People who don't travel miss a lot of very interesting events. Take last Wednesday for example; we got up early, ate our breakfast and went by taxi, up into the center of the country, that's Panama of course, that skinny little Latin American country located between Columbia and Costa Rica. We took the "Corridor Norte" or the north road, that leads to Colon and parallels the famous Canal. Did you ever stop to think about that, the Canal that divides the North/Central American Continent from the South American Continent actually runs north and south? Panama if you take a closer look geographically speaking it runs from East to West; meaning the canal that cuts the country in half runs North and South. Maybe it isn't interesting to you but I was fascinated by that fact when I first heard it.

We were off to visit some friends who were in Panama for a couple of weeks and were staying at the premium resort in the country; the "Gamboa Rainforest Resort". You can look it up on the net at www.gamboaresort.com. It is located deep in the central jungle of the country at the summit of the road that reaches from Panama City on the Pacific coast to the "free trade zone" at Colon on the Caribbean sea in the North, right on the banks of Lake Gatun, the source of all the water needed for the canal. Perhaps you would say that the "Lake" is actually the canal itself since it makes up about 50% of the transit from sea to sea as well as being the water source for the activities at the locks on both coasts.

You see back in 1904 when the Americans took on the project of finishing what the French had started and built the canal, they made a decision to abandon the idea of a "Niveau" or ditch at sea level as had been done at Suez. They decided to manufacture a "man made Nicaragua", complete with a huge lake in the middle of the country with locks at both ends to raise and lower the ships the 85 ft. from the level of the oceans to the level of the Lake at Gatun. It meant an awful lot less digging for a start, and it offered a way to control the massive flooding of the Changras River that continuously washed out the French efforts.

Anyway it was a glorious drive up into the country of Panama. As we made our way along the road, it being early in the morning we caught glimpses of animals moving just off the road in the jungle on each side and occasionally a critter of some kind could be seen running across the road as we passed through the forest. The thought to walking from sea to sea as the explorers had done was a daunting one. Back some 470 years ago that is exactly what happened. Balboa walked from the Caribbean to the Pacific and opened up Western South America to European expansion. We passed the summit of the continental divide and soon were looking out on the great Lake Gatun. There in the middle of the jungle, lumbered along a huge container ship, heavily laden and on its' way to the Pacific ocean and places one could only guess at. Here we were at the "crossroads of the planet", witnesses.

Up to Gamboa, a beautiful complex high on an overlooking hill, with a view of the surrounding jungle, lakes and rivers, the colors of verdant green, and the fresh air left me breathless. Gamboa resort is a huge building with wonderful wrought iron art work everywhere, and water features with walkways throughout that allow you to pass over bubbling brooks and water falls. The walls of the main lobby are covered with the photos of people you recognize but perhaps can't name, along with the ones you can like ex President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, Pierce Brosnan and the film crew of the movie "Tailor of Panama" and other dignitaries. By the way you should take a second look at the movie, it was filmed in Panama and is a good chance to catch some of the view of the country if not the "real politic" of the place.

From the overlooking veranda of this huge complex is another view that is magnificent, of the immediate grounds of this jungle hideaway. Below the fields and trees stretch off to the Changras River, and in the foreground a beautiful pool complex complete with the requisite "swim up bar". We weren't long before we were all swimming in the pools that cascaded one into the next, and placing orders at the bar. It was truly wonderful. What struck my wife and I as we talked with our friends from back home in New Brunswick, was how lucky we all were to have the chance to see this beauty and escape the winter at the same time. They reminded me how lucky we were to have met such a great cab driver, who waited at the vehicle with all our valuables and stuff, and left us with confidence in his competence and honestly.

This feeling was not ill placed, but it was not unique either. I was coming back one afternoon from shopping and gathering groceries for our apartment when I realized that I had left my satchel of personal effects including my digital camera, and some important documents in the cab on the floor of the front seat. It had been 15 minutes by the time I realized the loss, and the stuff was clearly long gone. After a few frantic moments of searching the apartment I reconciled myself to the loss, when the phone rang.

"Senor Jim? Did you lose something? Are you at your apartment for awhile? I bring it to you." The driver offered. Some minutes later I was reunited with my valuables and the driver, I didn't know this person but had simply taken a cab from the street at the grocery store, proudly gave me back the package and offered his hand in friendship. My buddy when I related the story chocked it up to the goodness of the Panamanian people, but then offered that I should start buying lotto tickets too!

Next on the agenda was a boat trip into the canal proper to visit "Monkey Island." We were helped into a small motor boat with a canopy to keep the blistering sun from roasting the "snow flakes", and zoomed off across the "Lake" towards the canal proper. It was amazing to be right there, and to see the huge ships being "eased" through the canal by the tug boats, meeting another huge vessel all with the jungle hanging in on us from both sides, and then we were off down a tributary towards the magical Monkey Island. The first thing our guide brought to our attention was the multitude of birds. There are more species here in the jungle of Panama than in any other location in the Americas, and this of course attracts more "birders" than almost any other type of tourist to the Gamboa Resort.

As we rounded a bend in the River our guide began making a "Oooohph, Oooohph" noise while breathing in hard, cupping her hands around her mouth. It was the call of the "Howler Monkey" largest of the primates in the Americas. Sure enough there in the trees we began to see movement and then the shape of the all black "Howler" appeared. They weren't very big, teenagers I guess, but it was really cool to see three of them in the wild. Next we were off to see another species, the "White Faced Capistans". If I hadn't been fumbling so hard with my camera, I would have caught one on camera right at my feet on our boat. They were very fond of bananas it seems.

Do take a look at our site for more info on lifestyle change and the opportunities that abound in places like Panama. Remember to look at the Gamboa Resort too, you'll be glad you did.

Jim Sellars,
Moncton's freelance correspondent in Panama