Panama City
Concrete jungle or real jungle? That is the question.
First day in Panama City - we decided to get out of there. Well, not really, but out of the fuzz and buzz of the city. In the morning, we went to Miraflores Locks (a must-see with a loooot of people and not really much to see - it's weirdly interesting, though) and afterwards, off to the jungle.
First stop - Camino de Plantacion - a nice and easy forest walk. We met few birdwatchers and saw tons of interesting things (no mosquitos by the way!).
Things we did see: spider monkeys (high up in the branches), blue morpho butterfly (we saw it in the morning in the Miraflores museum where we both agreed it was gorgeous (and huge), this was therefore perfect, seeing it at its home - and alive) and also many many birds and insects. It's amazing how much fauna (and flora) you can see doing just this easy walk.
Last but not least we also saw an iguana. This particular iguana was just chilling in front of a house in the parking lot. Just a regular 2-meter iguana :) As it wasn't moving I tried to get as close to it as possible. I was about 20 cm close (the iguana still motionless) when I decided to greet it (you know, polite manners) - so I said "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" and at that moment it started running for its life and it kept sprinting downhill (we heard leaves rustling) for the next 5 minutes. I must have given it a heart attack for sure. But it was sooo funny, with its short legs moving so fast and the shock of it moving all of a sudden :D (I would like to apologize to this iguana for scaring the shit out of it, I am really sorry for that as well as for still laughing at it). After all this, Telchac ended it perfectly - he said - with a slight sad face (and the iguana long gone) - "I just wanted to take a picture of it..."
Useful tip: take a photo of an animal as fast as you can after seeing it (just in case your gf decides to scare it away)
As for the flora - there was a "nest tree" - which (after a minute of googling) is in fact a termite nest on a tree - not so 'attractive' as when I had thought it was a bird's nest - yes, naively and romantically I had hoped it was a bird's nest. Then there was a thorny/spiky tree which was unbelievable once we realized that the tree somehow managed to think of the spikes as a protection and then decided to grow the spikes. What a smart-ass palm!
Being in Panama City for only couple of days, after the walk, we went to Parco metropolitano. Just a little park - meaning beautiful jungle - a little out of the city. There is a small entrance fee and several walks you can do. We chose the medium option as it was almost closing time. Again, it was all about the animals and plants. First we saw leaf-cutter ants, everywhere, lots of them, all busy working. And then our favourite small cutie - ñeque - known as agouti in Costa Rica - known as 'what the hell is that' everywhere else (we thought it was a rabbit at first but as they have info boards at the end, we quickly learned it was agouti).
Useful tip: if you want to see some animals keep your eyes and ears open, there's most definitely "someone" hiding in the trees or bushes
For the next trip I'll take you to Playa Compuesta, brace yourselves for cheesy beach pics! ;) CU there!
P.S.: small bonus - leaf-cutter ants being busy as bees
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| At the Locks, this poor guy had only one foot |
First stop - Camino de Plantacion - a nice and easy forest walk. We met few birdwatchers and saw tons of interesting things (no mosquitos by the way!).
Things we did see: spider monkeys (high up in the branches), blue morpho butterfly (we saw it in the morning in the Miraflores museum where we both agreed it was gorgeous (and huge), this was therefore perfect, seeing it at its home - and alive) and also many many birds and insects. It's amazing how much fauna (and flora) you can see doing just this easy walk.
Last but not least we also saw an iguana. This particular iguana was just chilling in front of a house in the parking lot. Just a regular 2-meter iguana :) As it wasn't moving I tried to get as close to it as possible. I was about 20 cm close (the iguana still motionless) when I decided to greet it (you know, polite manners) - so I said "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" and at that moment it started running for its life and it kept sprinting downhill (we heard leaves rustling) for the next 5 minutes. I must have given it a heart attack for sure. But it was sooo funny, with its short legs moving so fast and the shock of it moving all of a sudden :D (I would like to apologize to this iguana for scaring the shit out of it, I am really sorry for that as well as for still laughing at it). After all this, Telchac ended it perfectly - he said - with a slight sad face (and the iguana long gone) - "I just wanted to take a picture of it..."
Useful tip: take a photo of an animal as fast as you can after seeing it (just in case your gf decides to scare it away)
 |
| Camino de Plantación vs Parque Natural Metropolitano de Panamá |
As for the flora - there was a "nest tree" - which (after a minute of googling) is in fact a termite nest on a tree - not so 'attractive' as when I had thought it was a bird's nest - yes, naively and romantically I had hoped it was a bird's nest. Then there was a thorny/spiky tree which was unbelievable once we realized that the tree somehow managed to think of the spikes as a protection and then decided to grow the spikes. What a smart-ass palm!
Useful tip: if you want to see some animals keep your eyes and ears open, there's most definitely "someone" hiding in the trees or bushes
For the next trip I'll take you to Playa Compuesta, brace yourselves for cheesy beach pics! ;) CU there!
P.S.: small bonus - leaf-cutter ants being busy as bees