Dec. 29th: Colon, Panama

Panama's Second City (after Panama City) lies near the Panama canals' Atlantic entrance. According to our guide, Josie, under a corrupt goverment, Colon City is run down, can be dangerous and most people here are very poor. We saw this first hand. Most buildings look unstable and in various stages of disrepair.

On our excursion today, we visited Gamboa National Park, one of Panama's lush rainforests. Panama's tropical rainforest is one of the world's most complex ecosystems but like a lot of the world, it is suffering from climate change. We took a Tram from the forest floor, thru dense undergrowth and up to the forest canopy (280 feet above). We traveled along the treetops in the hope to find monkeys, sloth and various birds. It was very hot and many of the wildlife stayed out of site. Right away, we sited a white nosed Coatis, which isn't too unusual. They are very much like our squirels, but larger and quite mischievous. On our way down from the top, it began to thunder and poured! It is a rainforest after all! We spotted a sloth, a Howler monkey, Pileated Woodpecker and various birds and lots of HUGE termite nests! By the time we went to the sloth sanctuary, we were all soaked. This rain was welcome as Panama has been experiencing a "rainfall deficit". We also visited sanctuaries for the Poison Dart Frogs, Butterflys & Orchids.
Interesting note: the adorable Sloth sleeps 17 hours a day and only poops once a week 😳

Tonight's Blind wine pick: Portugal's Quinta da Avelida Vinho BrancoRead more