Intro to Panama

On our first walk from Shelter Bay Marina, an easy 10-minute amble into the jungle, we were so excited to see baby and mum, or maybe dad, capuchin above us.  I knew I was going to love it in Panama!

We arrived in Shelter Bay Marina in early January, entering the canal breakwater among a hundred or so anchored cargo ships and tankers.  The marina dock staff met us with enthusiasm ushering us into a slip, tying us up with alacrity - the very best we have experienced in our limited marina stays.  And then friends, Michelle and Glenn, from Rosie Skye, cruisers we had hiked, ate and drank with in Carriacou, welcomed us with hugs.  So great to reconnect.  And it happens more often than one would expect - the "coconut run" along the trade winds, east to west, is, by far, the most common route for circumnavigation.

Our first major hike led by Peter with four others took us down a steep cliff and through a mangrove swamp.  I went on all fours, root to root, before taking the much more elegant method as Michelle was demonstrating, plodding through the sucking mud.  Glenn, an Aussie who should know, told us that it was perfect croc territory - that was when we were in the middle.

Lo and behold, Glenn was right.  This croc is a regular on the river the mangrove we had slurped through ends at.  We spied him/her from the safety of a bridge traversing the river.  He slipped off the bank while we watched, into the river after a foolish but lucky bird.  Her speed (the croc's) made it very clear that a human who wandered too close would not have a chance.

Panama made an immediate positive impression.  The marina is situated on an old American army base, Fort Sherman, now overgrown in thick jungle.  An initial wander along the deserted roads and lanes into the base led us to a deserted church with simple frescoes, batteries abandoned to bats, and cages for the exotic animal specimens they found.  The fort was built in conjunction with the construction of the canal.  A brother fort on the Pacific side protected both of the canal entrances.  It was also used for jungle warfare training - perfect place for it, the jungle has now taken it over.  In 1999, it was turned over to the Panama government who use part of it currently for their own military training - we hear the hollering of troops on double time runs in full gear and in formation regularly.  Apparently, they catch a lot of drug running vessels in the bay and escort them to Panama City.  

We usually see howler monkeys in large extended family troops.  They watch us as curiously as we watch them, often coming directly over us in the branches.  A marina nature guide told us, as he leapt away, that the males aim a steady stream of urine at human below.  An effective way of marking his territory.  The howls, aptly named, from these small monkeys are very loud.  It's easy to believe that on the mountain slopes they can be heard from kilometres away.  They open there seemingly little mouth very wide and emit an enormous howl regularly, another way of marking territory, communicating, or being macho?  

A beautiful golden silk spider at the edge of our hiking path, laying eggs as we watched.

Milly in Shelter Bay Marina on the edge of the jungle.  Our later neighbour saw a croc one day on the water's edge - another reason, among many, not to swim in this, or any, marina.

On a much more interesting note for us, the jungle here is full of wildlife.  Even on our short walks we regularly see white-faced capuchin monkeys and troops of howler monkeys, agoutis and coatis, parrots and toucans and vultures.  Even a crocodile.  And apparently there are many, many more from frogs to birds.  Our untrained eyes overlook a jungle teeming with life.  It's an amazing place, all within a 5 minute walk of Milly.  We hear howler monkeys regularly during the day, especially before rain, at dawn and dusk.

Panama is also chock-a-block full of history.  Apart from the recent 20th century story of the building of the canal - more about that when we actually cross it - the north coast is full of conquistadors, pirates and privateers with gold, forts and, unfortunately, razed towns.  It's a brutal history, all about greed, but in the locations we visited, because they are so undeveloped, it was easy to imagine the hustle and bustle of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Portobello, said to have been named by Christopher Columbus when he spied a beautiful protected bay on an otherwise exposed coast often hit by large swell.  During the Spanish colonial period, Portobello was the most important port on the Caribbean side of Panama.  It was the end point of the mule train from Panama City on the Pacific coast, carrying the plunder of gold and riches from South America.  The customs house, now closed for renovations, is the biggest building in town and held troops to guard the treasures inside.  Fuerte San Jeronimo, is one of three forts guarding the town.  Over the 200 years of the town's heyday, they were attacked multiple times by pirates/privateers including Francis Drake, whose coffin lies at the end of the bay, and Henry Morgan.

The bay is indeed bello.  Hills and mountains covered with green and the occasional crop field etched into the jungle.  Only 400 years ago, it was teeming with ships and activity.  Now, there are a handful of sailboats anchored, several abandoned.  The stone from the forts were used to build the canal by the French and are now largely ignored by the residents who kick soccer balls against the walls.  Time of prosperity has definitely vanished.

The town of Portobello is impoverished today.  Although the church, closed when we visited, houses a celebrated Christo Negro, tourists often don't venture this far east.  The surrounding land is lovely, the bay is beautiful and the nearby beaches are gorgeous and water access only.  Perhaps Portobello will enjoy a revival - at least enough to support the population.

After our first explore, I knew that Panama was going to be among our favourite countries.