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.
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