelons being sold on a cart. At my annual medical check before this trip, I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency. Apparently, sitting at my desk in Manhattan had taken a toll on my immune system. Here very close to the equator. I’ve been hoping I’d get a natural dose of my prescription. But the weather here had been moodier than a 2 year old without a nap. 9 degrees north of the equator and the hot air would hit you like a blast from a 425-degree oven but then just as suddenly the clouds throw a tantrum and lash rain. Clearly Panama Tourism struggles with this too because they never seem to commit to anything in their brochures.

You can still see lots of buildings in various stages of either destruction or renovation. The 16th & 17th century Spanish and French Colonial architectures are breathtaking. They have attracted many tourists from all over the world, and Casco Viejo is a one-stop place filled with history, art and culture.

Having studied art, and continuing to work in arts organizations I love the abstract aesthetic of ship yards: shipping containers, the geometry of the massive cranes, the sheer scale of the ships. This is the start of the island that separates the two canals from one another.

Panama! Panama City has everything modern urban spaces have but with a touch of its own unique Latino flair: the Trump sky scraper rising above palm trees and flying seagulls, the man-made waterfront behind the Spanish old town, the hand painted buses driving on the super highway winding over tin roofs. When I hiked up Cerro Ancón on the far side of the city, I could see all of the crazy mixture that is Ciudad Panama right before my eyes. There is sign at the summit triumphantly proclaiming the spiritual satisfaction of the discovery of this magical city of two worlds: "Cuantos años de incógnitos pesares mi espíritu buscaba mas allá a mi hermosa sultana de los mares, la reina de dos mundos, Panamá!"

Molas are cut-out textiles that are sewn as reverse-appliqués and worn as panels over the blouses of traditional Kuna Yala women after they have reached puberty. While staying at the Yandup Lodge in San Blas, we had the opportunity to watch molas being constructed and learned how many of the designs are inspired by nature as shown in the bird and triangular leaf patterns above.

The Kuna Islanders that inhabit the San Blas Islands on the Caribbean coast of Panama, near Colombia, are said to be a bit reserved and certainly camera shy. I did not find that to be the case on my visit to the islands. I found the Kuna to be outgoing and very sociable. Although the Kuna did not partake in my group's consumption of alcohol, they did join in on our festivities and volunteered to have their photo taken with our empty bottles. They were quite amused with the image of themselves on the back of my camera. In addition to sharing their islands, we were fortunate enough to eat locally caught seafood that they prepared and to purchase their handmade, vibrantly colored molas. Molas are colorful, knitted squares featuring abstract forms of nature and ideology. I believe the key to a positive experience with the Kuna is to interact and even contribute to their livelihood through purchasing food and handicrafts from them, instead of simply enjoying the islands and overlooking the people that have lived there for centuries.