Before the break of dawn we could feel the vibration of the engines starting, as National Geographic Sea Lion slowly awakened and started moving again. Last night we had a successful crossing through the Gatun Locks on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, and early this morning we continued on through the large man-made lake of Gatun towards our morning’s destination, the famous Smithsonian research station of Barro Colorado, or BCI.
Once a top of a high hill, during the construction of the Panama Canal when the Gatun Lake was created, BCI became an island, and almost since then research on the effects of isolation and the tropics in general has been going on in this place. Anybody interested in the tropical biology has heard about BCI, since a lot of what is known about the tropics has been gathered here. Pretty much all of the big names in tropical science have been here at some point in their careers.
So today we had the opportunity to add our names to the top scientists that have roamed the network of trails of BCI. In small groups and escorted by knowledgeable BCI interpreters we experienced the rain forest, while learning about it, and much of its intricate ecology. Some of us walked and others took zodiac rides around the island and neighboring islets. We spotted crocodiles sunbathing at the water’s edge, spider monkeys jumping through the high forest canopy, large-billed toucans and parrots among many other birds. BCI is indeed a great place for an introduction to the tropics.
After our visit to BCI we came back on board to have lunch, then lift anchor and continue our second half of the Panama Canal crossing, this time on the Pacific side navigating through densely forested vegetation on both sides, while looking for more crocodiles, birds, and maybe capybaras (the largest rodent in the world). Towards the late afternoon we saw infamous “Culebra cut” where so many people died during the times of the construction of the canal, and the newly-built centennial bridge, that was built to add access from one side of the canal to the other and named to commemorate the one hundred years of the opening of the canal.
For the grand finale today we had the Miraflores and the massive locks of Pedro Miguel, to finally descend to sea level again navigating under the huge arch of the Bridge of the Americas at dusk, and to be bid farewell by the impressive modern skyline of the skyscrapers and billboards of Panama City.
