There are sidewalks in the jungle. Imagine your morning commute, instead of driving, you walk barefoot for 2.5 hours along a beautiful beach in the caribean, a few small jungle trails and pass the community of Cayo Paloma. After crossing a bridge over the water, you come to a shaded jungle trail- with a cement sidewalk and the steepest stairway you will ever see in the jungle. This is Steven’s daily commute- one way- to the community of Tobobe on the Peninsula Valiente in Bocas del Toro. He walks 5 hours daily to teach a sewing class all day and earns $20.00 a day. This is a very good wage in Panama but the course is only a few months long. Then Steven will have to look for work again. Until then, he makes the long ... read more

I'm still stuck in Edmonton. Long story short DO NOT use SKY SHUTTLE to get to the airport even if you are broke. It took 2 hours to make a 35 minute ride. It is now 10:30 and I am back at the Sutton Place, a lovely hotel, were I was given 20 dollars worth of free food and drink and free chocholate covered strawberries. Thank you! I still am amazed by the fact it is light out at 10:38 pm. Not broad day light but twilight which is why I am still awake. I had a great time at the ice rank today which I'll put in a new post. ... read more

As usual, Chuck really did his homework. We are staying in a cabin right on the Quileute River. The river is gorgeous and the cabin much nicer than our old apartment. The owners decorated with handmade furnishings and found an "old" fashioned refridge and stove to look like the 1940's. Tonight we'll go to La Push and see the ocean. Should be equally as gorgeous and chilly tonight. ... read more

This morning one tamarin was darted at the Gamboa Eco-resort. It was a young female. Unfortunately, the dart factured her leg. I guess this happens frequently but the majority of the animals return to the forest and heal over time. So she will be released later once we find the tamarins again. The tamarins live in a small forest patch between the Gamboa canal zone houses and the Gamboa resort. Many local families-who work for STRI- fed them bananas in the morning. This makes it easy to track them and low enough for Bob to dart them. Today, the Authoridad Canal Panama, is cutting down large trees and limbs in the neighborhood. We have spotted tamarins in several of the same trees they are cutting. I asked the jefe today why they are cutting them. It ... read more

I am still in avid waiting to take the midnight bus to Panama City. I hate getting there at night so I'm on this bus arrives at 530 AM where I will meet up with the other monkey researchers. Bugging out in Panama I have so many bites and picasones, I'm itchy, from the bugs here. On Isla Popa there were chitras/ sandflies which can drive any ngabe or gringa loca, colradios/ciggers which itch for weeks ans zancaudo/ mosquitos which are not as bad since it is the dry season, even in Bocas. I wonder what awaits me the next 9 days in Soberana National Park and Gamboa. Coconut Oil I'll put up some pictures and another description later but I helped Clementina make coconut oil on Tuesday. She gave me some to bring home and ... read more