Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal, Panama
After a very smooth first part of the Panama Canal transit, we woke up this morning with the call of howler monkeys in the distance, in Barro Colorado Island. This island is a tropical biologists dream, located inside the Gatun Lake, it harbors the secrets of nature and the knowledge scientists seek and nature lovers want to understand.
Early in the morning we were separated in two groups: some of us were going to hike the trails of the island and others were going to take Zodiac rides along the banks of the rugged island’s edge. Walking took us up the steep slopes of the once tall mountaintops, which became islands when the Canal was flooded. Great-timanous, passionflowers, white-throated capuchin monkeys, and many birds calling escorted us through their realm. The groups that went on the Zodiacs saw some things closer than they may have wanted, a large crocodile barely a foot under water, and a foot away from our Smithsonian guide startled many of us. Tamandua anteaters, spider, howler and white-throated capuchin monkeys were also in today’s menu.
Once all of us were back on board, we got very good news, our transit through the Canal had been moved three hours ahead!!! We would begin our Canal transit at one in the afternoon!! Our pilot arrived at 1:00 p.m. sharp and we began cruising towards the Gatun locks.
It is unbelievable to see an almost one hundred year old engineering piece still doing what it was built to do. Thousands of boats and ships have crossed the Panama Canal on their way to or from a destination made closer by the narrow stretch of the Central American Isthmus. We are today one of the lucky people who have done the journey.
After a very smooth first part of the Panama Canal transit, we woke up this morning with the call of howler monkeys in the distance, in Barro Colorado Island. This island is a tropical biologists dream, located inside the Gatun Lake, it harbors the secrets of nature and the knowledge scientists seek and nature lovers want to understand.
Early in the morning we were separated in two groups: some of us were going to hike the trails of the island and others were going to take Zodiac rides along the banks of the rugged island’s edge. Walking took us up the steep slopes of the once tall mountaintops, which became islands when the Canal was flooded. Great-timanous, passionflowers, white-throated capuchin monkeys, and many birds calling escorted us through their realm. The groups that went on the Zodiacs saw some things closer than they may have wanted, a large crocodile barely a foot under water, and a foot away from our Smithsonian guide startled many of us. Tamandua anteaters, spider, howler and white-throated capuchin monkeys were also in today’s menu.
Once all of us were back on board, we got very good news, our transit through the Canal had been moved three hours ahead!!! We would begin our Canal transit at one in the afternoon!! Our pilot arrived at 1:00 p.m. sharp and we began cruising towards the Gatun locks.
It is unbelievable to see an almost one hundred year old engineering piece still doing what it was built to do. Thousands of boats and ships have crossed the Panama Canal on their way to or from a destination made closer by the narrow stretch of the Central American Isthmus. We are today one of the lucky people who have done the journey.
