Jungleland Panama: Day Two

A bit tired and very happy, we posed for a picture before we left Jungleland. We rarely get a picture of the whole family, so I cherish the times we hand off the camera and have proof we really were all together!

The girls perched on one of the hanging beds, looking out over Lake Gatun.

I loved our room on the house boat. There was a large, comfy bed for Erik and me, and single beds  hanging on chains from the ceiling. They could be raised and hooked up during the daytime and lowered at night. Like other places in Panama, it was set up for and welcoming to families or larger groups of friends.  I loved it! 

And the bathroom was cool, too! I loved the colors, the pedestal sink, the composting toilet, and warmish water pumped directly from the lake for showering!

We enjoyed swimming in the Lake. The water was surprising warm, yet refreshing.

The kids were excited to do a bit of fishing off the decks of the house...

... and reeled in a peacock bass!

The meals were delicious and plentiful! There were plenty of cold drinks available at all times, adult beverages in the evening, and special tiny pancakes for the kids at breakfast time. 

I'm not sure who was eyeing who here!

After breakfast we loaded back onto the boat to be taken back to the dock where we started. There's something about a boy on a boat. Raphael loved it!

Poppy wore this bucket on her head for weeks. She'd been sick while we were in Boquete, and we'd picked up this rum mix bucket to carry with us "just in case". She had bouts of nausea for weeks afterward, and took to wearing it on her head as a hat. I think she enjoyed all the attention she got due to her unusual choice of head wear!

We loved our time at Jungleland Panama. It was the perfect ending to our time in that country. We made some very special memories and if ever we were back in Panama, would definitely want to go back. 

Jungleland Panama: Day One

At the end of our five weeks in Panama this winter, we wanted to spend a few days relaxing and making some extra special memories. I really wanted to get up close and personal with the jungle and rainforest wildlife. There were many packaged tours offered, but the one that captured our imagination and offered a unique experience was Jungleland Panama. We hesitated to spend the money, as we tend to travel on a shoestring, but decided to take the plunge and go for it. It ended up being a highlight of our time in Panama, and we would wholeheartedly recommend it and do it again if given the chance. We sandwiched our overnight Jungleland adventure with two nights at the Radisson Summit Hotel in Gamboa, a lovely hotel with great customer service, an extravagant breakfast buffet, swimming pools, a butterfly habitat, and last, but most definitely not least, air conditioning. This was the view from our window at the hotel, looking out over the rainforest canopy toward Panama City in the distance. 

Our Jungleland adventure started at the dock in nearby Gamboa, where we met Captain Carl and boarded his boat along with several other people. Carl was everything you might expect: a bit rough around the edges and a wealth of information about the history of the canal the local flora and fauna. He had a number of jokes he told, and we were fairly certain they'd been delivered in exactly the same dry tone about a thousand other times. When asked a question, we were never exactly sure if he were giving a serious answer or not. Regardless of his quirkiness, he led an informative and entertaining tour as we crossed the canal alongside huge barges as well as smaller boats. We even spotted a brave iguana swimming along the middle of the canal, his spiny little head just above the water. 

The Panama Canal is currently undergoing a large expansion project that will allow much larger ships to pass through. Captain Carl told us a lot about the project and explained how the work is being done. He told us we were witnessing history in the making! This is a barge that uses explosives to dredge the bottom as they deepen and widen the canal. Other barges carry rubble away. As you can see in the pictures, the water was very murky in this part of the canal. 

We saw several huge cargo ships in transit through the canal. We had previously visited the Miraflores Locks and learned a lot about the history of the canal, so it was fun to actually be in it.

Raphael was so excited to see monkeys in the wild. Well, we all were, but I think he was especially looking forward to it. This is a white throated capuchin, a New World monkey native to Central and northern South America. This is the type of monkey that typically accompanied an organ grinder!

At another island we saw a little family of howler monkeys; a mama, daddy, and baby all scampering along and playing. Carl gave out peanuts so that we could feed the monkeys, a practice that I don't really approve of, but it was fun to see them so close. In another place we saw a troop of spider monkeys in the trees above us. Carl told us a lot about the differences between species, their behaviors and groupings, diet, etc. It was so neat to see them in their natural habitat. If I were a monkey, this is where I'd want to live! 

After we left the main part of the canal, we headed into Lake Gatun. When the canal was built, a river was dammed to create a huge lake that now makes up a long stretch of the canal. If you imagine water flooding a hilly area, you can picture how there are lots of little coves and fingers to the lake. You can also see here, away from the dredging, how the waters are a beautiful green instead of brown. The huge trees hanging over the water are mangoes. Sigh... all those lovely mangoes with no one but the birds and monkeys and maybe a hungry boatman to eat them up. Yes, I would definitely live here if I were a monkey. 

And here it is.... Jungleland Panama! It is apparently the only floating house on Lake Gatun, tucked away in a peaceful little cove, surrounded by lush rainforest, far from the noise and lights of civilization. It was designed and built by Carl, with lots of attention to detail. The adjoining boat used to give tours but is now the dining room! There were lots of open spaces and hammocks available to relax and enjoy the stillness. We were welcomed aboard and given options of how we wanted to spend our afternoon. 

There were some tamarin monkeys frisking about nearby. Poppy is quite certain she needs to own one as a pet someday. Apparently there is a black market for them and they can fetch about $10,000. So yeah, if it was legal and affordable.... I'd buy her one. 

The houseboat was home to several different animals, many of which had been rescued. Look at my brave girl holding a young caiman! 

   

While some people chose to go out fishing for the afternoon, we jumped into kayaks and paddled our way through a narrow waterway into the jungle. In places, there was hardly enough room to maneuver through, and I imagine it's a constant battle of man versus plants to keep it open! Peregrine and I worked together, or attempted to work together (haha!)  to paddle the kilometer or so up to a little waterfall and swimming hole. It was so beautiful and peaceful, sunlight streaming through dense canopy, bouncing off the water, its brilliance reflected in an iridescent flash of a blue morhpo's wings. Pure magic. 

Peregrine eagerly climbed up the rocks to wait his turn to jump from the waterfall into the deep pool below. He stood there for a long time, working up the nerve to do it. Everyone cheered him on as he finally took the plunge. I'm so proud of my kids when they face a fear and overcome it!
 

I got to be alone on the paddle back, as some of the kids chose to ride in the motorized canoe. It was somehow a lot easier to paddle alone! Erik, who has more kayaking experience than I, gave me some pointers that really helped. 

I got to hold and feed the night monkey. Well, I guess holding isn't quite the same things as being climbed on. She was stinky, but it was fun!

The kids got to feed the toucan, and also a parrot. Both of them had been injured and couldn't live in the wild any longer. 

Poppy and Peregrine really enjoyed kayaking and took one of the kayaks out on the lake around the house. It was fun to watch them and allow them the independence and freedom to go off on their own. We did steer them clear of the shore. You know, where the crocodiles live. And yes, they wore life jackets. 

Sun set, and the air was alive with the sounds of the jungle.

After dark, we joined Adam and several others to do look for crocodiles and caimans. Adam works for Jungleland and we were glad he led our evening expedition, as he was passionate and super knowledgeable about these animals. Armed with a bright light, we swept the water's edge for the reflection of eyes. If we saw them, he would have someone hold the light steady on them. It's kind of like deer-in-the-headlights only it's caiman-in-the-spotlight. He then sped toward them and if it was a small caiman, he would reach his hand into the water and attempt to grab it. He missed several times, but the thrill of the "hunt" was pretty, well, thrilling. He shared a lot about their habits, and he actually has several he is raising, then will release into the wild once they are larger, which greatly improves their chance of survival. We never saw a crocodile, but he did catch this caiman, which he said was about three years old. It was an exciting evening out, to say the least! Raphael and Pearl both fell asleep, but the big kids will certainly remember hunting crocs by night on Lake Gatun!

Once we were back at Jungleland and getting settled into our cozy and comfortable room for the night, Poppy and I stole away up to the deck, where we lay down together and gazed at the stars, clear and bright, shining down on the jungle, alive with the sounds of the night. It was a special few moments with my precious girl, moments to tuck away and always remember.

Stay tuned for part two of our Jungleland adventure! 

El Chorro Macho

While we were staying in El Valle de Anton in Panama, we took a jaunt out of town one day to visit El Chorro Macho, a nearby waterfall. There is an outfit that runs a canopy zipline tour there, and they've capitalized on the natural beauty of the area, so we had to pay to hike their trails and see the falls. It was a good opportunity to talk with the kids about how our taxes go to pay for trails and maintenance of public lands where we live, but that's not always the case. Our admission fee included the use of nice wooden walking sticks, and the kids thought that was fun!

We enjoyed walking through the thick forest.

There are many waterfalls in El Valle, as it's nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano. This one is El Chorro Macho, the Male Waterfall! There is a nearby Maiden waterfall as well, which I can only assume is more dainty than this one!

The abundance of growth everywhere was amazing! It seemed that every tree supported many, many other types of plants, both small and large.

I love to look up through the canopy when I'm in the forest. The leaves against the sky are so beautiful!

Near the waterfall was a natural swimming pool with water diverted from the stream. We enjoyed cooling off in its waters after hiking through the forest.

Peregrine made a friend! Yikes, that is one big bug!

These were some lovely baby mangoes growing by the side of the road.
We had taken the bus out of town to the waterfall, and planned to take it back as well. After waiting for some time,  we decided to start walking and flag it down when it came by. We walked, and walked, and walked, and finally the bus caught up with us as we reached the edge of town. It was a fun outing. My Gramps used to say he never met a waterfall he didn't like, and I often think of him when we visit waterfalls. I love carrying on the spirit of adventure and exploration that has been passed down to us.

Learning: Panama Edition

There are so many butterflies in Panama! We were happy to catch many glimpses of iridescent blue as huge Blue Morphos fluttered in the sunshine. We stayed at a hotel that had a butterfly habitat, and got to see their beautiful chrysalis', as well as the caterpillars munching away on banana leaves. 

    One of the best things about traveling is that learning happens so naturally. I consider our family to be pretty relaxed about homeschooling, not too hung up on grade levels and such. I try to take advantage of and jump into the learning opportunities that present themselves as we go about our lives, and traveling offers so many of them. I wanted to share a few of the many wonderful learning moments we had during the time we spent in Panama. This is no small part of why we travel and an integral part of what we want for our children's education. I love that I'm learning right along with them, seeing firsthand things I've only read about! 

Poppy and Raphael looked closely at a snake during our visit to El Serpentario in El Valle, a reptile refuge and educational center run by a man named Mario. We enjoyed our afternoon there, learning about turtles and various kinds of snakes. Mario was very knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing his world with us. 

Dan was an interesting character that was staying at the guest house part of the time we were there. He was painting some art around the grounds in exchange for lodging in the gardener's shed. One of his claims to fame, and he had several, was that he had been an Olympic fencer. Peregrine, of course, jumped on that one, and Dan offered to teach him fencing while we were there. I think one of the best parts of traveling is that the kids get so much real life interaction with people who are doing things they're passionate about. We meet many people who are going after their dreams and working hard to achieve their goals; how could my kids not be inspired when they're growing up seeing this? I want them to believe they can dream big and work hard and do anything they set their mind to!

There is always cooking! Poppy is getting more interesting in baking and cooking, and she created this Panama Sunshine Cake, aka a pineapple upside down cake. I love walking through markets in different places and enjoy the challenge of cooking with what's available and trying new things. 

There was a small stream running through the property, and the kids liked to go down there at night to catch and examine the toads. Of course we read up on them! 

Bird spotting! Armed with a local bird book and a pair of binoculars, we spotted many species of birds and tried to learn a bit about them. Panama, being an ithsmus, is a haven for migratory birds and one of the top birdwatching spots in the world. We were privileged to see many beautiful birds. 

Interacting with different cultures is a huge part of  the education we want our kids to have. We want them to know that people do things in many different ways, and yet, in the things that matter, we are all the same. Our hosts were a lovely Swiss/Colombian couple who were so gracious and kind. Harry made this balance board for Peregrine, and it was easy to imagine children in a Colombian village playing with it! 

In Panama City we stayed in Casco Viejo, which had been the seat of the French Government at one point. Walking through the streets we could see the different types of architecture as we learned a little about the history of the city. 

Books, always books! We carry more books with us than is possibly sane. On this trip I brought picture books about sea life and coral reefs, the rainforest and jungle animals, and the Panama Canal. After spying leaf cutter ants in the forest one day, we read about them in our rainforest books. The older kids kept a small journal, drawing pictures and writing about things we saw and did along the way. 

Visiting zoos, wildlife refuges, and museums helped us to absorb more about the local flora, fauna, and history. This is an endangered frog we saw at El Nispero Zoo in El Valle de Anton. 

And a panther. Looks like an overgrown housecat with some powerful jaws! 

Getting up close and personal with history is another highlight of learning on the road.  We explored the ruins of a fort in Portobelo and could easily imagine the showdowns between colonists and pirates like Sir Francis Drake, who is said to be in a leaden coffin somewhere near this spot.

It seemed that the trees were there to play host to a variety of orchids, bromeliads, and other plants, insects, birds, and more. We enjoyed learning about how frogs lay their eggs on bromeliads, and their tadpoles actually live in the pools of water collected in the leaves.

Visiting the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal was a fantastic experience as we learned not only about the history of the canal, but about global shipping and how this is really a hub for the world. Over breakfast the other day we wrote down the countries where our ingredients had come from, and then looked at our map and tried to discern which might have passed through the Canal on its way to our table.

  

A walk in the forest was a time to explore and discover things we'd read about in our books about the rainforest. The little green bits in the picture were carried by leaf cutter ants, an important part of the rainforest ecosystem. 

Peregrine has been studying Spanish the last few years, and it's great to watch him try it out and interact with people in real life! 

Shopping and walking through markets provides an interesting look at similarities and differences in cultures. 

Trying street foods is a fun adventures as we learn about how people eat and get used to different flavors. 

Browsing a local artisan market gave us a chance to interact with some of the people who are indigenous to Panama. This San Blas Kuna woman proudly showed off her intricate and beautiful handwork.