Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal, Panama
Our adventure began last night. Our Panama Canal pilot on board, we began crossing one of the world’s most incredible manmade wonders - “The Path Between the Seas.” We started from the port of Cristobal on the Caribbean side (the northern part) of the Panamanian isthmus. After 90 years of operating, the Canal is still working with the same methods, gravity and water-flows, as it did in 1914!!! We finished crossing the three chambers during the evening hours went to bed tired and in expectation for the next day.
The morning found us anchored in front of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s (STRI) most famous field-research station: Barro Colorado (Red Clay) Island. If you have ever read any article on Tropical Biology, it is highly likely that the information came from studies made on BCI. For many years, the institute has been gathering data on such topics as climate, phenology, and plant density, and has one of the most complete records on tropical rainforests in the planet. Because we visited the island just after the rainy season had stopped, we found an incredible array of species of mushrooms (fungi) in every layer of the forest. We split in three major groups, those who wanted to do the longer walk, those on the short walk and some on the Zodiacs for cruises around the island’s edge. Monkeys, toucans, lizards and fantastic plants were our reward.
Back on board for lunch, we moved on to the second half of the Canal crossing. As we crossed the Culebra Cut, we could only marvel on what human will can accomplish. Down towards the south, the two sets of locks brought us onto the waters where the rest of our adventure will continue: the Pacific Ocean.
Our adventure began last night. Our Panama Canal pilot on board, we began crossing one of the world’s most incredible manmade wonders - “The Path Between the Seas.” We started from the port of Cristobal on the Caribbean side (the northern part) of the Panamanian isthmus. After 90 years of operating, the Canal is still working with the same methods, gravity and water-flows, as it did in 1914!!! We finished crossing the three chambers during the evening hours went to bed tired and in expectation for the next day.
The morning found us anchored in front of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s (STRI) most famous field-research station: Barro Colorado (Red Clay) Island. If you have ever read any article on Tropical Biology, it is highly likely that the information came from studies made on BCI. For many years, the institute has been gathering data on such topics as climate, phenology, and plant density, and has one of the most complete records on tropical rainforests in the planet. Because we visited the island just after the rainy season had stopped, we found an incredible array of species of mushrooms (fungi) in every layer of the forest. We split in three major groups, those who wanted to do the longer walk, those on the short walk and some on the Zodiacs for cruises around the island’s edge. Monkeys, toucans, lizards and fantastic plants were our reward.
Back on board for lunch, we moved on to the second half of the Canal crossing. As we crossed the Culebra Cut, we could only marvel on what human will can accomplish. Down towards the south, the two sets of locks brought us onto the waters where the rest of our adventure will continue: the Pacific Ocean.
