Gamboa

If you come to Panama and want to see animals the place to go is Gamboa. In particular, the Gamboa Rainforest Resort where you can join guided hikes/tours. Here you can really immerse yourself in the jungle and experience all the fauna and flora that comes with a jungle from the birds to the sloths to the leaf-cutter ants marching along their well-worn paths carrying their leaf burdens. If you are there during the rainy season when it typically rains in the late afternoon you can sit on the balcony of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort and watch the mist roll in and the rain pour down while sipping a great Mohito!  It's a great experience. And, the rains rarely last long. You can usually resume your walks after the rain. The dry season begins in mid December and last until March.

 I recommend going with a guide especially if it is your first time.  The guides are trained on how to locate animals and birds for tourists to see.  I was amazed at their ability to do this because try as I might I just can't pick them out like they can, although I am improving.  One would think that the bright colors of many of the birds would make them easy to spot.  On the contrary...The bright colors make them blend in more due to the dense foliage and all the shades of green, yellows and reds... At any rate, I have been to Gamboa multiple times and have seen a lot of critters every time I go.  Make sure you schedule a hike along the "Pipeline Road" and/or do the tour to "Monkey Island" or the "Radio Tower" tour (my favorite). You are guaranteed to see some of the wildlife on these!

If you walk the grounds on your own you can see hummingbirds buzzing from flower to flower, iguanas lounging in trees, basilisks sunning by the pools, agouti running around the grounds, and a myriad of birds if you listen and look. If you care to see some of the "nightlife" you can take one of the night tours on one of their little "trolley trucks" where the guide stands up front near the driver with a big hand-held spotlight and shines light on animals along the way.  How they spot these animals I will never know.  They must simply know the exact locations where to expect them!

Rainforest  Foliage

Lobby inside the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.

Rain usually comes later in the day.

Watch the rain from the resort's bar balcony.

There are many Agouti around.

Basilisk by pool area. (Also called the "Jesus Christ Lizard" for its ability to run across the top of the water)

View of pool area from bar balcony.

Comfortable well-stated rooms at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort Hotel

Relax in a hammock on the room balcony over-looking the grounds and the Chagras River.

Crocodiles (large and small) can be seen sunning themselves

on the banks of the Chagras River. 

Capuchin Monkey

Large Crocodile seen regularly at the "Los Largartos" restaurant in Gamboa.

Large Adult Iguana seen in top of tree during the Monkey Island Tour.

Baby crocodile the guide fished out of the Chagras River to show group.

Capuchin Monkey "drops in" for a visit during the  Monkey Island tour.

Sunset on the Chagras River in Gamboa.

You can relax in a hammock on your balcony over-looking the Chagras River
and grazing Capybarra if you stay at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.

Capybarra (largest rodent in the world) can be seen grazing

on the grounds of the resort.

Howler mom and baby along Radio Tower hike.

Nocturnal 2-toed sloth snoozes.

Guide leads us up trail to old WWII radio tour site. 

One of the old Radio Tower site buildings still standing.

The jungle "reclaims" one of the Radio Tower site buildings. 

Daytime 3-toed Sloth seen climbing.

Beautiful Rufous Tiger Heron in hunt position.

Howler monkey

Yellow-headed Caracara in tree on hotel grounds. 

Curious Kiskadee

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird takes a break. 

Chestnut-sided Toucan spotted high in canopy along Pipeline hike

Keel-billed Toucan seen in canopy along Pipeline hike. 

Back side of hotel/resort

Gray-headed Chachalaca

Collared Aracari

Smooth-billed Ani

Crimson-backed Tanager

Refuge within a City

If all the craziness of Panama City begins to get to you it may be time to make a trip to the "Parque Metropolitano" (Metropolitan Nature Park) situated right in the city.  From where we are it takes us less than ten minutes to get there.  Once you park and begin hiking the stress from the city seems to melt away. You are immediately surrounded by jungle and the sound of numerous birds.  Monkeys, sloths, agouti, etc can be seen along the trails.  At the top of the hill scenic lookout areas offer fantastic panoramic views of the city below.  If you are observant you may see a number of beautiful and colorful birds like the "Whooping Motmot" (formerly the Blue-crowned Motmot), Slaty-tailed Trogons, Yellow-rumped Casiques, Crimson-backed Tanagers, Toucans and many more.

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Whooping Motmot 

Crimson-backed Tanager

Squirrel Cuckoo

Tamarin Monkey

3-Toed Sloth

View of city from observation area.

Observation area at the Metropolitan Nature Park.

Around Panama City

Panama City....What to say about Panama City.  We have been living here (my husband longer than me) for eight months.  We live on a main street (Avenida Balboa) along the water front in an apartment of one of the gazillions of skyscrapers in Panama City.  I have never seen so many skyscrapers so jumbled together!  The city has this extreme modern almost space age look when you see it from a distance...But, when you get into it there does not seem to be any real organization to the city at all.  One street may be relatively well maintained while the next is full of potholes, open manholes, trash, hazardous holes, uneven pavement, dog poop, and the smell of sewage running through the streets.  One street may have a myriad of excellent restaurants with any cuisine you could desire while the next street is full of seedy little bars and/or restaurants.  I have a constant love/hate relationship with this place.  So, I try to stay away from the negative aspects.

I have discovered that the path along the sea wall/front is the best place to walk if I just want to get out and exercise.  It's clean and well-maintained as well as well patrolled by the local "guardian" police. There is a bike/jogging path alongside a wide walking path with beautiful landscaping along the way.  It is generally shady especially in the late afternoon when the sun is going behind all the skyscrapers. I walk about 3 miles down and back.  Along the way there are many small local venders with their little carts that sell refreshments.  My favorite are the carts selling the shaved ice drinks.  They have a huge block of ice that they use an instrument to "shave" the ice right there into a cup for you and then you can pick from a variety of flavors like cherry, pineapple, grape, etc.  They traditionally add a squirt of condensed milk on top of it (very good!) but you can leave it off if you want.

One of the Shaved Ice carts.

Nice wide well-maintained path.

Most of the walkway is shaded in the late afternoon.

Skyscrapers everywhere!

Probably reminiscent of Miami, though I've never been there.

For those of you who worry that you won't be able to find some familiar icons from the United States...Don't worry...Panama City has everything from Burger King, McDonald's, Popeye's, Dominoes Pizza...you name it...BUT, don't expect "fast" food here.  It can take up to two hours to get food at these places especially if you try to go during the lunch hour.  Panamanians get a two hour lunch generally from  11:00 am to 1:00 PM  I used to wonder why. Now I know....

The Hard Rock Cafe just a couple of blocks down from our apartment building.

Novey is kind of like a Walmart except they don't sell clothes.  You can get any kind of household item you need as well as any garden item and/or equipment.

One of things I love about the city are all the HUGE very old trees all around.  Many have been saved because of the fact that the paper work to cut down one of these old trees is extensive!  SO, instead of cutting them down they just build AROUND them...(Thank God for bureaucracy!)

The Texaco Station was built around this big ole tree!

These vine wrapped trees line many of the streets...

It looks as though you will drive right through this one!  

The road just goes around it on either side...

One of my favorite pastimes is "bus-watching".  In any other place that may sound mundane but I can assure you that there is nothing mundane about the buses they refer to as the "Red Devils" here.  They are one of the most iconic symbols of Panama. They even sell little miniature red devil buses in the souvenir stores.  The city is trying to phase these buses out and replace them all with the new Metro buses.  For sure the metro buses are better and more comfortable but not nearly as entertaining!  The Red Devils are the noisiest and most colorful buses around.  Whenever you hear brakes screeching or you see a cloud of black smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes you can be sure there is a red devil bus.  I have done my best to catch some of the most "colorful" ones I have seen.

I have no idea...

The old and the new together....Red Devil followed by a Metro Bus.

They jack the front of the bus up for more "effect"...

Some of the art work is really out there!

If its history you interested in Panama is loaded with it!  Within minutes you can be in Viejo Panama ("Old Panama") Old Panama is where the original city was built over 700 years ago.  After it was sacked and burned by multiple parties (Including the famous pirate Henry Morgan) instead of re-building the city there it was moved a few miles away to what is now known as "Casca Viejo" or Casca Antingua where the Presidential Palace is located.  Old Panama is full of ruins and HUGE old trees.  It is well worth seeing.  The view from the Bell tower is impressive.  Walking the grounds is a very pleasant experience because of the park-like atmosphere, the beautiful trees, the abundance of birds and all the ruins surrounding the walkways.  This place is so old that many of the trees that have grown up between the ruins drwarf everything around them.

Old Bell Tower still stands...

View of the new  from the old...

 This tree had a kind of cactus growing all over it...

The Bishop's House... 

Walking in the footsteps of history... 

It was a beautiful day!

The vines are taking over!

Tree growing in the middle of the ruins... 

My favorite tree in Old Panama... 

Contemplating the history of this place... 

A long way to look up!

Young lady dressed in traditional Panamanian dress posing for tourists...

Like us :~)

After visiting Old Panama it's only logical to take the next step and go to Casca Viejo where Panama was relocated after Old Panama was destroyed. Many sections there are still under reconstruction but it is worth the trip especially if you are able to walk in the section where the Presidential Palace is. There are many "sidewalk" restaurants that offer a variety of food.  One of my fans is the restaurant "Casablanca". It's located by the "square" where you can sit outside as well if you want and many local artist set up their tables to display their wares.

The Presidential Palace is a stately building patrolled with 24 hour guards and a pair of egrets!  The egrets stand quietly to the side as if they too are guarding the entrance and seem unaffected by the hordes of people meandering by.