If you stay watching till the end, you will see a hummingbird with a white fanned-out tail come in from the left and just dance in mid-air!

Every time we go to this visitor centre, we see at least twenty hummingbirds of all different varieties. Although they look super beautiful, there are continual territorial battles over the feeders, so I actually think they are pretty stressed out!

For me, seeing birds like this on my doorstep is one of the major highlights of living in this tropical paradise.

Coati Quartet from Panamajama on Vimeo.

A family of four ambled by with their tails held high and waving. Living here in Panama as a nature lover is truly awe-inspiring. I do not even have to look for these creatures, they just step out in front of me, making every walk a real jungle adventure!

We were so lucky to be at the beach on the Pacific side of this beautiful country when the fishermen unloaded their, thankfully for us, small catch. A lot of effort was expended by ten or so men hauling a largeish net onto land. I was worried that it might be a gruesome experience for us nature lovers, as I was expecting a lot of exotic species such as squid, sharks, snappers etc. The catch that morning was only a few sprats however. But that didn’t stop the huge flock of enormous (I would guess 6 foot wing span) frigate birds getting tremendously excited!

Anteater in the Wild, Plantation Road, Panama from Panamajama on Vimeo.

So that was one first for me this morning, and more than enough to keep me happy. But the rainforest had other ideas, and half an hour after seeing this beautiful anteater I was being watched by a curious capuchin. I then had the privilege of watching a troop of capuchins make their way, surprisingly clumsily I may add, through the huge palm leaves near the top of the canopy. Video too fuzzy to show here, sorry!

Here is a super-short clip of a coati mundi, also from this morning’s walk, by way of compensation.

While holidaying recently in Boquete in the lush West Highlands of Panama we visited Mi Jardin es Tu Jardin, a surreally beautiful landscape of flowers, animal statues, ponds and even a small chapel. It reminded me of Portmeirion in the UK, the place where the (original) Prisoner was filmed.

As we wandered around looking at the hummingbirds, exotic plants, painted birdhouses, I felt we were walking around in someone’s subconscious, in the fully realised product of their imagination.

This tiny chapel was right in the middle of the gardens, in front of a large pond filled with Koi Carp. A most unexpected discovery, but somehow fitting.

You see Hibiscus flowers just everywhere in Panama, but that does not lessen their beauty. This spectacular specimen was overhanging the Koi Carp pond.

There were more than a few painted flamingos at various locations in the gardens – well, I mean, why on earth not?

Followed by painted jumping dolphins!

Altogether, a magical place. We saw so many amazing things here that I may have to do another post at some point to do it justice. But for now, I leave you with a lovely red cow.

We were lucky enough to see this foot-long baby sloth actually move! Climbing through the trees overhanging the shore at Amador, you can see the lethal-looking claws quite clearly in the below video.

Baby Sloth, Panama City from Panamajama on Vimeo.

I would love to know what kind of bat this is if anyone knows please leave a comment. Thanks

My daughter, aged 6, is a nature nut, and has reliably informed me that brown iguanas are male, and green ones female. So, here is a male iguana munching on a leaf high in the trees of Punta Culebra.

And over by the touch pools we spotted this sloth mooching, luckily with its head facing the camera!

I must have been to Punta Culebra at least six times since we moved to Panama almost a year ago. On all but one occasion I have seen both an iguana and a sloth, so if you want to see these creatures in the wild, this is a great place to visit.

In this picture you can also see the bright red feathers around its feet.

This picture I liked as it captures the sunshine reflecting off the toucan’s beak.

One day I hope to get a good enough picture of a flying toucan to show you, as when they fly they look just like closed umbrellas!

Howler Monkeys, Pipeline Road, Panama from Panamajama on Vimeo.

They carried on making this awesome racket for maybe 20 minutes, after which we headed home. On the way back along Pipeline Road we spotted long-limbed monkeys climbing in the huge spreading tree above our heads. These turned out to be the howler family getting ready for their bed! We watched as six or seven monkeys each selected a fork in the branches in which to lie, their tails curled around the fork to grip. They then settled down and went to sleep. What a privilege it was to see them in their ‘bedroom’. Here is one of the howlers having a good look at us and our own little monkeys!

There are so many intricate details, not to mention stunning statues. I think this may be my favourite building in Panama City.

Here is a statue from the tower, presumably of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.

And here is the main man himself, perched atop the roof.

This flying saucer lookalike sits atop a hill overlooking Panama City. One of only seven Baha’i Hindu Temples worldwide, Panama was chosen as a site due to its strategic position at the Centre of the Americas and because of the canal with its trade routes linking countries across the globe. If you stand just outside the temple you can see across Panama City, from the skyscrapers overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the tropical rainforest.

The Baha’i Hindus believe in protecting nature, equality between men and women and lots of other commendable things. The Panamanian temple was designed by a British architect. It is such a beautiful, organic looking building – I believe it should be world famous.

The temple is a place of calm contemplation and meditation, so we begged our young children to be respectful. All went well until we were getting ready to leave and one of them shattered the silence by beeping the car horn – oops!

I couldn’t resist taking this – the spider really makes the temple look like an alien face, don’t you think?

A couple of weeks ago we read about a fair taking place so popped along to explore. We climbed up a small hill to this pretty pagoda. Originally planned to have nine stories as is usual in China, the budget did not stretch. Still, it does look lovely just as it is I think!

Here is the ornate dragon from the centre of the pagoda’s ceiling.

There was a beautiful lake – El Lago de la Felicidad, or Lake of Happiness – very atmospheric looking with dappled light filtering through the surrounding trees. Three bridges link this pond to the rest of the park. The Bridge of Long Life is zig-zagged, to ward off bad luck, the Bridge of Fate is arched, and the Bridge of Happiness is straight across.

A statue of Kwan Ying, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, worshipped by women, fishermen and victims of natural disasters, surveys the park from her plinth in the centre of the lake.

Although compact, we had great fun exploring this little park with our three children. There was great, cheap Chinese food on offer as well, thanks to the fair. Normally this would be a great place to take a picnic – we’ll definitely be back!

As we walked, we heard the exotic calls of a tropical bird which turned out to be a female Trogon, an exotic bird from the same family as the Quetzal. I tried to take pictures, but my camera was running low on batteries (my fault!) and wouldn’t focus on the bird, most frustratingly choosing to focus on the tree behind it. After a few minutes, along came the male, resplendent in his feathered finery. I managed to get a picture of him, and isn’t he beautiful?

Further along the trail, we came across this Ant Metropolis, right beside and in some cases, actually on the path! I wonder how many ants must be living in this Grand Canyon-like construction?

Here is the pond, just to show the total lack of boundaries… Keep a close hold on your children if you visit!

Amador Causeway is a very popular place to hang out in Panama City. A scenic stretch of road created with excavations from the construction of the Panama Canal, this causeway links a string of small islands and stretches out into the Pacific Ocean with spectacular views in every direction. Refreshing sea breezes cool you down as you look out across the bay to the skyscrapers of Punta Paitilla. People come here to roller skate, cycle, walk their teeny tiny dogs – a bit like Central Park by the sea!

Amador is a fantastic vantage point to watch massive ships going under the Bridge of the Americas at the entrance to the Panama Canal. If you are a birdwatcher, you will enjoy seeing the many pelicans diving for fish, as well as frigate birds, cormorants and the anhinga, similar to a cormorant but larger and with a longer neck. There are several pretty decent child-friendly restaurants where you can try the local speciality, grilled corvina, a Pacific fish similar in taste and texture to Sea Bass – delicious. You can sail to various islands, including Isla Taboga which is approximately an hours scenic boat ride from Amador. Of which more in a later post.

The Frank Gehry designed Museum of Biodiversity is currently under construction at one end of the causeway. Although due to be completed this year, it still has a way to go, as you can see here. I hope they hurry up and finish it as it looks like it would be a fantastic place to have a coffee!

Extreme close up!

And after the parrots flew away, this beautiful bright beetle arrived on the patio. I just missed getting a fantastic shot of it flying away. Never mind, maybe next time!

Ground doves are frequent visitors to our garden. These pretty birds are extremely dim-witted and fly into our windows regularly, even though our windows have bars on them.

We are lucky enough to have hummingbirds visit our feeder every day!

Unfortunately since the new year I have seen only two toucans, but hopefully they will come back more regularly so I can get a decent picture of them to show you. After the December floods, the banks on our local river shifted, causing the crocodiles to move somewhere else. I am worried that the river changing might have changed the environment for the toucans and perhaps they have moved on too. We shall see.

We were lucky enough to be passing Miraflores locks just as an enormous cruise ship, the Oceana, was approaching. Here she is sailing behind the sluice gates of the Panama Canal.

We hurried to the visitor centre to get a grandstand view of her entering the Locks. It was well worth it as you can see!

The boats are guided by miniature trains called ‘mules’ which run on tracks alongside the lock. This is one of Oceana’s mules.

The next panorama photo gives a good idea of the amazing length of this ship. Apparently this 11-storey giant is classed as a ‘mid-size’ cruise ship by P&O. The mind boggles.

As the boat passed the viewing areas, the crowd shouted out ‘Uno, dos, tres – BIENVENIDOS EN PANAMA’, which was really exciting to hear.

And finally, an HD video of the Oceana entering Miraflores locks.

Cruise Ship Oceana entering Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal from Panamajama on Vimeo.

As today was another day of torrential rains, we decided to go to Gamboa rainforest resort to have lunch under shelter overlooking the lake.

Almost immediately I spotted this heron. I watched it catch a fish, but my photography skills weren’t up to capturing an action shot!

Heron at Gamboa Rainforest Park

Then I saw these five turtles posing on a branch. They love the rain, even if we humans don’t so much!

Five turtles enjoying the tropical rainstorm, Gamboa Rainforest Park

Hopefully you can tell that I have finally upgraded my camera, which means I will be posting more frequently again, as I can finally do the amazing sights of Panama some justice.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/17127045

Panama Train from Panamajama on Vimeo.

At the end of the video the camera pans to the right and you can just see a ship that has passed through the locks. This ship was directly in front of the level crossing as the train was approaching, so it actually moved through surprisingly quickly.

Sign outside Gamboa Church, Panama

I love this sign outside Gamboa Church, 15 miles north of Panama City. Really welcoming – maybe one day we’ll take the plunge!

Panama Flags for Independence Celebrations

Many thanks to the good people of Expat Blog for voting Panamajama blog of the month for November!
It was announced during “el mes de la patria” – Panama’s month of Independence Celebrations, just to make it even sweeter for me….

The above flags are flying at the entrance to the Ciudad del Saber – City of Knowledge – near to where we live.

November in Panama is a time of ceaseless Independence Celebrations and parades with many national holidays.

November 3rd 2010 marked the 107th anniversary of Panama’s Independence from Colombia. The national flag was designed in 1903 to commemorate this special event in the history of Panama.

November 4th was “Día de la Bandera” – Flag Day – and another national holiday with a grand parade to celebrate the flag of this small but hugely important country.

November 5th was Colón Day, a day of patriotic celebrations, and the Panamanian equivalent of the US Columbus Day.

November 10th sees “el grito”, a national holiday marking the first shout calling for an uprising against Spain.

November 28th marks Panama’s achieving Independence from Spain in 1821. (Note that a few weeks after becoming independent from Spain, Panama became part of Colombia, so it feels to me like a never-ending loop!).

¡Feliz cumpleaños a Panamá! – Happy Birthday to Panama!

Anyway, we were too kind to this caterpillar – one month later there were several living in our carport in various stages on their journey to butterflyhood. There were caterpillars in our plants and cocoons behind our walls.

As we are (naive) nature lovers, we let them stay – we wanted to have a lot of beautiful butterflies around.

After a couple more months there were caterpillars everywhere we looked – this was becoming creepy. By this time our bushes had been reduced to a collection of sticks with caterpillars crawling on them. The caterpillars were crawling up our door, our walls, everywhere we looked, there they were!

So, rather belatedly, we took some decisive action. My daughter collected them all in a bucket which we took to the playpark round the corner. It feels good to finally be caterpillar free after our little plague – and our plants have green leaves at the end of the bare sticks now, so it seems we got rid of the critters just in the nick of time.

Here they are in the bucket, just before they were taken to their new home. There is a video below for the very brave….

Too Many Caterpillars!

http://player.vimeo.com/video/16662976

Filed under: Wildlife and Plants ]]> http://panamajama.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/creepy-caterpillars/feed/ 2 panamajane Too Many Caterpillars! http://panamajama.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/spanish-cannon-camino-de-cruces/ http://panamajama.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/spanish-cannon-camino-de-cruces/#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:52:16 +0000 panamajama http://panamajama.wordpress.com/?p=769 ]]>

Spanish Cannon, Camino des Cruces, Panama

Three crocodiles, one of which I got pretty close to before it jumped into the water. It dived under then resurfaced a few minutes later and watched me from the water with a beady malevolent eye. I don’t think it was pleased with my disturbing its sunbathing session. After the crocodile swam away there was a rapid straight movement across the river – a Jesus lizard running from bank to bank!

Crocodile at Clayton, Panama

Further up the hill and a keel-billed toucan flew out right in front of me with a piece of fruit in its bill. It looked like one of the smaller pieces of fruit from this amazing tree.

Palm fruit, Clayton, Panama

Banana tree, Balboa, Panama

Then past the above banana tree on up to the lake at the top of the hill where I disturbed an iguana and several smaller lizards to sit on a bench and read my book in the hot sun with the scent of warm pampas grass surrounding me.

Lake at Balboa, Panama

After that, a nice stroll home in the rain, thunder and lightning and a final croc sighting – this time a baby on the bank. Not a bad little walk…

Coral Princess approaching Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

The other morning I was dropping my husband off to work when we spotted this enormous cruise liner, the Coral Princess, heading towards Miraflores Locks. I took this with my phone, so it may not be the best quality, but I think it gives some idea of the scale of the ship. Believe me, it was enormous – I checked the stats online and this beauty is 975 feet long, weighs 88000 tons, has 6 bars, 3 swimming pools and a 9 hole putting green!

The Coral Princess is travelling to the right while the white pick-up truck is heading left. This picture was taken just one mile from our house. At home we can actually hear the ships sound their horns as they go through the canal.

The main road from our house to Panama City runs parallel to the canal, with the Panama Railroad between the two. A mile further down is Marcos A Gelabert Airport. So, within 2 miles of our house we have practically every conceivable method of transport.

Here is a link to a little video I took of this ship, as it pans to the right you can see the Miraflores Locks visitor centre.