Barro Colorado Island, Boat Rides, and Fish Dissections

It's been an interesting weekend, mostly because we didn't really have a weekend.  But hey, I can't complain too much.  Things were still pretty great.

Saturday:

Saturday morning, we left the school house bright and early (7am) to catch a boat to Barro Colorado Island, an island in the middle of Lake Gatun, which was formed when the Canal was built.  We went right through the channel markers where ships for decades before us had traveled.  This was fun for me because I had yet to actually cross the Canal.  I love things like this, being in the exact places where history happened - I always try to picture what this place would have been like when this amazing man-made wonder was still in progress.  Anyways, I can now check that one off the bucket list.

Boating through the canal

Arriving at the docks on the island

BCI is a nature reserve and research location that has been in place since 1923.  Some pretty progressive stuff had been happening there, including a revolutionary study involving sectioning off 50 hectares of land in which every tree greater than 1 cm in diameter is censused every 5 years to monitor forest dynamics.  It was started in 1982, and since then the BCI study has spurred studies like it all over the world.  Researchers use these standardized plots and census methods to compare forest dynamics across the world.  And it all started right here in Panama.

Once on the island, we embarked on a tour through all the trails and study sites.  It was a good hike - lots of ups and downs - but the worst was the cinder block pavers laid out on all the paths.  They were spaced at that extremely awkward distance that is too short for a regular walking stride, but too far to step across two at a time.  I got a workout from simply having to endure the most inefficient walking ever.
Gripes aside, our guide was very knowledgeable about the plants and animals, as well as the history of the island.  We learned about Chagas disease, wild almond distribution and seed predation, ceiba trees, harpy eagles (Panama's national bird), natural dyes, sexually inappropriate monkeys, and slatey-tailed trogons.  We were out walking and learning (and sweating profusely) for about 4 hours.  It was a blast.

This wild almond tree has been totally hollowed out by termites, and yet is still very much alive and thriving.  Pretty awesome what nature can do.

Massive female anolis lizard - she was not thrilled to be caught

This tree, according to our guide, is about 500 years old.  It is a massive Ceiba tree - the path to see the tree is actually just labeled "Big Tree".  The pictures don't do it justice, but I tried.

View from the ground, with Lukas as the obligatory photobombing critter.

Our half of the class

While Professor Graham, Billy, Ann, and Chhaya were momentarily lost after missing the turn to the big tree, we took our own photo too.

Cheesing it up with those buttresses and my stylish pant-in-socks look

View from the top of the island

Learning biology literally in the Canal

See the Caiman?

And the emerald snake? 

We headed back to Gamboa on the boat once more.  Everyone was very tired, but I was awake, so please enjoy the following series of creeper shots of people sleeping, people being silly, Professor Dobson's hilarious expressions, and Professor Graham being cute with her husband Billy. 

I think the life jacket was a little small for billy

Professor Graham and Billy investigating something

Matching
 

Dobson's staring-over-the-water face.  It looks like he's laughing a joke just told, but this was actually a sustained facial expression. 

Occasionally he'd break out that massive telephoto lense

Patricia

Evaline, Nikki, and Simone

Kristie and Christian

Evaline again

We recharged with naps, rest, and slacklining after the long day in the field.  But, since we're in Panama, and it was a Saturday night, the city was calling and we answered.  We went out to Habana Panama, a salsa club in...drumroll please...you'll never guess is...Casco Viejo!  We hit it at the wrong time - not many people and the live band hadn't started, but it was still fun.  Slightly odd because the professors and TAs were also there, but fun nonetheless.  I relearned how to salsa, sort of, and have decided to make a goal of getting better by the time I leave Panama.

After the salsa club, Blair, Nikki, and I ended up back at our favorite place, Tantalo.  Our pals Ricky and Junior were there and remembered us from last week, which was awesome.  We managed to get back up to the rooftop, where we danced in the cool evening air.  While up there, we made another Panamanian friend, Nadia.  She told us to give here a call anytime we want to go out in the city with her.  Literally the sweetest person ever.  Basically, another success of a night out in Panama.

Sunday:

Sunday was a class and work day.  Not much to report.  We were in lab for several hours dissecting more figs and snails.  A plus of the day was a great evening walk/chat with Blair, Nikki, and Simone.

Lukas and Ryan were "reciprocals" of each other

Monday:

More class today.  We had 2 morning lectures, presented ideas for independent projects after lunch (more on that tomorrow), and then learned how to dissect fish (more pictures tomorrow).  After dinner, we watched a documentary on Chagas disease.  I worked on my thesis research for a bit as well.  Trying to find funding will be the next big hurtle.

Sebastian teaching us how to measure a fish's body length

Anyways, a bit later, Blair and I decided to head into the city (Casco Viejo surprisingly) for a break - being cooped up in the schoolhouse all day was rough and we needed some space.  It was another fabulous and much needed night at Tantalo, and on the way back, some exciting negotiating with taxi drivers to lower their prices.  They tried to get us to pay more because we were Americans, so I pulled out the poor college student bit, which actually worked.  Getting transportation-savvy.

Tomorrow, the class is taking a trip to the Gorgas Institute to learn more about Chagas disease.  Then we're off to the fish market to buy some specimens for independent work.  That's all for now.  Time for bed.