Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal
Christmas Eve in the tropics! No white Christmas, no snowmen or snow angels, no sleds nor snowflakes, instead lush greenery, monkeys, and brightly colored birds. Quite a fair exchange! Our morning began with a visit through the Barro Colorado Island or BCI. This lush island in the middle of Lago Gatun was formed by the damming of the Chagres River and the creation of the lake. It is managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) which administers a world-renowned research facility here. We had several options to explore the island’s ecosystems: the island itself, an adjacent peninsula and the edges of the island on a Zodiac cruise. We were all rewarded with different things. Some of us got to see howler monkeys, keel billed toucans, snail kites, and a lucky-rare sight, the Geoffrey’s tamarin, a small species of primate.
We left the island early this afternoon to continue our transit through the Panama Canal. Truly an engineering marvel, and stretching 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Pacific side to Colon on the Atlantic side, it cuts through the Continental Divide. We cruised towards the entrance of the last set of locks, the Gatun locks, which would lead us into the Caribbean Sea. While we crossed, we spotted some more incredible wildlife: cabybaras and southern lapwings were the highlights.
Our fantastic galley prepared for us a special dinner and while some may have missed their Bing-Crosby-White Christmas, we were united by the shared memories of a fantastic tropical vacation.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM THE CREW AND STAFF ON BOARD THE M.V. SEA VOYAGER!
Christmas Eve in the tropics! No white Christmas, no snowmen or snow angels, no sleds nor snowflakes, instead lush greenery, monkeys, and brightly colored birds. Quite a fair exchange! Our morning began with a visit through the Barro Colorado Island or BCI. This lush island in the middle of Lago Gatun was formed by the damming of the Chagres River and the creation of the lake. It is managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) which administers a world-renowned research facility here. We had several options to explore the island’s ecosystems: the island itself, an adjacent peninsula and the edges of the island on a Zodiac cruise. We were all rewarded with different things. Some of us got to see howler monkeys, keel billed toucans, snail kites, and a lucky-rare sight, the Geoffrey’s tamarin, a small species of primate.
We left the island early this afternoon to continue our transit through the Panama Canal. Truly an engineering marvel, and stretching 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Pacific side to Colon on the Atlantic side, it cuts through the Continental Divide. We cruised towards the entrance of the last set of locks, the Gatun locks, which would lead us into the Caribbean Sea. While we crossed, we spotted some more incredible wildlife: cabybaras and southern lapwings were the highlights.
Our fantastic galley prepared for us a special dinner and while some may have missed their Bing-Crosby-White Christmas, we were united by the shared memories of a fantastic tropical vacation.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM THE CREW AND STAFF ON BOARD THE M.V. SEA VOYAGER!
