A visit to Panama, January 2013

Sunday, 6 January 2013
I was fortunate to attend the 6th Global Plants Initiative meeting in Panama City this month. I was up and out for an early flight; connecting through Houston (UA 334: DCA to IAH) with a comfortable layover time (in fact, enough to put on my Houston Jet Shoes, 2013). An uneventful flight (with two upgrades), it seemed before you knew it, I was at PTY (UA 1034: IAH to PTY) A quick dash through immigration and customs and talked with some colleagues arriving on other flights before heading out to the pick up area where a car was waiting. We quickly zipped through the light traffic to the Intercontinental Miramar on Panama Bay. After meeting some colleagues in the lobby bar for a glass of wine it was off to bed.

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Monday, 7 January 2013
Today was a mostly free day. I've already recounted my big adventure, a visit to Casco Viejo in an earlier post, so I won't recap that. I will mention, however, that I did purchase a Panama Hat and that I saw an El Nino with the bluest of eyes.

In the evening, we had a wonderful opening reception at the Bayside Pool of the Miramar for the conference attendees. An excellent ceviche bar and DYI tortillas were the highlights.

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Tuesday, 8 January 2013
A full day of meetings discussing the the direction and goals of various biodiversity projects, including the Global Plants Initiative and the World Flora Project. I'll cover those in a post on the Biodiversity Heritage Library blog shortly.

In the evening, we had a group dinner back in the Casco Viejo and an opportunity to explore a bit more. I also received a Dodo Mola as a gift!

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Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Another mostly full meeting day. Caught up with various colleagues from around the world (and, in a typical situation that I always find ironic, people who work just down the hall from me!).

That evening, we had a reception at the Smithsonian's Punta Culebra Center out near the Pacific mouth of the Panama Canal. Culebra is an educational facility that welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors - mostly children - each year to learn about the environment and marine science. This evening, we had a wonderful reception (more ceviche!), live music with Panamanian dancers, and later, during the most dangerous part of the whole trip, a DJ (can you say "Gangman Style") dance party with botanists, informaticians, and librarians all, mostly, clearly out of their element.

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Thursday, 10 January 2013
Today, we had a field trip to the Gatun Locks which I covered in a previous post (A Visit to Gatun Locks, Panama). I will note the sighting of a gaudy sphinx moth.

After returning to the hotel and catching up on some work, I met the Smithsonian's Tropical Research Institute librarian for dinner and work and personal catch up. We mingled after with a number of the conference attendees and then I called it a night to get ready for an early morning departure.

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Friday, 11 January 2013
Got up early and finished packing; made coffee and then headed downstairs. Checked and and chit chatted with a few people. Checked in with the bus coordinator who was chatty and when she found out I was from DC and worked at the Smithsonian was so excited and hopes to visit someday because loved the movie. Didn't want to tell her things don't come alive!

Got on the bus and waited while they rounded up the stragglers. Bus pulls away and we get to the aeropuerto in about 20 minutes (using the express toll roads). Nice an uneventful flight to Houston (UA 1031: PTY to IAH); easy pass through immigration and customs and back on another United flight, DCA (UA 331: IAH to DCA) through clear(ish) skies and home a bit early.

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Photo slideshow:

 

A visit to the Gatun Locks, Panama

While attending a meeting in Panama (the 6th Global Plants Initiative meeting), I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Gatun Locks (10 January 2013). Many years ago (1999), I had the chance to visit the Miraflores Locks (on the Pacific side of the country), so I was interested in seeing the other side. Also, the Panama Canal is in the midst of a major expansion, so it was an historic time to visit.


There were about 12 of us riding with Coast to Coast travel, with our guide Eduardo and driver, Elvis. We took a route I was familiar with, out through the city, past the Pedro Miguel locks towards Gamboa. We veered off through Parasio and took a nice little diversion across the Centenary Bridge (from 2003, done in the current trendy bridge style with central cable supports).


Taking the toll roads (free to all at the moment due to floods on the other routes), we soon hit the outskirts of Colon. From there we went to the Gatun Locks.

Those of you familiar with locks would quickly get the set up; the only difference is the scale. Massive locks that raise ships nearly 26 meters with double locomotives to pull them through. Gatun (like Miraflores) has a visitor pavilion where you can watch the process of filling and emptying the locks. We watched a ship leave and a ship enter and then were back on the bus.

Our destination was the new visitors' center that overlooks the construction of the three-bay new locks. And it was an amazing site. The size of over three football fields, the area was a beehive of activity (and, we were told, three shifts a day for a 24/7 operation that will have the project finished on target in 2014).

After a group photo and some more exploration and touring of the visitor center, we re-boarded the bus for lunch at Shelter Bay. But there was one more adventure ahead.

We drive off towards lunch, but have to cross the Canal. How do you cross the canal? Well, you drive down to the edge of the canal and there is a rickety metal bridge that doesn't hold a bus full of people, so you get out of the bus and it drives across the bridge. Then you go two by two across the little walkway (while a giant cruise ship is in the lock above you and your 20 feet from the lock gates, while the lock is filling to lower the cruise ship. Then the guard changes his mind and you go three by three because the cruise ship is lowering faster. The group makes it across and the gates open and the cruise ship floats away. Back on the bus.

Thirty minutes later we arrived at Shelter Bay (formerly Ft. Sherman, a US base) which is now a resort and yacht club. We head into the Dock Restaurant and sit down. I choose the corvinas (a sea bass-like fish). Corvinas is the national fish dish of Panama (so it seems) and I've had it a number of times, but this was, by far, the best I've ever had.

Back on the bus, we retrace our route (mysteriously taking the bridge with a bus full of people - was the previous trip just for our entertainment?) and in less than an hour are back at the hotel.

United 331: IAH to DCA

Gate C33

United 1031: PTY to IAH

Puerto 25

Ciao Panama City!

Excellent camouflage on this Sphinx moth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae),

Amazing camouflage on this little critter. Not doing it much good sitting here. Too bad I was with a bunch of botanists or maybe I could have had an id.

This was at the new visitors' center at the Gatun Locks facility by the Panama Canal.

(UPDATE: Thanks to Treegrow for correct identification of this critter)

Another sunny day in Panama City

BHL Buttonensis ... or the floral study of the #BHLib button in Panama

The BHL button, along with a number of BHL staffers, attended the Global Plant Initiative meeting in Panama City, Panama.

What with the flora theme (World Flora project, etc.), I thought this "BHL Buttonensis" motif was fitting.

@SandyKnapp on an idea for a lectotype register at #gpi6

Sandy Knapp, Natural History Museum, London and VP of the International Association of Plant Taxonomists (IAPT) speaking on "Tracking Types - an idea for a lectotype register" at the Global Plant Initiative meeting in Panama.

With a namecheck of BHL's own William Ulate.

Helga Ochoterena on the GPI network as an engine to complete the type specimens imaging #gpi6

Helga Ochoterena (Botany Department, Institute of Biology, Universidad Nacional Auto'noma de México) speaking on "The GPI network as an engine to complete the type specimens imaging: towards a curated world plant list"at the Global Plants Initiative meeting, Panama

Luc Willemse (Naturalis Biodiversity Centre) on herbarium digitization #gpi6

Luc Willemse (Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, The Netherlands) speaking on "Herbarium Digitization: new technologies, new possibilties" at the Global Plant Initiative meeting, Panama

A dodo mola from Panama ... thanks for thinking of me @rustyrussell22

Molas are the traditional textile art of the Kuna people.

Thanks to Rusty for finding this one in the Casco Viejo of Panama City!

Brent Mishler, Jepson Herbaria, speaking on integrative research & specimen Digitization #gpi6

"Integrative research using digitized specimens  examples from the Consortium of California Herbaria"

And another Panamanian good morning

Buenos tardes, Panama

Paseando por el Casco Viejo de Panamá

Cathedral

My adventure for the morning was an idea to return to the "old city" I'd been to on my 1999 trip. So, I had the doorman got me a cab to my destination, which I thought was "the old city". We headed off in an odd direction, luckily the driver spoke very good English (used to work for Dell Computers and visited Austin often). Turns out that Viejo Panama ("old Panama") are ruins from the 16th century city and not to be confused with "Casco Viejo" (aka "Casco Antiguo") which is the "old city" from the 17th century.

Finally got there and the ride was $15. A Panamanian colleague told me you never pay more than $5 for any cab ride, but I paid since by that time I was happy to be anywhere except inside the white minivan I was in. Started to wander around and got a little concerned as nothing was open and not a lot of people around. I persevered  however, and enjoyed the architecture. Near the cathedral, was an alley with a lot of vendors and I picked up some things there. Walked down to the seawall and there were more people and street vendors. Bought some bracelets and was debating buying a Panama hat when a guy greeted me and started talking.

View of new Panama City

His name, he said, was Conrad G. and he was 76 years old; his grandfather built the Canal, and he was sent to American schools in the Canal Zone. During the American invasion in the 1990's, his wife was killed and he lived in a refugee camp eating MREs for two years. But he loves Americans. So I ask him, "how much should I pay for a hat?" and he says, "Ah, come with me."

We go around to a hat seller, very nice hats; they show me the different types, the different weaves, different quality. I pick one out, $80! Ask for something cheaper, find another and it's talked down to $40. Plus, I get a balsa wood box to keep it humidified and pliable.

Telephone Booth

Conrad and I continue down the street and I know realize I either need to get rid of him, or go with the flow and let him take me around. So we start to walk and I get a fabulous tour of the Casco Viejo. We go to all the buildings: Presidential Palace, Noriega's officers club, the three main churches, National Theatre. It's getting near lunch and I only had two coffees and orange juice for breakfast, so I ask for a lunch suggestion.

We go to a couple of places, but their closed. Find another and go in. Very nice. Conrad doesn't want anything, well, maybe a beer. I get a beer and a very good seafood paella. We head out and do some more sights: the Public Market (fascinating place, fruits and such, in the meat hall, they had large steel tables where they were butchering the animals, pigs heads, trotters, etc. all being cut up, blood all over the floor, flies all over the meat) then over the the Fish Market (same as the other, but all fish, huge shrimp, octopus, squid, various fish, etc.). Also, a whole row of "cevicheria" where they had tubs of various types of ceviche. Wasn't feeling too comfortable with the hygiene, so, though it looked great, I passed on it (perhaps ironically since later that night at the meeting reception they served ceviche which probably came directly from the same source).

Corner

Strolled outside of the Casco Viejo to the pedestrian mall, "The real Panama" said Conrad, full of cheap shops, dollar stores, Chinese restaurants ("I never eat Chinese food," said Conrad, "too many cats in it"). I'd been down that street before in 1998 (with Angel) and Conrad pointed out the shell of the Titanic Store (a department store) now out of business that I recalled from the previous visit).

Headed back to the Casco Viejo. I wanted to pick up the Seco and Aguardiente I didn't get earlier and also wanted to stop in the Havana Club bar and restaurant that we'd passed earlier. Got the liquor at a "Chinese store" and then stopped in the Havana Club. I had a Cuban rum mojito and Conrad had another beer. We talked about America, Panama, the world, Hell; Conrad told me how Colombians are ruining Panama and about growing up in Gamboa. We also discussed whether, perhaps, I might have a little something for him. Now, as he'd been telling me all day that American's are terrible bargainers, when he said, "Perhaps, $30 would be good." I asked him if I should negotiate him down. He said no, "I know that I'm going to go to Hell, but I'm not going to cheat you and this is good". Since it was the best $30 walking tour I've ever had, even if I could have talked him down to $10, it was worth it.

Street vendor

We head out and he was going to get me a cab back to the hotel, from a friend of his, not the "lazy idiot" we'd passed in the Independence Plaza by the Cathedral. We find his friend and I get the special $12 rate. Then my driver, Conrad and the "lazy idiot" get in a shouting match. Conrad heads off and I go with my driver while the "lazy idiot" and my driver are yelling at each other. I get in the tiny cab; the "lazy idiot" wanders off. I try to put on the seat belt, but the driver stops me, "broken". The two cab drivers then stop yelling and start laughing ... and away we go. We travel at breakneck speeds and get to the hotel in about 10 minutes.

Slideshow of selected images from the day:

View Panama in a larger map

Pete Wyse Jackson, Missouri Botanical Garden, on the World Flora project

Post-lunch hubbub at the Global Plant Initiative in Panama

The bluest eyes ... El Nino from the Iglesia de la Merced

Wandering through the Casco Viejo (aka Casco Antiguo) in Panama City today, I came across, with the help of my docent, one Conrad Grant (at least that's what he said his name was) this amazingly blue eyed El Nino in the Iglesia de la Merced.

United 1034: IAH to PTY