Well, I decided to sneak away from Panama for a few days and see something new - Nicaragua. I based myself in Granada, a gorgeous city that thrives on tourism. I did 2 day trips - one to Volcan Mombacho, a nearby volcano where I did quite a bit of hiking in cloud forest. It was absolutely gorgeous, though we didn't have amazing weather... There were supposedly amazing views of the surroundings, but we didn't see any of that, just fog/clouds.
The other was to Volcan Masaya, an active volcano, and also included stops at one of Nicaragua's most famous markets, in the town of Masaya, plus another at a small town where a lot of ceramics are made. We visited with a family who makes pottery, and I bought a few incredibly cheap things (I saw turtles on them, so how could I resist?)
Overall, the poverty in Nicaragua was quite intense. I knew it would be a change from what I've seen in Panama and Costa Rica, but I didn't expect it to feel more intense than in Bolivia. Street children would ask for food off of my plate when I ate outside at restaurants, and our tour guide pointed out the Victoria's Secret factory down there, with a huge number of employees earning about $5 a day (which he said isn't that bad for here, since at least they have jobs then...) The country was slightly depressing, but the people seemed incredibly nice and the country was also quite gorgeous. Hopefully in the future I'll get to see more of it, since I really barely saw any of it!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
My Parents' Visit
Well, it's now Tuesday, and my parents left on Sunday. They were here for a week, which was really great. We got to see a decent amount of stuff yet still relax plenty. We spent the first night in Panama City, then Monday-Friday out at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort (so I could pop into the lab a few times), and then for Friday night we went out to Isla Taboga, shown in the photo, and came back to the city Saturday afternoon to spend the night there before their early morning return to the States. We got to check out the canal and the forest a bit, and while they didn't get to see any of my favorite monkey species, we saw lots of birds, lizards, turtles, and other fun stuff like that... plus a sloth, which had been a goal of mine for a long time now. Now I miss them a ton (plus it was really great to be able to sleep in a nice hotel bed and use hot water and watch TV and eat great meals multiple times a day!) but oh well, I'll be home in less than 7 weeks! Can't wait. Other than that, things are alright, though I'm having some trouble getting my work going, but it's something I don't really have control over, so oh well. No worries from me... just gotta concentrate on my grad school apps and things like that!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Day trip to El Valle...
Yesterday I went to El Valle de Anton, a small town built in an inactive volcano crater about 2 hours west of Panama City. I didn't spend too long there, but I really enjoyed what I saw. There is a small market, plus some enjoyable hiking on the outskirts of town to a petroglyph-covered rock, some waterfalls, and other things. There happened to be a small and cute parade while I was there though, shown in the picture.. not sure what the occasion was though.
Work has been going fine though, life in general is enjoyable... today I went hiking along Pipeline Road and saw some more monkeys, which was cool... I added a lot of pictures to flickr today, so if you're interested, I think they're worth checking out... mainly animals around here and then pics from El Valle.
Work has been going fine though, life in general is enjoyable... today I went hiking along Pipeline Road and saw some more monkeys, which was cool... I added a lot of pictures to flickr today, so if you're interested, I think they're worth checking out... mainly animals around here and then pics from El Valle.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
It's been a while... but I'm here...
It's been a while since my last entry. Things haven't changed too much I suppose... still spending a lot of time in the lab and field. I've continued to love living in Gamboa though, and I've been exploring the city more and more... Geoffrey's tamarins come by my house a lot (see the pic, taken from my bedroom window...) which is pretty cool... and I guess lately I've just been thinking about life a lot and stuff, especially when I'm out in the forest looking for ants. Yesterday I went out for a little bit and was unsuccessful at finding what I needed, but I did happen upon a troop of white-faced capuchins. These are probably my favorite type of monkey, and one I had never seen in the wild before.
It's actually surprising that I hadn't seem them until yesterday - they're quite common here and in Costa Rica as well, but I just never was at the right place at the right time until then I guess. I didn't have my camera with me, but oh well, I'm sure I'll see them again soon enough. I also spotted a little tortoise while I was looking, and it was the first I've seen in the forest. I immediately picked it up to look closer, and I was sad to spot a few ticks on it. So, after pulling them off, I put it down and watched it slowly walk away. It really made me think a lot about everything, especially as turtles are obviously a pretty special animal to me, for those who know... so it just reminded me that while those we have lost might not be around physically, we always have them with us. For me, that's an especially important feeling when I'm down here away from everyone and everything I knew before, often feeling quite alone (especially out in the immense forest.) But really, I love it here, and it's incredible to be surrounded by so much life. I'm thinking of everybody back home though!
It's actually surprising that I hadn't seem them until yesterday - they're quite common here and in Costa Rica as well, but I just never was at the right place at the right time until then I guess. I didn't have my camera with me, but oh well, I'm sure I'll see them again soon enough. I also spotted a little tortoise while I was looking, and it was the first I've seen in the forest. I immediately picked it up to look closer, and I was sad to spot a few ticks on it. So, after pulling them off, I put it down and watched it slowly walk away. It really made me think a lot about everything, especially as turtles are obviously a pretty special animal to me, for those who know... so it just reminded me that while those we have lost might not be around physically, we always have them with us. For me, that's an especially important feeling when I'm down here away from everyone and everything I knew before, often feeling quite alone (especially out in the immense forest.) But really, I love it here, and it's incredible to be surrounded by so much life. I'm thinking of everybody back home though!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Isla Taboga and More...
Things continue to go fine here in Panama... the ants keep me busy during the week, and I try to explore a bit on the weekends, though up until this weekend that just meant exploration in Gamboa and Panama City. This weekend, though, I headed out to Isla Taboga, a small island with about 1000 residents in the Pacific, 12 miles from Panama City more or less. I took a ferry out Saturday morning and returned Sunday morning, spending the night in a hostel, though I was the only person in the dorm, so there wasn't much socialization happening. I got the chance to hike a bit though, which was great, and hang out on the beach, reading Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" - a great short read that I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't read it... haha...
Then, today I put some time in with the ants and got to see the Miraflores Locks of the canal while dining, which was pretty great. The canal is so incredibly impressive, and I can't wait to see more of it... Well, that's it for now I guess... hopefully something else exciting will come soon, but who knows...
Then, today I put some time in with the ants and got to see the Miraflores Locks of the canal while dining, which was pretty great. The canal is so incredibly impressive, and I can't wait to see more of it... Well, that's it for now I guess... hopefully something else exciting will come soon, but who knows...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Another few days down...
Things are going fine here in Gamboa... I got the internet set up where I'm living, so that means I'm able to chat and use Skype and all that... No real updates on the lab front, and I've continued to go into Panama City frequently to get a taste of civilization... I'm in the process of getting my visa all set up, though there's been some annoying red tape, but it'll all work out soon enough. I added some more pictures to flickr, like the flower photo shown here, taken in my backyard... Hopefully soon I'll have something more exciting to share!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Weekend in Panama City
I had an enjoyable weekend in Panama City, though I didn’t do anything too terribly exciting. I got into the city around 7:15 on Saturday morning, so I could drop my stuff off at the hostel, use the internet there (since I am able to use chat programs and skype there, unlike here in Gamboa), and get set to meet Toby, another Fulbright fellow here in Panama (a faculty Fulbrighter – she works with the ESL department at NCSU), so that we could go explore Panama Viejo together. Panama Viejo was the original settlement for what is now Panama City, though it was destroyed by pirates in the 1600s. Now there are just some scattered ruins there, which were relatively interesting, though didn’t take much time to see. In the picture, you can see the contrast of the old ruins in the foreground with today’s city in the background.
Afterwards, we went back into the city and decided to grab a quick lunch at the food court of a mall. The mall was nice, and the food court was pretty great. I got a chicken kebab and patacones (delicious plantains that are fried and I guess could be called something similar to a french fry, though they’re round instead of long and skinny. We then parted ways, I relaxed for the afternoon using the hostel’s wifi, and decided to check out another mall at night. I went to the Albrook Mall, which is relatively close to the grocery store I go to (and where I like to get the bus into Gamboa). The mall was absolutely enormous, with the biggest food court I’ve ever seen. I had steak for dinner there for a total of $6 with drink and everything, and it was pretty great. Not Argentina, but still great – way better than you’d expect in a mall. The mall had an insane number of US chain food places – McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Sbarro, Popeyes, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Cinnabon, and I’m sure I’m missing some… but it was incredibly surprising. They had relatively few US stores, but the food clearly wasn’t the same. I am really confused by the amount of American chains down here, as it is more than any other part of Latin America that I’ve seen – I even spotted a Bennigan’s yesterday, and I’m sure there are plenty of places I haven’t seen yet but will come across. The US influence because of the canal is still very evident, even though we gave up ownership a while ago. It’s nice to know I can get some comfort food anytime I’m feeling homesick, though for now I think I’ll be avoiding those places as much as possible. Today I just did some grocery shopping and caught the bus back into Gamboa, and I assume this afternoon/evening I’ll be going into the lab to feed all the ants. Additionally, this week I am going to start seeking out the local wildlife in my spare time, so hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to add! Again, a few more pictures are on flickr, just click the photo to see more.
Afterwards, we went back into the city and decided to grab a quick lunch at the food court of a mall. The mall was nice, and the food court was pretty great. I got a chicken kebab and patacones (delicious plantains that are fried and I guess could be called something similar to a french fry, though they’re round instead of long and skinny. We then parted ways, I relaxed for the afternoon using the hostel’s wifi, and decided to check out another mall at night. I went to the Albrook Mall, which is relatively close to the grocery store I go to (and where I like to get the bus into Gamboa). The mall was absolutely enormous, with the biggest food court I’ve ever seen. I had steak for dinner there for a total of $6 with drink and everything, and it was pretty great. Not Argentina, but still great – way better than you’d expect in a mall. The mall had an insane number of US chain food places – McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Sbarro, Popeyes, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Cinnabon, and I’m sure I’m missing some… but it was incredibly surprising. They had relatively few US stores, but the food clearly wasn’t the same. I am really confused by the amount of American chains down here, as it is more than any other part of Latin America that I’ve seen – I even spotted a Bennigan’s yesterday, and I’m sure there are plenty of places I haven’t seen yet but will come across. The US influence because of the canal is still very evident, even though we gave up ownership a while ago. It’s nice to know I can get some comfort food anytime I’m feeling homesick, though for now I think I’ll be avoiding those places as much as possible. Today I just did some grocery shopping and caught the bus back into Gamboa, and I assume this afternoon/evening I’ll be going into the lab to feed all the ants. Additionally, this week I am going to start seeking out the local wildlife in my spare time, so hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to add! Again, a few more pictures are on flickr, just click the photo to see more.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Life in Gamboa
Well, I’ve been in Gamboa for almost a week now, though I’m currently spending the weekend in Panama City (more on that in a later update…) Gamboa is a really great town – there isn’t much of anything there other than a bunch of houses, plenty of abandoned buildings (some of which are no longer abandoned and are being rebuilt), a few places to grab food, like the place shown in the photo, a post office, and a very small convenience store/kiosk type place that sells drinks and some basic food items. The town is surrounded by rainforest and is absolutely gorgeous, but the noises will take some getting used to. I wake up very early every morning to the sounds of parrots and other birds, who start making noise before the sun comes up. In time, that will be great, but for now, it’s getting in the way of my precious sleep! The people in the lab are great, though the work itself is a bit trying. I constantly find myself being bitten by ants and just simply frustrated, especially when digging up nests in the field. Soon enough I’ll get accustomed to it all and it will hopefully be somewhat enjoyable. I’ll start taking my camera into the field next week, and hopefully I’ll be able to share some pictures of what the process is like…
Also, the town is right on the Panama Canal, so every so often I’ll be walking down the street that parallels the waterway and I’ll glance to my side and be surprised by an enormous cargo ship making its way through. It’s pretty fascinating to see the contrast of the rainforest all around with these enormous boats passing through throughout the day. Additionally, in the coming weeks I hope to head to the outskirts of town a bit more to do some wildlife searching with my camera – I haven’t seen too much so far, just some frogs, toads, lizards, spiders, butterflies, and agoutis (sort of like big guinea pigs, they’re all over town…) but hopefully soon enough I’ll see sloths, monkeys, and all the fun stuff one hopes for in the jungle. I’ve added more pictures to flickr of the town itself and my living conditions (I rent a bedroom and bathroom in a house, which is a pretty nice situation other than a lack of internet access, which is fine except for the fact that the Smithsonian blocks all forms of chat programs on their network, my only way to get online in town…) That’s it for right now, but I’m sure another update will come soon!
Also, the town is right on the Panama Canal, so every so often I’ll be walking down the street that parallels the waterway and I’ll glance to my side and be surprised by an enormous cargo ship making its way through. It’s pretty fascinating to see the contrast of the rainforest all around with these enormous boats passing through throughout the day. Additionally, in the coming weeks I hope to head to the outskirts of town a bit more to do some wildlife searching with my camera – I haven’t seen too much so far, just some frogs, toads, lizards, spiders, butterflies, and agoutis (sort of like big guinea pigs, they’re all over town…) but hopefully soon enough I’ll see sloths, monkeys, and all the fun stuff one hopes for in the jungle. I’ve added more pictures to flickr of the town itself and my living conditions (I rent a bedroom and bathroom in a house, which is a pretty nice situation other than a lack of internet access, which is fine except for the fact that the Smithsonian blocks all forms of chat programs on their network, my only way to get online in town…) That’s it for right now, but I’m sure another update will come soon!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Street in Casco Viejo...
Casco Viejo, the run down historic district, is going through some huge restorations... but it still has a long way to go. Neat area overall though...
Diablo Rojo!
A bus here in the city... called a red devil, they're painted school buses that leave you coughing when they pass... haven't used one yet, but soon enough I'll give it a try...
Panamanian Food
The first photo to my blog... also my first dinner in Panama. The food here is amazing... this is sea bass and rice with coconut, which was incredible!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Day One in Panama City
So, last night I arrived here in Panama City around 10:30pm. My cab ride to the hostel truly became a complete 3rd world experience when the cab broke down at an intersection, though the driver said it happened all the time and he quickly solved the problem. He was great, very friendly, and I used him again this morning to go to a meeting a the U.S. consulate and to check in at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Panama City headquarters. Haven't done much other than that and buy a cell phone, but so far, so good. I had a great lunch at the Smithsonian for a whopping $3.75. Tonight I'm going to head out to eat somewhere in the neighborhood and tomorrow I'll explore the city a bit more. The people I've met seem incredibly friendly, though this is definitely not like anywhere else I've ever been. Look for photos soon! On Sunday I'm moving to Gamboa, the small town where I'll be living, and I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to get online (if at all during the first few days).
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Less than a week left in the U.S.
So, in a week I head down to Panama... currently feeling both excited and nervous, naturally, but it should be a lot of fun... after the first few days at least. I arrive in Panama City at 9PM on Thursday and plan on moving to Gamboa, the town where I will be living, on Sunday. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm sure it'll be great. Keep posted here for pictures and stories of both my life in a small town and travels throughout the country...
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