The Kuna Indians are pretty recognizable. Their faces have these warm-hearted round features and the women wear distinct outfits of bright colors and their world-renowned textiles called 'molas'. Without sounding too patronizing, they are, well, cute. They live on 365 islands off Panama's Caribbean coast and for the most part keep to themselves. I motored up to the island of Mamitupu and entered a storybook: hundreds of thatch-roofed huts with bamboo walls and smoky puffs billowing out from all of the little straw cracks. A foggy haze suspended over the village. Narrow waterways spilled into the community making for Venice-like passages. Giant palm trees sprung up from the middle of the island like flagpoles. On the shores, little naked boys played in the sand with a beat up soccer ball. Drifting off the coast of the village were Kuna boaters going out and coming in. The Kuna people seem to have this innate navigational ability--this instinct that allows them to get from one place to another using only nature's cues.

I didn't know what to expect. How was I going to interact with these people? How was I going to communicate with these people? How were these people going to react to me? These were my personal inhibitions.

They've survived for nearly 500 years. They have this rich history of struggle and defense. Of resistance and perseverance. Of fighting off people much bigger, stronger, and more militarily advanced. However once you arrive, and looked into their eyes, you can see what has survived them for so long. You can literally see the love, the respect, and the generosity. You could see on their faces, that what little they have is yours to borrow. They had so much pride in themselves--their survival and joy in their existence is what makes them unique.

Within minutes of my arrival to the village, I met Jonathan, a 10 year-old boy with this tiny inquisitive face as if it was wondering "what are you doing here?" and "where did you come from?" He wore a blue mesh tank top. Oddly enough, he liked me--introducing me to many of his friends and then his pet turtle who didn't have a name. His family home was bare: dirt floor, hammock, mortar and pestle, and make-shift stove. I snapped this photo of him smiling, after he told me I had big hands--in the background you can see a traditionally clad Kuna woman alongside a young albino boy (in Kuna culture, albinos are known to be legendary descendants from the moon and thus they are worshipped). The people are just beautiful.

Town hall was a larger hut in which important meetings were held. I was lucky enough to sit in on part of one--all the village chiefs lying in hammocks like butterflies in cocoons. The meeting was quiet and organized, each chief raising his hand when he felt it necessary. Their political system is actually very advanced for Latin America. Each village with several main chiefs, two of whom I met in passing. They resembled the blues brothers, both wearing black hats, button down shirts, ties, rolled-up pants, and no shoes. Belushi would have fit right in.

The Kuna tribe is famous for its intricate sewing work called 'molas'. The work is world renowned and you can see the Indian women sitting out in the harsh afternoon sun making stitching away: the afternoon is when the sun provides the most light for their delicate craft. The work is so intense and detailed that many Kuna women lose eyesight at middle age because of the strain. However, they wear their work proudly like king wears his crown. I snapped a candid photo of a Kuna lady by her home.

As time went on, my friends grew (see photo: left to right, Manti, Roberto, "King Kong", and Jonathan), all of whom seemed to be enamored with my camera. These were such happy people and as cliché as it sounds it is true--with so little, they seemed to have so much. There was the village store, where coconuts (the island's currency) could be used to purchase oil and other ingredients. The people were so simple and trouble-free.

I was walking through the pages of National Geographic--each turn uncovering something I had never seen before. Little women carrying cords strung with fresh fish, which they unquestionably caught themselves. Tiny children, maybe three or four years old, out alone in canoes wheeling and spinning like seasoned adults. In-hut stoves and roaring flames which would definitely constitute some sort of fire hazard at home. Marmosets ran freely. The Mamitupu school, sitting right on the coast and its students impressively taking lessons in Kuna, Spanish, and English: a walk through echoing valiant attempts at pronunciations of the words "hello" and "good morning".

This was a totally different world and it opened up my eyes to a lot of things. Whether we admit it or not we live in a material world. We work to earn money, so that we can buy things that make us happy--like nice cars and big houses. The Kunas don't live that way. They live with nothing and they are so proud of it. It seemed ironic and sort of counter-intuitive that a culture, so seemingly less developed and less advanced than mine could impose so much upon me. I was learning life lessons from old men who walk in puddles barefoot. I left the San Blas islands with a new glimpse at things. A new perspective maybe. The things I loved, like my new laptop and my precious iPod seemed sadly and oddly irrelevant. Waking up by the sea under a giant palm canopy had conquered me. It made me never want to live for my paycheck, to work so that I can buy that new house or that fancy car. I have seen how happy I can be, as the Kunas are, with only the basics of family and good values. They were proud of themselves. And now, I jealously know why.

What is luxury + adventure? The answer is a cruise. It's a paradise on water. You literally get to see the best of things on earth at a very nominal cost. Different people have different ways of enjoying life. Some like to just chill out while others like to take things on their own and what better way to do it than hopping on board these cruisers. You name it, you have it kind of fun available on board.

Food , fun and frolic are a major part of cruise vacations. You might just get bored of relaxing. There is no dearth in entertainment. That's why millions of people just dream about these cruises.

As said earlier, your way f enjoyment must be decided by you. You have a multitude of options available. Just sit back and enjoy on board. Or try rock climbing, explore the depths of the pyramids or the good old ocean. Go to Antarctica or the Galapagos Islands, Egypt or Alaska; there is no limit to the locations you can journey to. Extreme adventures not advised for ones with poor health, but that should not deter you from enjoying the rest. The enchanting locales just give you a breath of freshness.

If you are a bit too lazy to take a stroll, you can sit back on board and watch remote places pass by you and they have a range of options for you. Seeing a brown bear at close range or other wildlife can all be done from the comfort and safety of the boat, while you sip a drink and sit by the pool. This is probably more suited for people adventurous at heart, but that hold indulgence at a high level also. A lot of people take this as an opportunity to just chill out.

One thing for sure, you just will not go home empty handed. You will have loads of memories and unfinished business that you will just get back sooner or later.