Barro Colorado -- Colored Mud

Sleepy-eyed and sore, our group of 19 stumbled inside a boat for the 45 minute ride to Barro Colorado Island after the usual early morning wake-up on Saturday. BCI is part of STRI, a mecca for researchers, as it's an island that hasn't been touched in hundreds of years. Prior to being an island, however, BCI was a mountain top, but as a result of the canal, it now sits in the middle of Gatun Lake (one of the largest man-made lakes in the world).

Once on the island we received preliminary forest etiquette and head out to cover some trails. Vicente our guide and biology student took the time to stop and show us the different forms of life on the island as well as key elements to the tropics, such as leaf forms, decomposing time for trees, and the research done on the island. While hiking three trails, we were able to see a group of capuchin monkeys, the popular leaf-cutter ants, and possibly the biggest tree I have ever seen. Rust-colored mud piled on our rainboots the longer we climbed, but the diversity of the forest entertained us enough to keep going, eventually leading us back to the main building on the island, and one of the few ones too.

Unfortunately, after a quick visit to the gift shop and viewing a video on modern research technology used by researchers on BCI, we 'sailed' off just as rain began to pour down upon the island. Somehow, we have managed to miss all the rainstorms. This is in spite of the fact that it's the middle of the rainy season.

Rather than take the bus back to the school house, some friends and I decided to walk back and were pleasently met face-to-face with an ant eater! Yes, my life-long dream (as of last week) to have a close encounter with a tropical species --- not on a guide-led hike --- became a reality. The following picture is further proof of this.

Days 4-6

What does one do when living in the middle of the rain forest? ------ Hike
Day six and we've done plenty of hiking. On the streets, on trails, in the woods, soon on an island.
For familiarization purposes, I'll explain my exact loation -- Gamboa, Panama.
Placed in the Historic Panama Canal Zone, the front of our school/gueshouse faces the canal, with the Chagres River toward the back. Walking through the streets, however, isn't exactly what one comes to do in Gamboa. American control of the canal had serious effects in the town, and I speculate that it afffected the population after the 1999 turn over. For a better historical reference, the canal was finished in 1914 and in 1977 the treaty to have control of the canal until 1999 was signed.
So with a humble 300 citizens, Gamboa, to my knowledge holds a post office, a tienda/convenience store, several fondas (foodcart restaurants), a resort, and plenty of forest. Enough forest to see frogs, armadillos, tucans, sloths, and a variety of trees and plants to captivate even the most agoraphobic individual. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is responsible for a majority of the action in the town, bringing scientists and students from all of the world to research and study nature's secrets. Aside from STRI, a large resort lies atop a hill, where tourists can spend their time bobbing in the pool, at the spa, or being carted from attraction to attraction.
One of the insteresting aspects of this week was learning about the amount of research done at STRI and the passion that these scientists pour into their work to build resources of knowledge. Like other research, that here can be on broad or specific topics. Although my academic concentration doesn't lie within the natural sciences, learning to see the world through a new perspective has been a part of this program for which I'm grateful.
That and the following list of interesting facts:
* "Biology says life is sex and death"
* Koalas spend most of their lives eating eucalyptus, a plant that breaks down and ferments in the animals' stomachs. As many know, fermentation produces alcohol, thus it is suspected that koalas spend a great deal of their lives in a drunken stupor... silly koalas
* Queen bees, when mating with drones pull out their genitals
* Ant eaters have ridiculously long tongues that go all the way down to their sternum
* Pseudocopulation (a.k.a. - fake sex) Plants make themselves look like females so animals will pollinate them.
Like Dr. Salsbury says...now go off and wow your friends at parties :)
Until next time!!

What's the first thing...(Days 1,2,and 3)

The first thing you think of when you hear 'Panama'?
Possibly the popular spring break location in the South Atlantic (Florida), the brand Panama Jack, or, YES...the country!! 
I've been in the southernmost Central American country for about three days and have already decided that it is arguably better than either Panama, Florida or the brand.
Where am I? At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (http://www.stri.org/index.php) We made it after nearly missing the second leg of our flight, and eventually arrived in Gamboa, a small town in the historical Canal Zone of Panama. It lies on the Pacific Coast of Panama and the population is just 300 of what used to be 6,000.

My first impression? My words cannot paint the greens of the lush forest bright enough nor emphasize the friendliness with which we were greeted in this beautiful country.
Three weeks is not enough time to understand the complexities of this region, much less the entire nation, but it's the time we have allotted to hiking in the forests, learning more of the natural world through the lens of biology, and for getting to know the others on this adventure. So far, we've heard the cries of howler monkeys, seen parrots from afar, been close to the fascinating leaf-cutter ant, and seen magnificent views above the rainforest canopy.
What am I looking forward to? The unexpected :)...but other than this, hikes in the forest, learning about the research done on ecological degradation, and perhaps exploring Panama City.
Fears? Doing work for next semester and life after college while here.

If you read this, and have questions, feel free to ask away about things you want to know...

Follow the road...

I don't know if mine is yellow or brick, long or short, pleasant or cloudy, but it's a road and this semester it will take me to Latin America. Latin America is a term used loosely, which leaves a lot to the imagination since there are a million differences country to country in this region. More precisely, I will be using the countries of Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico respectively as my classrooms. This is all thanks to Butler University's GALA (Global Adventures in the Liberal Arts) Program, where university professors will travel with about 16 students using the environments we visit as places of learning.

For me and 15 others, the experience starts no earlier than August 22nd at 4:30 am in the Indianapolis International Aiport. The semester is split in the following: 3 weeks in the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, 4 weeks in Nicaragua, 1 week in Guatemala, and 5 weeks in Mexico. Exploring ecosystems, learning through internships and homestays, as well as the the politics of revolution in Latin American cities, we will embrace the different lifestyles, beliefs, cultures, and the experiences that may come our way.

Throughout the semester, I will try my hardest to post the highlights of my adventures to update any interested readers, worried family members, or the anonymous individuals that accidentally happent to click on this very random blog. Until then...ciao!

Santa Fe (Holy Faith?)...for sure in New Mexico

(Pictures not posted yet...)

Santa Fe welcomed us with every dimension of enchantment that the state claims to have. No sooner had we picked up our car at the airport, that I felt the urge to take pictures along the highway…to paint in my mind the beautiful contrasts of the landscape and capture them for others to see. Clouds played on mountains, making shadows dance on the mix of green and beige surface. Hills grew and shrunk in the distance, the views – vast and breathtaking. The endless horizon showed clouds that jealously sent twisting fingers of vapor toward the Earth to feel its glory.


I’m a sucker for nature, and New Mexico won my heart over. Our welcome to the state was not done, however, until the sky split down the road, giving us a show where the left side of the road smiled in the crisp blueness while gray monstrous clouds appeared on the right, showering us down with rain, and later treating us to a double rainbow.

Our trip out west didn’t begin with the orchestrated welcome of nature, but rather making our way through the notoriously hectic security lines of the U.S. of A. (no need to elaborate for anyone who has had the pleasure, or lack thereof, to use gringo airways). The air-travel routine felt long, but I luckily had the clever words of Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and slumber to keep me entertained and make time go fast. The perk of our ‘voyage’ from Indianapolis to Dallas and then to Albuquerque? — A free upgrade to first class on the second leg.

So as we rolled at a very illegal speed to Santa Fe and ‘jammed’ to some Spanish music, I realized my camera charger was still in Indiana, thus creating the challenge of how I will take pictures on this trip. My relationship with cameras the past eight months have been less than satisfactory. Enough of that though, because we soon reached Santa Fe, and I immediately felt like we’d stepped into an old western movie set. New Mexico, where have you been all my life? Adobe facades decorate the city. Literally—every building is adobe: the churches, dentist offices, Whole Foods, parking garages, our casita. You get the point. By the time we settled in, we set off to the plaza where we had reservations at La Santa Cena (Holy Dinner). By the time we had finished our meal and had taken the walk back to the apartment, we were more than happy to climb into bed and rest for the next day.

Like most vacations, my week in New Mexico came and went in the blink of an eye. The following is a list of things I enjoyed most about New Mexico. Before, however, I'll point out that the entire vacation was a surprise from my Aunt Kimberly -- so it was a tad more luxurious than that of a college student and it ruled out some outdoor activity (hiking, rafting, etc). The following is a list of things I enjoyed in New Mexico...

1. The Landscape: I can't get over it. Driving from lush mountains to sparse desert astounds me. The horizon spread all around us, giving us a view of rainstorms in the distance, rock formation, and the changing rocks. Along with the landscape came the complementing weather -- a dry heat that is heaven to me. It isn't bothersome...just comfortable at any point during the day -- especially for morning runs to explore the city.
2. Taos Pueblo: On a reservation, stands Taos Pueblo -- home to about 150 people, but the root to more than 1900 Taos Indians. This site has conserved the lifestyle and practices of the Taos Indians, sharing with travelers and other outsiders some of their culture and traditions. The town, not more than a mile in diameter, has catholic churches, cementaries, a river, and many adobe houses. High in the mountains, it's the perfect place to visit in the summer or during one of their annual festivals.
3. Locavores: A trip with my aunt includes delectable dining experiences in some of the most innovative restaurants in the area. There were hits and misses, but part of the charm that I found in Santa Fe, were the locavores, chefs who proudly support local farmers by purchasing their products. It means that they work with ingredients that are in-season, rather than buying food from afar. It stood out because it was the majority of restaurants that we visited, that partook in this movement.