Decay

Today's post is an artsy one.  I took these shots durng our Panama trip, but I saved them for a later time.  The day I took these pics, we were boating on a clear blue ocean.  The sky was an intense turquoise and the ocean a reddy brown.

This photo shoot was one of my favorites as the sun was intense.  Some of the pictures remind me of FKH Photo Journal.  I love Kathy's pics and unique focus on the little details that are all around us.  Many of her pictures center around our core feelings and the past.  This narrative takes place near the area where the Coiba island prison once stood.  Today, as you can see, the concrete pillars of the pier are all that remains to remind us that there once was a prison population here.

Sandwich Terns

These seabirds are cool.  There was a bit of green on them, but I wasn't able to capture that in the shots.  Once of the trickiest things about taking pictures is figuring out which shot is the best one to post!!

I saw a lot of geometric shape with color and nature.  As our boat was approaching shore, I had to think quick or miss the shot.  I don't know why, but I really love these photos. 

There are many places on this Earth that are extremely beautiful.  Coiba Island and her mostly untouched forests will enchant you and take you to another time and space. My personal opinion is that this island will become the next "Galapagos Island" for travelers. 

But for today, while sitting at work, these pics take me back to the beautiful country of Panama. 

Giant Saltwater Crocs!

While birding along the beach, little ol' me wasn't paying attention to the ocean.  The pic above is clear.....but was it so clear below?

Someone called my attention to the water and I ran!!!  I wasn't aware that crocs could swim oceans!!  I thought that they just hung out in rivers.

Quickly I got off the beach and whipped the camera out.

Slowly Tito, the 15 year old croc(named by the Coiba Island crew), emerged from the Pacific waters.

Saltwater crocs are territorial and hang out near mangroves.  From a distance, they are really amazing creatures.  If one ever chases you, run zig zag instead of straight forward.

Obviously, they are intelligent creatures with extreme patience.  They have been known to stalk humans for days and observe their patterns.  At night, when people are sleeping, the croc will attack.  This is one of the few survivors, beyond dragonflies, that have survived the prehistoric times of the dinosaur. They are a predator to watch out for in the waters.  Protected in most countries, the Saltwater Croc is an extreme success story and is making a comeback after a near extinction back in the mid 20th century.  Most countries, like Australia, now regulate their populations as they have exploded over the past 2 decades.

During our stay on Coiba Island, we spotted 3 saltwater crocs floating like logs in the water.  These crocs can get quite large.  Just check out this giant saltwater croc caught alive off the shores of the Philippines!  This one checks out at 21 feet!!  So if you're in an area that is lucky to have these amazing reptiles, keep your eyes on the look out:) Here's a vid I shot back on Coiba island from this past summer.

There and Back Again

So we've come to the end of our journey in Panama.  I hope you enjoyed the series of posts on the various themes over this past month. It was enjoyable for me to write on all these amazing things that I was able to witness in person.  As a teacher and my own student, I learn best by experiential learning.  No classroom can prepare you for the sights and sounds of a moment.  Of course, there is a lot more to write about in the garden and we'll take a break for a bit from the series and look into some helpful gardening ideas for your own home.  Plus I also have to do some record keeping from El Presidio for myself and also keep the homeowners up-to-date on what's going on around the property.  This last post was written in Gamboa where we began and ended our journey in Panama.  It's dated July 5th, 2011 on a Saturday night which was warm and tropical.  Night sounds abound from frogs, insects, and other nocturnal critters. I am in my bed reflecting on my personal journey and connecting with the people who are no longer with me. In the beginning, I had written about how personal Gamboa was for me.....well, here's the letter that I wrote.  Finally, I put one last video together for this series and I think it's my best one yet which highlights all the things we did in Panama.

"Dear Grandma and Grandpa Rohrer,

     My final days have arrived here in Panama.  This trip has been quite simply wonderful, but now it's time to end this journey.  As you know, we began our trek in Gamboa at a place called Ivans.  I didn't know why I wanted to end our trip here at first, but I think I've only now figured out why it was important for me to return. Everything about this place reminds me of you both and it makes me happy.  I'm a child again spending the weekends at your house.  The home even smells like your place and makes me wrap myself up even tighter into my blankets.  Walking around this ghost town was like playing in your magic garden in the far backyard near the creek The one that no longer exists.  The totem pole and grapevine covered trellis that invited us all into your garden is now gone....replaced with a concrete road.  When I go back to visit your home, it seems that almost all of my childhood and your green art have been erased from existance.  The apple tree.  The pear tree. The garden.  Only a stubborn patch of rhubarb still pops up to remind me where you both spent your days.

     The bing cherry ice cream is fresh here and melts just like it used to on our road trips to the Penguin during our many little adventures in that green car. Cones cost 50 cents here! You remember those trips, right? The ones where the waitress would rollerskate up to our car window and take our order. Do you remember Grandpa when I asked you what flavor I should try because there were too many to choose from?  What the heck was blue moon anyway? But you told me that I should try the bing cherry and it became one of my favorites.  I had bing cherry ice cream again in Panama and I remembered.

     Even this house has your touch wth the bird feeder, the home cooked meals, the wooden slated closets, and photos of plants and birds.  I walked the neighborhood tonight along the rain forest paths seeing the old old homes that were falling apart....remembering our walks together Grandma. Many of those homes in Manitowoc still look the same and need some fixing up.  I walked along the canal full of ships just like we did on Lake Michigan, but instead of seagulls, there were parakeets and toucans. It doesn't seem like a long time ago, but time has definitely passed.....and so have you both. Sometimes I wish I could rewind time for just a day to have one more conversation....one more walk.....one more scolding about fighting with my sister......one more lunch listening to WOMT radio at noon. As we eat lunch,  both of you are watching the bird feeder and getting angry at that damned squirrel.  Grandpa, you run outside and chase it off so you can see more finches. "Get out of here!!!  Get out of here!!!" I'd start laughing because you both looked so funny screaming at Mr. Squirrel.  Of course, when you weren't looking, he'd be back again.:)

     In fact, everything about Gamboa has reminded me of the simpler times.....the happy times......the best times. It's during this stay that I'm reminded how much I miss your presence in my life.  When I see potted geraniums, I think of your basement in winter where you protected your babies from the freezing temps. In summer, you would take a seemingly dead plant and bring it back to life. When I see cargo ships on the canal, I think of your work Grandpa at the Burger shipyards.  When I see the old Catholic church crumbling at the corner, I'm reminded of our Sunday mornings together......and the breakfasts afterward! Does your church even exist anymore like the one here on the corner? I walk through the bamboo groves along the Chagres river and it's like walking with you Grandma through those reeds by the little creek. That is gone as well. This city is trapped in the past.  Being here makes me think about what it was like growing up in the early 1900's for you both.  The canal was getting ready to open while you both grew up on gravel roads before cars became popular. Horses were still the main means of transportation. Malaria and yellow fever claimed many lives in Panama.  Back home it was Scarlet fever. How old were you Grandma when you lost both of your parents?  13? 14?  I can't imagine any of it.  But they were different times.  So much has changed in a century.

     As I watched the capybara playing in the fields today, I sipped my cool and sweaty glass of mojito.  I try to absorb as much as I can before I leave Panama and this magical town of Gamboa.  How many years has it been since my last stayover? 20? 30?  How is it that here in Gamboa I stumbled upon your presence?  Tonight my thoughts turn to you both as I get ready for some sleep. 

Love you much,

Your grandson"

End of paper journal.  Check out the video from our Panama Adventures.  Until tomorrow friends....

Stranded

Written on the tiny Isla Granito de Oro.  11:30 AM  19/6/2011

"I'm stranded on the tiny Isla Granito de Oro.  Basically, it's a hill in the middle of the emerald green ocean full of crabs and frigatebirds.  A patch of forest stands behind me as I sit on this very high traffic beach full of hermit crabs.  As I sit in the warm sand, hundreds of them have changed their course towards me! However, they never get brave enough to crawl on me.  Curious little creatures!  My friends are snorkeling and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet. I take my camera around this tiny island and snap shots here and there.

I can't imagine it would be a lot of fun getting stranded on an island because it's hot and humid with very little shade.  And the shade that does exist is within the thick vegetation full of critters!  There's lots of water, but it's all the wrong kind.  Too salty. I sit under a mangrove tree watching the thousands of hermit crabs climb all over as they scavenge the beach for anything edible...or find a bigger shell to call home. 

I physically walked around this little island in a matter of 10 minutes.  The center part has a large portion of trees. Another side is all rocks full of large black crabs which connects to a smaller grassy knoll.  The tide is low, but when it's high, the large sandy beach disappears. While we've been here in these briefest hours, I'm shocked at how much wildlife I've already seen. My friends are witnessing the great coral reefs around these islands, but I'm also getting a fantastic look above ground.  We've spent months planning for this trip looking specifically for isolated places in Panama.  Many of these trips require an experienced guide to help us fully see everything in these far reaching paradises.

This kind of trip isn't for everyone.  It's only a matter of time before I can't do these things anymore.  I like getting older and I love travel.  But I'm also beginning to like comfort more now as well.  Certain countries require things from the traveller.  There's a reason why these places are isolated!  I'm not saying that this particular type of trip will soon end as I still have another 10 years before I retire into the European style travel:)  That's why I did Machu Picchu in 2008.  The Inca Trail was tough for me, but when I saw 80 year olds hike past me, I was motivated to push my limitations.   But our guide, Javier, told us why many birders won't come to this pristine and fabulous feathered kingdom.....it's too wild.  I understand most of you birders because I do like my bed and breakfasts, but you need to know that this Coiba island experience was amazing:).  You'll see different kinds of birds here that you wouldn't spot on Pipeline Road in Gamboa....like the Scarlet Macaw!!  Javier is an avid birder who is a magnet for these feathered creatures as he whistles his magical tunes.....and they come.

A hermit crab snaps me back from my ramblings.  Who knows if I'll ever be back here again?  But it doesn't matter because I'm here now....on this little island of gold."

Off to snorkeling above....

The rocky side of the island which is covered by water during the high tide.

Shells, among other things, are protected in the national park system.  So no souvenirs for home except pictures:)

A Prisoner's Dilemma

My favorite pic from this series.  A former cell with an old shower are reminders that a prison once existed.

Considered the "Alcatraz" of Panama, Coiba island for many years was a penal colony held only for the most dangerous of criminals from the country.  Unfortuneatly, it was also reserved for those on the wrong side of Panama's political struggles.  There were even cases of people who were framed for another man's crimes.  Only one truth was certain. Coiba island was not a place you wanted to end up.

The buildings now from our boat.

The prison began in 1914 and remained open until 2004 when it closed its doors.  An unintentional thing happened. Fear, from the mainland, kept people away from the island known for its' captive killers, rapists and thieves.  In fact, there had been stories of people vacationing off the beautiful waters of Coiba island on their sailboats who were found murdered by prisoners attempting to escape.  These rumors and stories kept Coiba island free from deforestation and other outside interests.

Sandwich Terns

Back on the island, many prisoners would "disappear" from either one killing the other or prison officials executing them on the spot.  Two similiar stories were told to me by both our guide and another local from Santa Catalina.  A prisoner was forced to climb a coconut tree where he was shot and killed by a prison guard.  This was a common place occurence among both prisoners and the administration.  Today, these undocumented criminals are called, "los desaparecidos" or the missing. Gravesites can be found on the grounds taken over by the forest.

If an opportunity presented itself for escape, prisoners would try to flee on rafts created from the jungle.  Most of these prisoners would drown and die from starvation and dehydration.  Due to the strong current near the island, criminals sometimes would be found near the Galapagos islands.  And every once in awhile, a prisoner would make it to the mainland, but locals not recognizing the person in rags, would call officials right away.

Food was given through the bars and water was piped in through the walls.   A farming area was created around the penal colony for prisoners to make their own food.  Cattle, pigs, and chickens were raised along with corn and other vegetables and fruits.  Some people were innocent of their crimes as they had been framed for whatever reasons which included being on the wrong side of the political table of dictators like Manuel Noriega.  These people were given a bit more freedom and allowed to work outside and move about the island with less restriction.  Today, one of those former inmates works as a park ranger for ANAM.  He even has a coral reef named after him!  Great guy with lots of information!  At one point, the colony held around 3000 prisoners.

Today, the island is a UNESCO site protecting not only the island but the marine corridor between Costa Rica's Coco islands to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.

I had expected the area to be dead with empty buildings falling apart.  But it appears that the prison may be wiped completely off the island as Panama is creating a navy patrol station for the drug runs that are happening in large numbers from Colombia.  This was actually quite interesting.  At night, drug runs on high speed boats fly at a high velocity past several patrol areas.  If the Panamanian navy catches these vessels on the water, the drug runners will sink the vessel and hide out in the Coiba rain forest where they will be picked up later when no one is watching.  These drug runners are trained in jungle operations and many times have high tech equipment pieces like GPS which helps in their rescue.  Today, it appears that the US and Panama may be getting rid of the entire prison area to use  for a base.  Several buildings have already been renovated.  Not only does Coiba face this drug issue but now, since the prison has been shut down, poachers are entering the island in certain locations.  I believe this base will be good for the entire area.  Currently ANAM does a great job monitoring  the seas around Coiba and has a plan in effect for large fish vessels who try to illegally poach large quantities of marine life from the water.  Local fishermen will report any odd vessel activities off the waters of the Pacific ocean to ANAM or local Panamanian officials.  In return, they are allowed to fish within the limits and regulations agreed upon by the national park system and fishermen around the waters of Coiba.

Our trip to this part of the island was really interesting and quite beautiful.  The buildings were haunting with marks from prisoners on the walls.  You may wonder if this Navy base will cut down more trees to expand on the old penal colony.  Well the answer is a definite NO.  They are only allowed to work within the area that was used for the prison.  Everything else is to be left alone. 

While I was there, I got the impression that Coiba was well protected and will be around for future generations to enjoy.  In its final days, prisoners were the run of the mill thieves, murders and rapists serving their debt to society by farming and ranching the island to provide for their own existence. Today most of the cattle are gone and very little remains of this colony.  Secondary vegetation has taken over the land and is erasing mankind's marks from the island.  Eighty percent of this paradise is untouched, but that percentage is rising with the penal colony gone.    

I'm not sure if these building will be kept here once the Navy starts adding more buildings or if they'll keep a few buildings for historical reference. I'm thinking they will convert the jail cells to lock and hold captured drug runners and poachers. 

If ever there was a feel good story about the preservation of an island untouched by humankind, it's Coiba.  With the eventual addition of the Navy base to stop illegal drug trafficking, local fishermen watching out for poaching in the ocean water, the Smithsonian observing and studying the wildlife, and ANAM maintaining security around the island, it appears that this place is secured and in good hands.  Until tomorrow.....

The Coiba Island Experience

Greetings everyone!  Here is the million dollar post from our Panama trip on Coiba island.  This was the most expensive and yet amazing experience we had in Panama.  It was worth every penny.  I wrote about our investigation on Coiba island several months ago.  We had also done some research on the Darien Gap.  Both would have cost around the same amount of money and both offered similiar experiences.  However, we were travelling during the rainy season and most of the Darien would be inaccessible due to flooding trails.  We then began to focus our attention on the biologically diverse island of Coiba.  80 percent of this large island remains untouched with pristine primary forests.  It's one of the last places in Panama to view colonies of the Scarlet Macaw.  There's even a species of howler monkey that is endemic to this island only.

It started from the tiny surfing village of Santa Catalina.  We found a guide by the name of Javier who runs a place called Casa Kenia.  He runs a great program that took us several nights to the beautiful and isolated island of Coiba.  Accommodations were okay on the island.  We did have a/c for a couple hours, but it ran on generators and eventually, the unit would shut off at 2 in the morning:)  I must make this note because it's very important to know before going.  Having ANY accommodations were better than none in this very beautiful national park.  But because it was a little rough, some birders will dislike this place because they physically can't hike the trails or have difficulty getting in and out of the boat.   So I offer this advice.  If you are thinking about going to Coiba Island, make sure you bring water shoes of some kind and spare clothes which should include some good hiking boots to walk the sometimes muddy trails.  Don't forget sunblock and your camelback for water!! It is a primary rain forest and has its challenges at times, but thanks to Javier, we had a fantastic experience on the island.  A lot of it is unexplored botanically and guess what?  The Smithsonian own the tiny island known as Coibitas to monitor this park and protected marine area.

I promised wild monkey shots...not good ones.....but here they are.  This little white faced Capuchin monkey was throwing mangos at our building in the morning.  I moved quickly with my camera in hand to snap several shots off before he moved too far into the tree tops. The bottom pic looks like the mysterious BIG FOOT picture taken awhile back.  I laughed at how this monkey walked from one section of rain forest to the other.  Some people believe it's easy to spot wildlife, but I'd like to say that it's one of the most challenging things to do as an amateur photographer.  The wildlife is all around you, but you have to really look and listen to see all the wonderful critters.

My case in point.  Where is the monkey in the trees of this picture? 

Pic taken by my friend Jen Inboden

So why did Panama leave this island in such a pristine shape?  Quite simple.  They placed a penal colony here which accounts for a small portion of the islands deforestation.  The vegetation is growing back as the colony is shut down.  No more prisoners live here anymore.  You may think of this place as the "Alcatraz" of Panama.  Many people were afraid to come here because several prisoners had murdered locals who accidentally wandered onto the wrong island.  I'll tell that story in a few days.  But because Coiba Island had this reputation on the mainland of Panama, it was protected unintentionally by killers and murderers......with a positive outcome for Mother Nature and for human kind! A potential algae that grows around the waters has been recently discovered to fight cancer.

The island is large with flowing rivers full of animals.  It's difficult to get inside the interior and we had only scratched the surface.  One side was completely off limits as the tides and currents of the ocean made for a dangerous ride.  Instead, we were able to visit the calmer side of things within one of Panama's most beautiful and sacred coral reefs. Coiba Marine Park is considered one of the top ten reefs of our world.   Several smaller islands surround this larger one.  It's possible to have whale and dolphin sightings here.  While on this trip, I saw many large sea turtles swim around the reefs. And birding.....well, there's a lot of them to see here as well.   The beach above was an entrance to a secret trail full of old and twisty vegetation.  Monkeys had recently walked on the beach leaving their fresh tracks behind in the sand.

Not all rain forest is the same.  People want to know what primary or secondary forest means in person.  Well after walking around in primary pure virgen rain forest, I will never forget how incredibly cool it was.  Twisty gnarly vines connected mammoth trees together.  And there was a soothing presence about it all.

Iguanas galore on Coiba island. 

It's difficult picking out the massive amounts of green pics and determining which shot will be posted on the blog.  For me this post was the most difficult because I had to choose which pics best represented what I saw in the forests.  Here is an example of the viny ancient look of Coiba.  In fact, Coiba is known as one of the viniest rain forests on this Earth.  It has a unique look. 

It wasn't uncommon for vines to connect or take over entire trees.  Vines would come from the ground....the air.....water.......basically anywhere they could cross; they would. I loved the bark of this tree on the pic below.  Moss and lichens covered many of the trees in Panama which added a lovely green tone to the brown bark.

This is a saltwater crocodile below.  A special post will be released in November on this guy, but for now, here's a pic. What? You want more now?  How about a clip on him on the last day of the month?  I have a fantastic video showing this guy in all his glory on August 31st.  We had to be careful swimming in certain areas around the island.  These guys are pretty territorial so you won't find many concentrated in one area, but there are usually a couple lurking around the waters.  When we went swimming, we always kept our eyes open for floating logs because that's what they looked like in the ocean waters. 

Saltwater crocodile

This reptile fascinated me.  He also scared me a bit as I had never been close to one before.  I've seen alligators and caiman but nothing prepared me for the size of this creature....15 feet long!!

As I walked the beach, I noticed something in water.  I hadn't paid attention to the signs, but it stated that crocodiles live in these waters and that visitors should keep their eyes and ears open.  Traveller note. Always keep your eyes and ears open in wild national parks:)  Luckily I had followed that tip and spotted this guy in the water.  I had been snapping shots of birds in the mangroves nearby.  Crocodiles are fast. Traveller tip two.  If you should ever be chased by one on land, make sure you run zig zag. 

It wouldn't be right to post all these pics without including a shot of the agouti. Apparently, Coiba island has their own variety of this rodent, but I couldn't tell the difference. 

I'll have more shots and views for you from this amazing journey to Coiba Island and surrounding areas.  I think I have broken down the topics into some interesting areas that you'll find fascinating.  Some are on plants.  Some are on gardens.  And some are on reflection.  Either way, I hope you enjoy this mini series.  If you have the 500 to 600 dollars and time for this week stay, I  highly recommend it.  It isn't a trip for the faint of heart, but if you have energy and endurance, this place will capture you imagination.  Like Gamboa, it was difficult saying good-bye to an area not travelled by many people.  In fact, most Panamanians were excited that we were going to the island and stated that they wish they could visit.  Most travellers wanted to go but didn't have the money to do it....especially the backpackers.  Speaking of backpackers, we met two of them on this trip.  They went to Coiba on their own which was much cheaper, but they didn't have a guide or a way back.  It was difficult for them to get a view of the entire island and were limited to just a couple of trails from the ANAM station.  It was by luck that we came along and were able to bring them back to Santa Catalina.   I recommend a guide so that you get the full experience of the islands because it's a definite must see for your bucket list! PS.  Javier is a birder:) Until tomorrow....

http://www.casakenia.com/