Gamboa - a few days on the edge of the jungle

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Gamboa was a place we had highlighted in the early stages of planning and we are so pleased we went ahead with the decision to go there. It wasn't particularly straight forward as the accommodation options were few and far between in addition to being ridiculously overpriced (in our European based opinion - we are starting to learn how expensive the USA must be if people are happy with these prices). Even getting there was a challenge as our travel day was a public holiday with limited transport out of the city. Thankfully Uber only cost $17 to do the 35km trip, although a long-distance surcharge was cheekily added without our knowledge. On complaining it was deducted!

We had read that there was no shop or restaurant and that we should take all of our provisions with us. That information was incorrect. There is a very good shop run by a Chinese family and it's open from 5.30am until 8pm. Yes, the prices are a little inflated, but not to the point that you would refuse to buy anything. They also have a great restaurant next door with the same opening times. Portions are big and whilst quality isn't top notch, it more than satisfied our needs. We stayed in an Air B&B which turned out to be fantastic. We got to speak Spanish ALL the time and we even had two nights of home cooking which was wonderful. Leaving was quite a wrench.

Anyway, back to Gamboa itself. Just walking through the town was incredible. It's a lush, tropical setting on the banks of Lake Gatun, a.k.a. the Panama Canal. That means the ships travel almost within touching distance of the bank. On the southern side there is the boat quay where tourist trips can be taken. We let Miriam, our Air B&B hostess, organise our trip instead at half the price. More of that later. You can also walk up through the forest towards the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve Hotel. This was way too expensive for us, but we did treat ourselves to an iced mocha on their terrace! On the way to the hotel you past through what appears to be a ghost town. These old wooden houses accommodated several families during the construction era of the canal. These were only for white, middle class families who were paid in gold. Their indigenous and undervalued colleagues of other ethnicities were treated poorly when it came to housing and paid in less valuable silver. Nowadays some of the houses do seem to be occupied but vultures patrolling the streets, quite literally, do give it a sinister edge!

Our boat trip was fantastic. Miriam took us to a small quay where our boatman awaited. He took us along the river/lake/canal for about an hour stopping to observe some bird life along the way. The white fish eagle was a real highlight. The objective of the trip is to visit small islands occupied by monkeys. You stay on the boat whilst your guide makes calls to try to attract them to the waterside. We were very lucky and on different islands got to see all three species: howler, capuchin and tamarind. Being in a tropical climate we didn't escape the rains but the boat was covered offering a good amount of protection.

We did some trekking on our final day. We were staying just ten minutes walk from the beginning of what is known as the Pipeline Road. We walked up through the rainforest in the Soberania National Park for an hour or so until we reached the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre. Knowing it was going to cost us each $30 to go in, we were undecided. The hike up had been good but we hadn't seen an awful lot of wildlife so we decided to splash the cash. Inside the "discovery centre" is a tower built so you can climb up underneath the canopy of trees emerging into the fresh air above. There we were treated to a spectacular display by a troop of howler monkeys. These are not quiet beasts and they certainly lived up to their name! Back at ground level there is a feeding station for hummingbirds. Even if you have seen these creatures before, they are just as fascinating as they were the first time. When they fly past it's like being buzzed by a tiny drone! On our walk back to town we found ourselves surrounded by a pack of tiny coati. These cute animals were happy to make their way around as us we stood still in the middle of the road. It was one of those "at one with nature" moments for sure. In Gamboa it's not a surprise to see an aguti or two roaming around looking for food. These large rodents don't seem shy at all.

After three lovely nights with the family, it was time to head off. The bus picks you up right outside the door of the Air B&B and deposits you back to Albrook bus station. There, getting a ticket for a bus wasn't a problem. Getting to our onward bus was! You need to buy a card for $3 to access the platforms which is absolutely ridiculous. Luckily, local people are very friendly and as the entry itself only costs $0.10 it's no hassle for them to let you use their card. We were not the only ones caught in this stupid trap and everyone managed to get through.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Gamboa
We won't have time to visit this town on our upcoming trip but have made notes for the future. Thanks for taking us along.