Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal
We spent the night in Gatun Lake, after crossing the first three locks of the Panama Canal: Miraflores, consisting of two chambers, and Pedro Miguel. Coming from the Pacific, the vessels have to ascend 85 feet in elevation, which is the difference between the lake and the ocean. Later in the evening we descended through the Gatun locks the same amount as we headed towards the Caribbean Sea. Both ends of the canal have the same elevation but the tidal range has an average of eighteen feet at the Pacific end, and one foot on the Caribbean. The Gatun Lake is a man-made fresh water mass, the result of the construction of the canal that was started in 1880 by the French, and continued later by the United States of America in 1904 and inaugurated in 1914.
For the early risers, observation from the ship was rewarding. Howler monkeys, toucans, crested guans, snail kites, parrots and other birds were the rewards. Our next activity was the exploration of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). The former mountaintop is now an island that represents a very important research resource. It is comparable to what happens when a patch of forest is left after deforestation, It is managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and it is among the oldest rainforest regions studied in the world.
Some of us explored the island on foot, and some others explored by Zodiac. Both methods were great for spotting wildlife. Trogons, antshrikes, guans, coatis, agoutis, howler and white-faced monkeys were the attraction, together with the beautiful vegetation of the rainforest. One particular plant we saw was the “walking palm” (Socratea exorriza). The heart of this palm is eaten by local people, and has a bitter flavor. Its name is given because it lacks a central root system, and if during it’s growing stage, strong light comes from a specific direction, the plant will move its top towards the light, more roots will grow in that direction, and the roots on the opposite side will gradually rot, giving it the advantage of a little lateral movement.
After saying good bye to the island we continued in the canal through the Gatun Locks and arrived finally to Cristobal Port by Colon City to spend the night and say “hasta luego” to our guests the next day.
We spent the night in Gatun Lake, after crossing the first three locks of the Panama Canal: Miraflores, consisting of two chambers, and Pedro Miguel. Coming from the Pacific, the vessels have to ascend 85 feet in elevation, which is the difference between the lake and the ocean. Later in the evening we descended through the Gatun locks the same amount as we headed towards the Caribbean Sea. Both ends of the canal have the same elevation but the tidal range has an average of eighteen feet at the Pacific end, and one foot on the Caribbean. The Gatun Lake is a man-made fresh water mass, the result of the construction of the canal that was started in 1880 by the French, and continued later by the United States of America in 1904 and inaugurated in 1914.
For the early risers, observation from the ship was rewarding. Howler monkeys, toucans, crested guans, snail kites, parrots and other birds were the rewards. Our next activity was the exploration of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). The former mountaintop is now an island that represents a very important research resource. It is comparable to what happens when a patch of forest is left after deforestation, It is managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and it is among the oldest rainforest regions studied in the world.
Some of us explored the island on foot, and some others explored by Zodiac. Both methods were great for spotting wildlife. Trogons, antshrikes, guans, coatis, agoutis, howler and white-faced monkeys were the attraction, together with the beautiful vegetation of the rainforest. One particular plant we saw was the “walking palm” (Socratea exorriza). The heart of this palm is eaten by local people, and has a bitter flavor. Its name is given because it lacks a central root system, and if during it’s growing stage, strong light comes from a specific direction, the plant will move its top towards the light, more roots will grow in that direction, and the roots on the opposite side will gradually rot, giving it the advantage of a little lateral movement.
After saying good bye to the island we continued in the canal through the Gatun Locks and arrived finally to Cristobal Port by Colon City to spend the night and say “hasta luego” to our guests the next day.
