Day 3, January 15th, 2011

Day 3, January 15th, 2011

Birding day. The group met up at 4:45 AM for a quick continental breakfast of fresh fruit, bread rolls, juice and coffee. We were attempting to get out into the forest early enough to hear the birds as they begin their day. Our destination this morning was the Caribbean side of the Canal (the Atlantic side. It was a tour of driving to different locations and getting off the bus to see as many different birds that presented themselves. The birds did not disappoint us, Toucans, Tropical Kingbirds, Brown Pelicans, Black Vultures and probably 20 others that I can’t remember and would have no idea I even saw them. There were some magnificent colors in these birds and the sounds were impressive. We also got to see some Howler Monkeys, adorable little things, but they make a sound that is loud and moving, much larger then they appear to be able to make. You can feel their presents when they howl”. It would make more sense to call them Growler Monkeys, because they sound like they are growl.

Interesting things seen along the way; we crossed the Panama Canal on a one way bridge, that is the only bridge that crosses the canal on the Atlantic side. Saw several gigantic ships that appear to be too large to make it through the deceivingly narrow canal, in some places. We also saw some of the spillways; this area of the canal was opened up on December 8th, 2010 to allow the canal to drain from all the rain. On this date, it was the 1st time in history the Canal was “closed” due to weather; delayed is actually the correct term, per our tour guide Ivan. The water shed areas flooded, causing a rush of water into the Canal.

St Lorenzo Fort was our next stop. It was a fort at the entrance of the Chagres River from the Atlantic Ocean, so the area had to be protected from Pirates and things of that nature. The area was very green and the clouds were forming above, it reminded me of Wales or Ireland. The waves of the Atlantic were huge, whilst a little fishing boat with 5 people aboard were anchored trying to get today’s meal. It began to rain, but in the humidity, the cool drops felt really good on the skin, I had to take my over shirt off to cover my camera, and I enjoyed being in just a tank top for a little while. Ivan had spotted a sloth, in a far away treetop, and we stood in the rain looking through his high powered scope at the fantastic creature. Yet with the rain getting heavier, we decided to jump in the bus and head to lunch.

For lunch, we visited a little poor village that our guide, Skot, visited during college, he help build a lookout platform for a nature center there. There was also a group of students from CU that helped build a small café in the middle of the village to encourage tourist to visit and spend their money.
The town was making attempts at cleaning up the building and homes, but they make very little money. Even our bus driver, whom lives in Panama City, remarked at how sad it is to see this town and how poor the people are, “we don’t’ realize how much we take for granted the way we live, internet and cell phones, cable and such, it’s just sad”. Everyone was very kind and grateful for our patronage, as we pull away the kids wave at the bus.

We got back to the hotel and we had a nice dinner of a salad bar and again, sat in the hotel lobby bar to enjoy some local beers and talk about our day. I was served by my nice waiter that invited me to disco, and when the opportunity arose, he gave me his phone number. So cute, but I don’t speak Spanish and he doesn’t speak English, but such a lovely gesture. I even got a kiss on the cheek upon my departure to my room, awe. The group resigned to bed early, the day tomorrow begins again at 5:45.