The First Weekend: Field Work, Carnaval, and other Shenanigans

Saturday:
It's the weekend!!! Just kidding. Back to the field for more epiphyte counting.  Simone, Lukas, and I forced ourselves to do 4 transects (painful), motivating ourselves with showers and laundry, i.e. if we didn't finish all four, we weren't allowed to shower later.  Needless to say, cleanliness is a strong motivator when you spend 7 hours sweating and accumulating rainforest grime.  Also, Lukas needed clean underwear...

I didn't see many critters, but we spotted a couple of cool bugs.

Katydid

True bug with massive hind legs

But that was the morning and afternoon.  Saturday night was free, and it was Carnaval all across Panama.  Time to experience some culture in Panama City.

Saturday is the first day of Carnaval every year, so the festivities were just beginning when we arrived. We entered the festival through a gated area manned by police.  There were two lines for entry - male and female.  After our bags were searched and we were aggressively frisked, we were in!  It was a gorgeous night, with a cool breeze coming in off the Pacific Ocean.  Latin music came form all directions, people were laughing, the air smelled of delicious food, and life couldn't have been much better.  Different music stages were set up in the street, and we ended up at one with DJ.  She kept talking over the music (most of which was popular American club music), asking where people were from.  When she called out for people from Los Estados Unidos, we all started screaming, and she called us up on stage, where we continued to dance.  So much fun!

Everyone looking snazzy in normal clothes.

The Blondes :)

At the DJ's stage.

 We then headed to another stage with a live salsa band, where we did some more dancing.  I attempted to break out the moves I learned at Spanish Salsa night in high school - probably looked like a fool, but who cares!  The singer then announced the Queen of Carnaval, and her Princesses, who preside over the four days of festivities.  Fireworks shot up into the night sky, and the music continued.  It was magical.  We then stopped and got tasty (sans food poisoning!!) street meat and started for the exit, so happy we came to experience the night.

Salsa band

Me and Simone

 Unfortunately, the evening was slightly tarnished when a (very not sober) member of our group wandered off and was lost (without a phone or ability to speak spanish) for about an hour.  After a lot of yelling between the rest of the group, the less than gracefully handled situation was resolved.  It's caused a bit of group tension, but we're getting over it.
And besides, we had the next day's festivities to worry about instead.  We got back to the schoolhouse at 1:30am, and 5 hours later, were on the bus again headed for Penonome and the daytime celebration of Carnaval.

Ryan with his bag of cereal and milk.  Doing 6:30am right.

Sunday:
After a 2.5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Penonome.  It was still early, so we grabbed some breakfast before heading into the heart of the festivities.  Once we started into the city, the excitement began ramping up.  The streets became more and more crowded, and we could hear music in the distance.  Street vendors were everywhere trying to sell us sunglasses, water guns, waterproof pouches, and hats. Everyone was wearing bright colors and crazy outfits - we actually stood out because of our conservative clothing.

Following the crowd into the craziness.

 The daytime events of Carnaval involve dancing in a huge crowd and being sprayed with water - apparently the water use in Panama's Carnaval is 4x what Panama would otherwise use in a month.  Basically, TONS of water.  Because the festival centers around water, every kid under 15 was running around with a water gun shooting people as they walked by.  We were pretty much drenched before we even reached the water trucks.

These kids were everywhere, spraying us with water. So cute, but so annoying.

Everybody having a blast. 

Water trucks spraying the crowds

Soaked and loving it!

We all danced in the crowd, getting soaked all morning, and then took a breather for lunch.  Afterwards, the group split for those who wanted to go poke around the vendors and those who wanted to go back to the water and dancing.  I wanted a breather from the crowds so I opted for the first choice - glad I did too, because I got myself an awesome woven bracelet for $2.  (If I haven't mentioned it before, everything is REALLY cheap in Panama).

So many people

This guy was having fun - holding the power of the hose

When we were done shopping, Simone, Patricia, Evaline, Kelsey, and I decided to head back into the crowd. That turned out to be a mistake.
As we tried to move towards a water truck, we quickly realized that the crowd had become almost twice as dense as before, and it was basically impossible to move.  We got about halfway towards one of the trucks before we were stuck in the mob.  Only with the help of a few Panamanian men were we able to get back to the walkway to try to find a way out.  They of course whistled at us as we pushed past, but hey, still helpful.  On the way, one man proposed to Kelsey, and another pestered me about whether or not I had a boyfriend.  These people are so forward, and the alcohol probably doesn't help...
Anyways, we make it back to the walkway, and then made our next mistake, choosing the wrong direction to attempt to escape.  At this point, we're all holding on to each other's hands for dear life and essentially being pushed by the crowd.  Voluntary motion wasn't really an option.  As we moved with the mob, all the girls' butts were grabbed multiple times.  Mine was only saved by the fact that I was pressed up so close to whoever was behind me that there was not even room for a sheet of paper - personal bubble definitely popped.  We managed to find a gap in the crowd off to the side, where Simone then discovered her money had been taken out of her pocket and her watch right from her wrist.  That made me happy that I'd put all my money in my bra - at least I'd notice if someone tried to rob me.  At this point, escaping became the only priority.  Miraculously, we found a side street pretty quickly and were finally free of the people.
I'll look at the events of Sunday Carnaval as pre and post shopping.  Pre-shopping was a blast, so much revelry and fun.  Post-shopping was a sensory onslaught and a nerve-wracking mess.  My experience with Carnaval can really only be classified as an experience.  It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and I can't say I'd love to repeat it, but who knows.  When in Panama...

Everyone managed to get back to the bus in one piece, which was pretty amazing all things considered.  It was then time for dinner on the way back. We stopped at a roadside pizza place and sat out on the patio, excitedly telling stories from the day in the cool evening air and listening to the Carnaval revelers driving past on the Pan-American Highway.  It was a wonderful way to cap the day - group bonding, good conversation, and good food.

Today, we were back in the field continuing our research projects.  It was our last day at Pipeline Road, and Wednesday, we'll be headed to research at a new forest (Parque Metropolitano).  The highlight of the field today was definitely the hummingbird nest that our TA Ioanna found.  There were actually little baby hummingbirds sleeping inside!! They're so tiny, about the size of an unshelled peanut.
Otherwise, not much to report.  Still counting epiphytes.

Baby hummingbirds in their nest

The nest - about the size of a tennis ball

Also, fun fact, I have about a million chigger bites all over my body (hands, stomach, back, hips, thighs, ankles, feet).  Guess I didn't put on enough bug spray... Word to the wise: don't get chigger bites.  These are literally the most itchy, disgustingly hard and pussy bites I've ever had in my life. So much fun! *sarcasm

Chigger bites on my ankles - only a small number of the total on my body.

 Hope everyone back home is doing well! Keep me posted on your lives too!