Christmas in the jungle

We couldn’t just settle for one jungle adventure in Panama. After our first trip to the tropical rainforests, we knew we had to go back because limiting oneself to a single trip to the jungle while spending 2 months a mere 30 minutes from said jungle is madness. This time, we brought our friend Jodi from New York City  along for the ride, and headed deep into the heart of Soberania National Park, spending 2 nights once again in Gamboa.  Our Airbnb was comfortable, but at nightfall, we heard this repetitive, loud noise like a video game; specifically Asteroids.  Denise and Jodi had had enough and went to see whose little kid was playing an inappropriately loud video game. Lo and behold, the noise was coming from a tiny Tungara frog (learned by googling “which frog in Panama sounds like a video game”).  Thirty-two decibel earplugs were no obstacle for the frog’s mating calls which persisted through the night.

Despite a frog-interrupted sleep, we were up bright and early and out of the house by 6:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve.  Having learned our lesson the first time around, we employed a local guide to help us identify and spot what we should have been seeing all along.  Boy, did that pay off in the number of photo-worthy birds that were on display.  Once our delayed guide arrived we headed off toward the wetlands just outside the chain link fenced-in Canal-era ammunition dump. Our guide, named Marciel (pronounced Marshall), is a member of the Embera indigenous group, the members of which live in various places throughout Panama.  He had been guiding for 15 years and knew where to go.  We were not lucky enough, or perhaps early enough, to see a capybara (the world’s largest rodent) or caiman, but we did start by seeing all types of birds.  The highlight of the day for me was watching a tiger heron catch and eat a small fish. It was an incredible sight.  But we saw many many other birds as well, including tanagers, toucans, crakes, flycatchers, mot mots, manakins, and many more.

The Ammo Dump Wetlands spot is right near the start of the Pipeline Road, which we had nervously driven up the last time we were here.  This time, we walked along its 2 km route, ending at the same place as we had driven to before.  Missing this time was the dreadful feeling that we might pop a tire at any moment.  Walking along, we were free to listen and watch out for any additional wildlife we came upon.  However, except for a howler monkey we watched eat seeds while hanging inverted from a tall tree, we saw little and may have enjoyed the drive more in place of sweating buckets.  It was humid.  It was hot.  And eventually, Jodi and I mutinied.  It was lunchtime, and so back we went.

That afternoon, three adorable and tiny Geoffrey’s tamarin monkeys came for a visit – an adult weighs about a pound.  One of the three was about two thirds the size of the other two, possibly a youngster.  Denise and Jodi decided they were a family and could be heard exclaiming its amount of cuteness.

That evening Migdalia, the hostess who oversaw our last stay, had earlier agreed to prepare her traditional Panama Christmas Eve dinner for us on Christmas Eve.  She did not disappoint.  Ham, turkey, sweet plantains (maduros), coconut rice with beans, a potato and beet salad.  Yum.  We chased this down with another panettone that we had brought with us from Panama City.  We returned to our place, dreading the frog.  He was at it again alright, but he seemed to have chosen a spot a bit further from our place so we all slept better.  And the next morning, the monkey family came calling again.

It was a quick but worthwhile trip. In two nights, we had bagged lots of great photos of the many birds.  Celebrated a traditional Christmas meal, Panamanian style.  And simply enjoyed a relaxing visit into the jungle.

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