Black Christ-

I made it down to the port city Portobello in time for the Black Christ festival. The story is that off the coast a ship sank and on the boat was a black Christ statue and after the boat sank the black Christ washed up on shore. The people did not know what to do with it, but the black Christ brought healing to the masses and forgiveness of sins. So every year on the 21st of October thousands travel from all over panama to be forgiven of sins and have healing from sickness. Many walk, some crawl and many of the Pilgrims burn their backs with hot wax. It was a very crazy celebration like none I have ever seen before. This was when my camera was stolen in the middle of all this, actually I think that it is quite common for many criminals and thugs to come for forgiveness of sin, but even with all the security there was a lot of crime, drunkenness and drugs. I have never in my life been to a place like Panama, there is so much influence from china, Africa and Europe. It does not feel like central America, it does not feel like any other place that I have ever been to in my life. Maybe it would be smilier to the Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica Dominican republic.