Cousins & Carnavales!

This is the story of one of the wildest parties I have ever attended. The best part of it all: I got to share this incredible Panamanian fiesta with 2 awesome cousins of mine. Only a few days after my immediate family finished their trip here (a story that still needs to be told…) I got a message from Jeff (my cousin), asking what I would think about him and Susie (other cousin) coming to visit in February. Yes, Please! (Head's up - almost all of these photos were taken by Susie, without them this blog wouldn't be the same. Thank you Susie!)

So happy these two came to visit! 

So the planning began, and next thing I knew they were on their way here. Susie is a natural planner who loves to take full advantage of her limited time off of work to travel. Jeff works as a flight attendant, and can travel the world for stupid cheap (I won’t tell you how cheap because it will just make you mad) – and as such is very flexible. Perfect combo for making the most of a week in a foreign country.

Primos en Panama City

The week they happened to have available to come see me turned out to be the same week as Carnaval – so I knew some crazy shenanigans were in order. Supposedly, only one other country celebrates Carnaval with more fanfare and hooplah... Brazil. Maybe you've heard of it? ;) For those that need a tiny Carnaval explanation – it’s basically the same thing as Mardi Gras, but it’s celebrated for 4 days beginning on Saturday (in some cases even earlier) instead of just on Fat Tuesday. It ends on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. Basically it's seen as a chance to get all your sins and reckless abandon out of your system before behaving reverently for the 40 days leading up to Easter. If you need more than that – Google it. The point is, Panamanians like to party. And at this point in the year, they go all out.

It's bout to get CRAY

Panamanians do it differently than other countries though, incorporating something known as “Culecos” into the day-time celebrations. Basically these are giant trucks filled with water, parked in the streets with people spraying water through a fire hose on a mass of dancing, happy people. In addition to this, everyone that owns a water gun (every kid in Panama) brings it out to soak their friends. Sounds Awesome right?? It WAS. But first let me explain how I got us there.

Staying dry is not an option!

So although Susie planned basically every other detail of their journey (major props to her), my job was to figure out how we were going to celebrate Carnaval while they were here. Naturally, I asked my roommates and co-workers for advice on where to go, what to expect, etc. While chatting with my boss Heidi, we decided the best strategy would be for me to go with Jeff and Susie to Penonomé – the local capital of the Coclé province (El Valle is also in this province), which is known for some of the wilder Carnaval parties in the country. The tradition of celebrating Carnaval actually began in the towns and cities of the interior provinces, not in Panama city. As a result, the parties there are the craziest. Most importantly, it wasn’t too far away – only about 1.5 hrs in a bus. 

From the blue dot (El Valle) to Penonomé – that’s like 1 cm, not far at all! 

The trickiest part of the whole plan to go to Penonomé would be finding a place to stay. So I sent out a couple couchsurfing requests, and waited with crossed fingers. The next morning, my wishes came true – but in a way I hadn't even imagined. At work, Heidi told me her husband Edgardo (co-founder of EVACC – major frog saver and all-around bad ass) wanted to take us to Penonomé for Carnaval to make sure we had a good time and stayed safe. He could drive us there and he had a friend in town who’s house we could stay at, and he’d accompany us to the festivals to make sure we did it right. JACKPOT!!!! Planning done.

The Carnaval Crew

So when Susie and Jeff finally arrived in El Valle, I was beyond excited. So was the entire country – well those that enjoy Carnaval that is. Obviously not everyone is a partier - some Panamanians don’t even leave their houses during Carnaval and others flee the country to avoid the mayhem that ensues during these 4 days. But we were headed right for the thick of it J

Hey, no fun allowed! 

The first night Jeff and Susie spent in El Valle, we headed out to dinner at Zapote – my favorite local pizza joint with my roommate Diana, so she could practice her English y mis primos pueden practicar Español. We caught up on all the wild adventures they’d already had in the city, taught them some fun useful cultural phrases (Rakataka = ghetto, Ayy a la vida = oh my god, goodness gracious, good grief, etc) and demonstrated to Diana what a southern accent was. After dinner we headed to the supermarket to stock up on beers, since we would be leaving town early in the morning. 

Dining out with Diana

Early in the morning turned out to be closer to noon, since Edgardo had a fair amount of errands and things to take care of before we left town. This worked out fine for us though, since it gave us time to charge our phones/cameras, while enjoying some coffee and delicious pumpkin bread at my friend Erin’s Butterfly café. 

Polariod Selfie at Bodhi hostel

Once Edgardo showed up, we stocked up on more beer and ice (Always be prepared) and hit the road. On the drive Edgardo explained to us a bit more about the traditions behind Carnaval, our plans for the day, etc. We wound through steep mountain roads to get to Penonomé the “back way” – avoiding the traffic of the Inter-Americana Highway. 

 Leaving El Valle via the "scenic route"

When we arrived in Penonome – we went to the house of Edgardo’s buddy, Ricardo, where we would be setting up camp for the next two nights. Ricardo and his wife have very recently welcomed a brand new baby into the world, so in order to avoid disturbing their peace and quiet our plan was to stay in tents behind their house. I got very excited (admittedly more than necessary) when I saw that one of the tents Edgardo brought for us to sleep in was an old-school green Eureka tent, the same one I used to camp in once a month for many years while growing up as a Boy Scout. They don’t make these things anymore (inner old man speaking) – so this was a nostalgic bonus.

Happy Campers

Once we polished off a couple cold beers and got to know our hosts a bit, changed into our bathing suits, slathered on some sunscreen, and mentally prepared ourselves with yet another beer… it was time for Carnaval craziness. Ricardo gave us a lift right into the heart of the madness, our heavy cooler stocked with a wide variety of Panamanian brews riding behind us in the truck bed.

We made it!

We disembarked and made our way into the soaked streets, Jeff and I carrying the cooler. Once inside the gated-off area, the cooler was lifted above our heads so that we could squeeeeze through the masses to find ourselves in a decent spot. All the while yelling, drinking, laughing and carryin' on :D

Bienvenidos a Carnaval!

Those around us gave us an extra centimeter of space since I don’t think they trusted two gringos with a heavy cooler full of beer on their heads not to accidentally drop it, and all of its ice cold contents, on their heads. Luckily for everyone, this didn't happen. 

Squeezing through the crowd

Eventually we found a spot we liked, set down the cooler, and spent the rest of the afternoon getting sprayed by water, taking photos, dancing (on and off the cooler), and of course drinking. That’s what Carnaval is all about! 

The more, the merrier!

Thanks to Edgardo and Ricardo, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a true Panamanian celebration. So Panamanian in fact, that we were the only gringos in the entire sea of people. This made me very happy, since I’d much rather surround myself with locals as opposed to other foreigners while traveling – helps ya really get a true taste of the native flavor.

Susie's view from on top of the Culecos! Can you spot the gringos? ;)

Why drink only one beer when you have two hands??

Ayy a la vida - whitest award: won!

The madness carried on until about 4 pm, at which point the water was shut off and everyone pretty much headed home for a while to eat dinner, change, and prepare for the night time festivities. So we did exactly that. Edgardo called Ricardo who kindly came to pick us up and took us back to his place, where we dried off, cleaned up, and told stories of the insanity we’d been a part of.

Jeff found a friend on our way home

Riding back, in the back

 Once in dry clothes, I helped Ricardo cook a typical Panamanian meal using some of the skills I've picked up since living here.  Later we all sat down around the table together as one big happy family, blessed the food, and dug in. During the meal prep, lots of baby photos were taken and smiles were abundant.

Proud mama with her beautiful baby

Full to the brim with a delicious meal, we relaxed (napped) and let our bodies digest the healthy mix of sun, water, beer and grub for a while. Once the sun set and the food comas wore off, we rallied, put on some presentable outfits, and headed back into town in Ricardo’s truck to celebrate some more. 

Siesta time

The night celebrations were centered around a massive parade, featuring extravagantly dressed beautiful Reinas (queens) that rode on massive intricately decorated floats, full marching bands, and all sorts of wild costumes. Even most of the kids got into costume!

Mini Minnie

It was certainly a sight to behold. We payed a small entrance fee to gain access to a huge open air disco club that had massive balconies overlooking the streets, where we were able to get great views of the parade below.

The balcony admittance was totally worth the extra bucks, since we avoided having to fight to see over anyone’s head to get a glimpse of the action and the bar was only a few feet away.  We spent the rest of the evening watching the parade, dancing in the disco, and taking ridiculous selfies.

Cheesin'

Much, much later in the evening, we took a taxi back to Ricardo’s place, climbed into our tents/hammocks and crashed. In what seemed like a blink of an eye – I woke up around 8 am to the sound of Ricardo shaking my tent and telling me “Ya las cerevezas estan frias!” (Beers are cold!) I grunted, laughed, and rolled over while telling him I'd be there a bit later. I managed to rest another half hour or so before the sun became positively unbearable and forced me out of the tent.

A "Dude, where's my car?" moment

When I got up, Ricardo was busy in the kitchen whipping up a batch of Hojaldras (yummy Panamanian fried dough breakfast treat) and a huge pan of scrambled eggs. Around 9:30 or so we all gathered around the breakfast table for a friendly family meal and more story sharing. 

Yummo!

Before long, it was time for Round 2! By noon we were back in Ricardo’s truck, heading back to the familiar chaos of geting sprayed down with hoses, dancing wildly, and emptying our cooler full of beers all over again. 

Round 2 Babay!

Annnnd, Weeeee're Baaaaack!

Our second day, Tuesday, was the final day of Carnaval – so there was a bit more going on than the day before. On top of one of the culecos there were about 7 or 8 chicas throwing T-shirts, sun glasses and even tiny airplane liquor bottles out into the crowd. Needless to say, we all scrambled to snag a free souvenir/drink! 

Who wants a T-shirt?! 

I moved through the ocean of jumping Panamanians to find myself just on the outer edge of the T-shirt girl’s throwing distance. I leaped up to snag a knotted blue T-shirt and then just for fun, caught a second one only a minute later. The folks around me weren't too happy when I snagged the second one and told me to get out of there. Don't blame em!

T-shirt tossing twins!

So I laughed and obeyed, bringing the goodies back to the cooler, where Edgardo and Jeff had also stashed the shirts they caught. Edgardo deviously discovered that a T-shirt soaked in ice-cold cooler water made for an excellent tool to unsuspectingly soak Susie, and eventually all of us haha.

Primo Photo!

Now for a rather hilarious testament to just how crazy Carnaval is - something that an outsider would otherwise never realize.  Among all these soaked masses of people, there are pretty much no (read: absolutely none) easily accessible public bathrooms. This is not your typical American event with long lines and rank port-a-potties (Bonnarooo!). So what to do when you’re drinking all day, tightly packed in a mob of people, and surrounded by flowing water?? Simple – Pee your pants! Hahaa!

Water, water everywhere... but nowhere to pee

But seriously. When nature called we shamelessly answered and then waved our arms madly begging to be rinsed off. After all, we were wearing bathing suits so with a quick rinse... it's all good.  Trying to find a side street or corner to pee in was not an option, since cops could potentially fine you for this, as Edgardo warned us. Not worth it! Once you get over the initial awkwardness of this, it was actually pretty nice to be able to freely relieve yourself. How often is that socially acceptable?! Gotta take advantage of times like these.   If you find yourself in a similar situation, I would definitely recommend it ;) 

Peeing your pants, it's the cool thing to do!

Unfortunately, this day was also marred with a serious bummer. At one point Jeff and I were on the hunt for more free T-shirts and sunglasses, when suddenly he grabbed me and thrust his wrist in my face. “Dude, where’s my GoPro?!” Panicked, I immediately began to scan the beer can littered street. Warned by everyone not to take anything of value into Carnaval – Jeff and Susie both insisted on bringing their waterproof cameras and wearing them tightly around their wrist in order to document the debauchery. 

Hooray for water-proof cameras!

Thankful that they made this choice, I left my camera at home, and with it any sense of responsibility. Sadly, at some point while jumping up and down, Jeff’s camera must have snapped off of his wristband. Although we told everyone around to help us look for it (and they did!) it never showed up. We suspect some crummy, good-for-nothing, person (que maldito!) found it and rapidly disappeared. Edgardo rushed to get the police involved, and people were frisked – but no camera. L Please take a moment to recognize the grief this caused.

A second of sadness ;-(

But, in true Jeff style – he chose to look on the bright-side of life and appreciated how many of the surrounding locals rushed to come to our aid. We hugged it out and reminded ourselves that it was just a camera – the important thing was that we were fine and still in the midst of an incredible celebration. So we turned our frowns upside-down, took lots more photos with Susie’s camera, and carried on! 

Love this guy, his attitude, and that #hat

All too soon, the final day of Culecos was over and we began to make our way out of the thick of it. While munching on some street foods and sitting on the side of the road waiting to head back to the house, we saw some of the souvenir girls leaving the scene and heading our way. Acting quickly, Susie and Jeff chatted up these good lookin' ladies and we got them to take a bunch of photos with us. Fun times.

Locos!

Back at Ricardo’s house, we had another delicious dinner and spent more time relaxing. Soon after dinner though, Ricardo and his wife had to head out of town – since he needed to be at work in a different city early the next morning. So they left Edgardo with a key, and we took liberty of the shower and hammock to rest and rinse off before repeating another night out to watch the final parade of Carnaval. 

Rinsing off with an ice-cold T-shirt

We got a late start that last night thanks to some naps lasting longer than others (ahem, Jeff) – but around 9 pm or so we started walking towards town and eventually got a taxi to stop and pick us up. We caught the tail end of the parade, but saw many different things than the night before – including some crazy dudes with huge angry artistic masks that looked like something out of the Temple of Doom, as well as a bunch of high-stepping horses. 

Couple of Queens

Deviant Duo

As the night aged, I couldn't help but feel a certain subtle sense of sadness among the people, myself included – everyone knew the whole thing was almost over. It would be another year before these streets see this much action again, and lives will quickly resume their normal laid-back pace. Polishing off a few final cervezas, we people-watched a while before taxiing back home to get some much needed rest. After all, I had to get back to work in the morning! 

Cerveza!

So that’s the (rather long, drawn-out) story of Carnaval! To really know what it’s all about, you simply gotta go. See y’all at Carnavales 2016! Until then, Peace OUT! :D

El Valle

Long overdue life update: I work in a zoo, and I live in one too! Most of you probably know this already - but now I will finally fill you in a little more on what I've been up to down here. When I say I live in a zoo, some of you may be picturing a freshman dorm… but this is not a figure of speech, I actually live in Panamanian zoo. My neighbors are sloths, peacocks, spider monkeys, goats, pigs, and chickens of every possible variety... to name a few.

My grumpy, always hungry neighbor Don Cocodrilo

The fact that I live in El Níspero Zoo is largely due to the kindness of the folks I work for at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC). They offered me a place to stay as part of my  6 month internship here, which makes my life infinitely easier and my wallet much, much happier. The apartment I live in was constructed behind EVACC to house workers that live father away, funded by a donation from a local mining company. The mine has dumped a significant amount of funds into the work that EVACC is doing to help save Panamanian frogs from the killer fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis known more commonly as Chytrid or Bd . This serves as a way to offset any damages they may be doing while mining (at least that was my understanding) – better that than nothing!

The top floor of the green building is the apartment where I live. The concrete building is where I work – tough commute! 

I share this lovely little (not a euphemism, it is very small) apartment with three other girls, at the moment. Two of them are Panamanians that work here as well, and one is a volunteer from Spain that is here for a month. I've got my own room, and we all share a small bathroom and kitchen that doubles as a living room/dining room as well. We all get along very well, and I’m learning tons of Spanish since neither of the Panamanians speak English. I’m also learning lots about how to cook local dishes and generally having a great time immersing myself in this new way of life. 

Our cozy abode

The food has been delicious, I'm really loving fried plantains (patacones) for breakfast, and there's even fresh squeezed orange juice from the orange trees outside our house to wash it all down!  There are also lime trees and even a few kumquat trees!! We've got a machine that spins inside the orange while you apply pressure, and the juice collects in the bottom. Definitely the most delicious glass of orange juice I have ever tasted, and it's totally free! :) 

Simply Orange 

I am lucky enough to really enjoy the work I am doing while here, and I am learning so much about the wide variety of amphibians here in Panama. One of the main reasons I was offered this internship is because I have previous frog husbandry and exhibit design experience while working as an Intern at the Smithsonian National Zoo. A large part of my duties here, at least for the time being, involves redesigning the frog exhibits that are on display to the public.

A peak inside the exhibition area at EVACC

So, I spend a lot of my time behind the scenes in the exhibition area, cleaning exhibits, redesigning their layouts, and generally doing whatever it takes to make this area look appealing to visitors while also meeting the needs of the frogs. I am also in the process of working on creating more educational information about the frogs, Bd, etc, that will be displayed in the exhibition area. The heart and the lungs of EVACC, (where I also do a lot work) is the breeding center located in a separate building. Many different species of frogs are housed and cared for here on a daily basis.  This area is not open to the public however, which makes the exhibition area the face of the whole operation.

An outside view of a small portion of the main lab at EVACC

The breeding aspect of this project is almost certainly the most important - as we go through great lengths to ensure that these species will survive through future generations and hopefully one day be re-introduced into the wild. One of these particular "great lengths" involved an off-roading journey through the surrounding forests to search mountain streams for smooth rocks that we could use in Atelopus breeding tanks. These frogs are known for breeding in rapidly-moving water - so it's important that we try to recreate their habitat as best as possible in order to achieve success. 

Who says work can't be fun?!

This project is founded on the principle of saving ALL Panamanian amphibians from the Chytrid fungus, which spread through this area and wiped out almost all of the local populations back in 2005-2006. But one frog in particular has captured the hearts of Panamanians, and also sadly happens to be one of the species most affected by this deadly fungus – the Panamanian Golden Frog, La Rana Dorada (Atelopus zetecki).

The golden treasure of Panama - La Rana Dorada (Atelopus zetecki)

A stunning bright yellow frog with speckled black spots, it’s not hard to see why this small frog has captured the hearts of Panamanians all across the county. Endemic to Panama and found within only a small range in the central part of Panama – this frog was once so common you had to watch where you stepped in the forests surrounding El Valle. Now, after Chytrid has taken its toll, the only place you are able to see a live Panamanian Golden Frog within the entire country is here in El Valle at EVACC. Its likeness can be found almost everywhere though, from the markets in rural towns to the subway in Panama city.

The only way to see golden frogs in Panama outside of EVACC - at the market

As a result, most of the tens of thousands of visitors that this small rinky-dink little local zoo receives every year, are here for one main reason – to see the famous Panamanian Golden Frogs. The zoo on a whole is not very impressive, in fact parts are rather depressing. Most of the animals here are birds, farm animals, or both - chickens. Zillions of chickens. Chickens roaming free, and also on “exhibit.” I think there is a chicken in almost every enclosure here regardless of what animal happens to be actually on display. This comes with the perk of always having a natural alarm clock that can’t be turned off and fresh eggs to enjoy once you’re awake!

One of the many living alarm clocks

Beyond the excess of chickens around me, there are some neat animals that you don’t get to see every day (unless you live in a zoo, or the jungle). There are Tapirs, caimans, toucans, macaws, and an ocelot that is far too beautiful to be spending time hanging out at this zoo. There’s also a few North American animals that we would never think of putting in a zoo, but they are rarities down here – such as raccoons, coyotes, and even white-tailed deer. In my first week here my housemates were telling me I could actually see white-tailed deer in this area if I was lucky! I had to break it to them that white-tailed deer are everywhere back home, which impressed them greatly.

The seldom seen - White-tailed deer (Benado)

 So all of these visitors coming to see the Golden Frog is exactly why my job of making sure the exhibits look awesome is so important; they will be seen by many people every day. I enjoy this work very much - rebuilding an exhibit from nothing to finish can be very satisfying but also challenging. Exhibit design involves all sorts of skills you might not normally associate with zookeepers, including plumbing, engineering, landscaping, artistic creativity and of course a healthy dose of biology.

One of the exhibits I redesigned 

Outside of work there are tons of things to do in this beautiful little town to keep me active and entertained. The town of El Valle (literally “The Valley” in Spanish) is exactly that – a huge valley surrounded by lush, forested mountains. The valley was formed millions of years ago when a humongous volcano blew its top, leaving a massive crater in its wake. The crater filled with water and was a lake for quite some time, before a leak sprung and all of the water drained away. That leak is a waterfall today.

Looking down on El Valle from one of the surrounding mountains

This mountainous backdrop not only makes every day errands a scenic occasion, it provides ample opportunities to explore – there are hiking trails all over the place, waterfalls, hot springs, even square trees… this place has a lot going on. And yet, it maintains a calm relaxed vibe. The peaks of the surrounding mountains are often shrouded in clouds, which never ceases to impress me no matter how often I see it. Every once in a while I pinch my arm to remind myself how fortunate I am to be here, working with such amazing animals and kind people in this beautiful place. 

Loving this location

The tallest mountains are right behind the zoo, and when the weather is nice I enjoy sitting in the garden within the zoo and writing postcards - or simply absorbing the natural beauty. The view is sublime, but frequently the tranquility is disrupted, naturally. These clouds bring with them plenty of rain, varying in amounts from a fine mist to a drenching downpour. Somehow the sky seems to know when I am writing outdoors, as it always seems to start raining as soon as I get all settled. The rainy season has pretty much come to an end now though! The dry season began this month. We are beginning to see signs of the season changing, as the strong winds that bring drier air are arriving rapidly and blowing our sandals off the porch, and the sun is shining in full force. Here they call this season - verano, or summer. 

Tranquilo

On my first week here, way back in early November – I got the privilege of being around while the country celebrated a series of holidays, including multiple Independence days (one from Spain, one from Colombia) and a bunch of others. The highlight of the festivities were big parades that took over the one main road that runs through the center of town.

Rockin out

There have actually been quite a few parades since the one that first week, and they're always a good time - filled with over enthusiastic marching bands, all sorts of dancers, etc. The most recent Christmas parade was by far the biggest - there were tons of floats, holiday tunes playing everywhere, and the streets were packed with pretty much every citizen of El Valle. And it actually felt cold! This was mostly due to the wind, but there's nothing like a little chill to help you feel the Christmas spirit. 

Feliz Navidad!!

In addition to various celebrations and the natural wonders here providing ample opportunities for exploration and adventure –  there are lots of small tourist attractions such as a butterfly house, an orchid garden, a serpentarium… the list goes on.

El Chorro de Macho - named for it's "manly" size

Some are definitely worth paying the few dollars of admission – others not so much. The serpentarium was rather disappointing, unfortunately. The snakes did not appear to be very well cared for, and the collection wasn’t very large at all (thankfully I suppose, given the conditions). On the other hand, the butterfly house was accompanied by an informative tour (in English!) and came with the perk of having a relaxing café next door with delicious goodies. The café happens to be owned by a cool chick from the U.S. that teaches yoga classes on Saturdays - for the price of a fresh fruit or veggie! So I’ve been enjoying learning yoga and the café is definitely one of my favorite spots to chill out on Sunday afternoons.

Exploring the Mariposario (Butterfly museum)

One of my most enjoyable day-off excursions so far has been hiking to the top of La India Dormida, a mountain named for its resemblance for a sleeping woman. The mountain was named after a local indigenous woman who fell in love with a conquistador from Spain. Her father forbid the romance to continue, and so “La India” headed into the forest and took her own life in protest. According to local legend, the mountains assumed the shape of her resting body as a testament to her love. 

La India Dormida, resting in the mountains forever. Can you see her?

 I hiked to the top with Maria Eugenia, a visiting volunteer from Madrid. She is here for a month helping out at EVACC, gaining experience and absorbing all she can - just like me. It was nice to have a hiking partner, especially one that speaks Spanish fluently. This hike turned out to be quite the adventure – just getting to the trailhead from our apartment in the zoo took about an hour. The trail cost $2.50 to enter – well worth the price of admission. One of the few attractions here I would pay to see again, with no hesitation. Along the way to the top, we passed a series of waterfalls and petroglyphs carved into stones by natives long ago.

A close-up of one of the many ancient petroglyphs we found

The hike up was not only gorgeous and fun, but also educational – since every chance I get to hang out with Maria means lots of practicing Spanish, and learning new words to describe the situations we’re in. Learning a new language is an adventure!

Stopping for a moment of Zen at the first waterfall

 We passed three waterfalls throughout the course of the trail, and then began the steep climb to the top of “La India’s” head. The view did not disappoint!!

Started at the bottom, now we're here

 The woman that sold us our admission tickets and gave us a bit of background info on the petroglyphs and the story of “La India”, recommended that we return back the same way we came once we reached the top. But curiosity and a strong sense of adventure got the best of us – and we decided to continue following the steep rocky trail along La India’s body to see where it would lead.

Hiking along "La India"

The views did not cease to be amazing, but slowly our sense of confidence about where we were going faded. We recognized the area where “Las Cruces,” a local landmark with an easily accessible overview, was – so we continued on heading towards that direction while climbing up and down the mountain ridges.

Views don't get much better than this!

Eventually we broke out onto an established road that cut through the mountains, and found the crosses that were our landmark!

This is a good sign

We followed the (extremely steep) road back to town and enjoyed a cold smoothie made with fresh fruit to celebrate our accomplishment! All in all the hike took about 4.5 hours and we covered roughly 11 – 12 very steep kilometers. The café where we enjoyed our smoothies has become one of my favorite spots for a fresh fruity blended treat and a scrumptious empanada. They even put up a tree to celebrate the season!

Diana, Maria y yo – enjoying a delicious smoothie after a hard day’s work. Qué rico! 

As much as there is to do here during the day, my heart always yearns for the opportunities to go exploring this biological playground at night! Luckily I have had quite a few opportunities to get out and explore with others, since I’m not too keen on heading out on my own - if I can help it. My first excursion was with Edgardo and Milagro – our mission was to collect a few more frogs for the exhibition area. Our prime target was glass frogs, which we found bunches of thankfully. These frogs are incredible since they have transparent under-bellies, and of course they’re super cute! 

Peeking through the “glass” into this little dude’s body

The particular species that we found the most of was the White-spotted glass frog (Cochranella albomaculata) – thanks to Edgardo knowing where to look. We even found a pair in amplexus!

The "glass" might be frogging up in here ... har har 

In addition to this trip with Edgardo, I also had the good fortune of being approached while working in the exhibition area by an undergrad student named Kei from Tufts who was in El Valle for a short time doing a research project on frogs. Her project was very simple, she was simply trying to document what species of frogs she could find in different locations in Panama. I told her I’d be happy to help her search for frogs in the area, and so we made plans to go out that night! Gotta love when you meet other frog enthusiasts J

Kei posing with her new friend

We went out over the course of 3 different nights, thwarted one evening by a flat tire on my bicycle. That’s right folks, I have a bike down here. Makes getting around sooo much easier, especially when my average walk to the supermarket takes about 30 minutes, one way. Got lucky when I met Erin, the yoga instructor who owns the Butterfly café. She sold me some wheels for only $40, hard to beat that! Not the best bike in the world, but it gets me around – and I am very happy with that. Regardless of how well the brakes may or may not work…

My mode of transportation around El Valle

Anyhow, back to our nocturnal adventures. We found quite a few species of frogs – which was great! I am still learning lots of the species, but thankfully Edgardo is basically a living guidebook – so I was able to verify any species we found with him assuming the frog stuck around long enough to be photographed.

A well-camouflaged Scinax boulengeri

Sadly, despite all the species we managed to find – it’s hard not think about how many used to be around before Chytrid was introduced to the area. The night we were out with Edgardo, he explained that we were seeing about 1% of what the frog community used to be. Hopefully with time, scientists will be able to develop a method to allow frogs to naturally combat the fungus. Until then, we are working hard here at EVACC to maintain a viable population that will hopefully one day be the great-great grandmothers and grandfathers to frogs that will once again hop around in the beautiful streams and mountains of El Valle and surrounding areas. 

Hanging in there (Anotheca spinosa)

 Even when we’re having trouble finding frogs – at least the cover of darkness always provides unique opportunities to view some of the many animals that call this corner of the world home.

  

A wooly opossum dropping in to say “Hola!”

 Some of these creatures are more of a welcome sight than others. Kei and I were both a bit freaked out, when we found this guy – but couldn't help be amazed!

The stuff of nightmares

Maria came out with us one night, and we explored inside the zoo for a change – since it is quite a large property complete with vegetated ponds… exactly the sort of places frogs love! We were successful in finding a different species of glass frog, arguably even cuter than the ones we found before...

"You are my friend?"

 My only snake (sad, I know) sighting so far was actually found on the road between the zoo and the town. I've also seen owls, toucans, falcons, iguanas, and quite a few different frog species while on the same road. Not too shabby! 

  

(Micrus multifasciatus) - variety of Coral snake

 Other outings have included climbing up to a lookout below the summit of Cerro Gaital, the tallest mountain surrounding El Valle. The view was exactly the opposite of what we experienced while at the top of La India. We found ourselves in the midst of a rather thick cloud, with only fog visible in all directions. Still, in its own way – that was a very neat experience.

Milagro (one of my roommates) – peering into the fog

A fairly recent adventure involved exploring the hot springs with Maria – which was honestly not too impressive, but thankfully we had the entire pool to ourselves. This was partly due to the part that we were there early on a chilly Thursday morning, which worked out well. The full experience involved placing a cleansing mask of mud on our faces – which obviously had to be documented!

Gotta get a little dirty before you feel clean!

Most recently, this past few weeks have centered around Navidad - of course. We decorated the front door of the apartment to welcome in a bit more spirit, and a few days ago we did a gift exchange amongst the employees at EVACC. I feel super blessed that this time away from family during Christmas has actually gone really well all things considered, I'm super lucky to be surrounded by such kind, friendly people down here. Truly makes this place feel like a home! 

Welcoming the season!

Diana y yo intercambiando regalos

 Of course I miss my friends and family a bunch, but I'm also really loving doing things a bit differently this holiday season. Opens my eyes to new customs, traditions, foods, dances, all that good stuff. And luckily in a few weeks my parents and siblings are coming to visit!! Very excited to show them around this wonderful place, and explore new spots as well. In the meantime, I'll be working a bunch to make sure I have plenty of days off when they arrive. Feliz Navidad a todos, and thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a story on my first overnight trip into the field since being down here. Until then, Peace Out!