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!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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).
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