Looking Back-Bocas Del Toro

Today I head back to the Bocas Del Toro region in Panama. The theme for this series is going back into the folder and pulling pics I have not used during my Panama writes last year.  It's a lot more fun when you don't have to focus on specific topics related to our journeys.  The above pic was taken by a friend on our canoe into Bastimentos National Park.  We are entering the park through the Mangrove forest.  I'm wearing the yellow hat.   Speaking of yellow, at the entrance to the park and cave, we found these adorable and curious chicks.

It was nice seeing people row boats along the coast and islands.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like growing up in an area like this.  While we were there, I was severely attacked by gnats.  During one of my recent treks into a canyon here in Tucson, I was again attacked and as of the day I write this, my body is covered in bites.  Not cool!

You'll find many endemic frogs on the various islands.  Each island has a different color.  The one we were on was known for this red frog below.

The Bocas Del Toro region is known for it's wonderful scuba diving opportunities as well as its beaches.  But I'm not into any of that stuff.  We enjoyed the caving and hiking:)  While we were there, we saw lots of jellyfish(or "mey-doo-saw" in Spanish)

While there, we volunteered at a poorly run turtle conservation program.  But we treated ourselves to a 3 day stay at La Loma Lodge and Chocolate Farm and forgot about that nightmare of an experience!  This definitely was a huge tourist area, but most people choose to stay at Bocas Town for drinks and partying.  I don't do that stuff anymore and prefer the views from my bed below.  Yeah, life is good:)  More tomorrow....

Looking Back-Gamboa

I find that reviewing my photography is an important thing.  Today I begin the 4 part series that started my birding adventures with a camera.   Last year I traveled to Panama with an okay camera.  It would also be the first time I started to watermark my work as I had several pics stolen and used on other sites as their own.  It was also the first time that I seriously examined my work with a critical eye.  Sometimes my eye was too critical and I left pictures out of the writing.  If you followed Las Aventuras last year, these pictures will not be repeats at all.  Part of my job with this 4 day series was to re-examine my work from last year and figure out why I didn't post them.  If you are newer to the blog, all of these pics will be new.  If you are interested in Panama, check out the post suggestions below.  This is how I came across Eileen from Viewing Nature With Eileen.

Every year I take a major trip somewhere.  I haven't taken one this year....yet.  The house came first this summer. But we are currently planning a big event for next year that may include penguins and lots of snow.  Before travel to another country, we research months in advance on places that are barely known about or are important to explore for cultural reasons.  We are Spanish language specialists(my day job) and love getting a closer look at the cultures surrounding the language.  Like any language, Spanish is different from one country to the next.  In any case, there is a lot to see/cram into these visits.  Today we visit Gamboa. And then we'll move onto Coiba Island, Bocas Del Toro, and Boquete.

Oropendola Nest

Gamboa would prove to change directions for me in my pursuit of wildlife.  Last year at this time, I didn't really understand birding and kind of laughed at it.  But a friendly man by the name of Ivan helped me take a closer look at our winged friends.  This place is not only beautiful but it changed me.  If I had money, I'd buy one of those old homes there and live!  It was really beautiful.  Birders if you haven't been to the famed Pipeline Road in Gamboa, it's really worth your time.  You won't regret the trip at all. 

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

But onto the photography.  I didn't post a lot of these shots because they were blurred or at the time, I thought rather boring.   But with blogging, it's okay to post the not so perfect shots as well.   I went back on several of my albums and pulled these beauties out.  I hadn't been planning on doing these posts as I was studying the Ivory Bill Woodpecker which led to several other Woodpeckers in Mexico etc.  It was devastating to find out that several of the largest woodpeckers were wiped out and now labeled extinct.  But I remembered a shot from the rainforest of this colorful number above and I went back into my files(thank you to a fellow birder who told me never to delete pics).  Good advice because I was able to ID this particular Woodpecker.

And this Toucan flew right into view.  While I didn't get the shot of the head like I had hoped, I did capture proof that I saw one on the wild.  No zoo. No captive wildlife program.  And I realized for the first time in my life that the camera I was using wasn't good enough for me.  I'm going to be honest here.  I loved my camera, but I discovered that my hands would be tied for most of the shoots around Panama.  I didn't have control of the focus or shutter speed.  If I had the camera I have now(the Canon Rebel), I would have gotten that shot.  But I also learned much from the experience.

While we were in Gamboa, I was inspired by this bamboo corridor.   Today I have created this idea with Buddha Belly's Bamboo in the fern garden.  It looks great!  You can see me climbing one of the poles on the left side because I'm a bamboo freak:)

Oh and this story.  Here we are catching a break from the downpour.  I was filming a heron and my camera cap rolled into the water.  I thought it was gone but when I looked down I could see it in the water but they were full of caiman and crocs...so a boat person came along and fished it out for me.  I was extremely thankful for his help. 

Black Vultures

The hikes were long and difficult.  Bring plenty of water with you as we dehydrated quickly. It was one of the sweatiest experiences of my life, but the wildlife was a treat to observe.  I made a video last year capturing the beauty of this area.  More tomorrow.....

This is pretty scary.  Harbinger of Death?

The Lighthouse

We're getting close to Halloween and I thought it would be fun to look at a scary moment that we had in an abandoned lighthouse in Panama. From the road near the Canal, we saw this really cool looking lighthouse.  On our last day there, we hiked up this old structure.  As I walked up the spiral staircase, I heard lots of squeaking and it was disturbing.  I was already halfway up when I noticed A LOT of black furry critters flying all around me.  The pic above looks like my black kitty featured below and made me smile.  Note. I didn't use flash, but our friend Desiree did!!!  Boy did she hear it from us:)

Here's the lighthouse.  Thankfully my friend Desiree snapped the pic.  I was more concerned about getting pictures of the bats. 

While the bats held our attention, it was this alien looking nest on top that scared us the most.  It looks like a termite nest, but really, I don't know what it was.  We were just careful not to touch it.  Nasty. We had to pass it to get onto the lookout.

There was a window with a large nest hanging over it.   We walked first to this place, but Desiree had crashed on the bed at our b & b in Gamboa so we didn't want to wake her.  Sleep is precious in foreign countries.  However, she did wake and realized that we were gone and figured we had headed to "her lighthouse", but by the time she got there, we were already gone.  So she climbed the steep stairwell alone discovering all these cool things on the way up.  I wish I could have seen her face!  She came back all freaked out and we laughed. To be honest, I don't know if I could have climbed that thing alone. 

This is my black cat that looks like the bat above.  Her name is Cassie! and she has vampire teeth.  More ghoulish fun on the way:)

An Experience Best Shared

Entry written on paper at noon on June 13th, 2011.
Sometimes you have to dig deeper into a country to find the real treasures that it has to offer.  I suppose I should take my own advice and look past the Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner of the US.  I am not a big fan of travel in the United States because it costs so much money just to do nothing!  It's like Vegas.  Cool looking on the outside, but empty on the inside. Panama could be like that if you let it.  However we had done a lot of research into this country before traveling here and I think we are in for a wild ride!!  Some countries are authentic the minute you arrive off the plane.  You don' have to search for the cultural things because it's right there in front of you.  Panama, which has a huge American influence, has a lot of qualities similiar to our own in the larger cities.  They use the American dollar and many people speak English....and that's just to name a few.  But don't be blinded by the bling......there is definitely a fascinating culture and history here that just needs a little surface digging!  Sorry...had to get that gardening bit in;)


Chris Rohrer Panama City 2011

As I sit here on my first day in this country, I'm going to share my first lunch with you by the ocean.  I'm also enjoying the breeze as it is hot and humid otherwise.  If it wasn't for the air sitting on top of your skin, it would be actually pleasant.  I've also discovered that being older with experience points has its perks:)  While the backpacking kids are getting high and drinking their many beers flirting away their lives for mattress mambo, I'm able to get a headstart for the next days plans.  They wake up with a hangover and leave late from the hostel which allows me to get my shower in before everyone else and grab that first taxi off into adventure land!!

Today's lunch...the traditional sancocho soup with potatoes and chicken.  One of the things I think about, as I am by myself for now waiting for friends to arrive, is how important it is to have them!  An experience is best shared with others!  While it's nice to sit and drink my coffee and think about things; it would also be nice to share a cup of coffee with Pat and crew.  Pat couldn't come because there wasn't enough vacation time....but there's always next year!

Note to self....love this Panamanian Pepper Sauce on my rice!!! Bring umbrella for the constant rain here. And Alt 64 makes this symbol "@" on the computer since their keyboards are not "normal". So Pat and my friends aren't with me yet, but you are(well in spirit!).  I'm writing under a palapa with some rain coming down.  My paper is moist from the humidity and I'm enjoying every bit of it!!!  I hope you enjoy this in depth look over the next several weeks from our adventures in Panama.  I'll take you to gardens, national parks, and to many many other places.  Las Aventuras goes tropical for this next series!! Thank you for allowing me to share these experiences with you. 

At a wildlife refuge in Boquete

Post script.  Folks, I have some amazing pics and video on this series....well at least I think I do:)  I'm really proud of the work and along the way, I picked up tips from several vacationing bloggers. I always am learning something new, but most importantly I enjoy having a months buffer to sit and write quality work.  It's quite the process....editing video, uploading pics, and THEN writing!(which is my favorite part).  I haven't forgotten El Presidio and will return with updates, but our past winter was brutal this year and I'm still in the process of correcting the damage and in some cases, just being patient. Those pics will be coming up in September as will a series I'm going to call, "After the Fires."Until tomorrow friends:)