Today was a transition day, move out of one hotel, move into the next. We wake late (8:30) and head for breakfast. On our return, I shower while Bob futzes with the bags. We check out fairly early and decided to just head to Colon area and try out the famed Achiote Road that a birder we ran into told us was the hot spot of the San Lorenzo National Park. We quickly found the right road and then saw a lavanderia which we are getting close to being desperate to have, but decided to wait for our next stop at the Country Inn and Suites.
After filling gasoline and buying water at McDonald’s we soon found a sign pointing to the Melia Panama Canal, our hotel for the next two nights. They kindly let us check in, so we dumped our bags and went to lunch. Meals at the Melia are all buffet—breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a small candy, snack and gift shop. I had garlic Sea Bass, noodles, vegetables and salad, Bob the same, except he ate the mussels off my SeaBass and had the three cheese chicken. We were amused by the people who quietly accepted their Atlas beer—Bob told them it wasn’t real beer and could he please have a Panama or Sabal or Heineken—they caved. The servers made sure the label of the other beer drinkers wasn’t visible to us.
Then we were off down the road, past the Gatun Locks which look delightedly stair stepped and complete with several large container ships enclosed. On past the Gatun Locks (the traffic waits on either side for their turn to go on the one lane drawbridge. The dam was impressive even though the water wasn’t being allowed out. Then the road passed alongside Gatun Lake which is eerily turquoise and sets well above the seashore seen across the road. Achiote Road may be a good birding road, but there is precious few places to pull off and most of these we found trashed and or burned out. At the turnoff onto Achiote Road, the roadside was onfire. Most people continued past since only the dried out vegetation seems to burn. It doesn’t take long to get to Achiote Road and once there you find the Toucan Center which seems to be a campground/place to get a guide and someone’s private home. We skipped it and continued on to Pina which is the small seaside town at the end of the Achiote Road. Round trip took about 3 hours and we only stopped to id a few birds. The area from Achiote to Pina is private farmland, low grazing fields for cattle with rivers running through separated by native treed areas. The stench of smoke was overpowering and even miles away, I still smell it on me.
One the way back we got to witness some local culture. Ladies had set up a roadside stand selling drinks and sandwiches. Stopped at Gatun Locks, the men on their way home, one by one caved to the temptation and went over and bought sandwiches, which they immediately began to devour. Also, the small Mitsibuishi truck (front seat with two men, back hole with a couple more, and tailbed with two benches made from wood planks housed another five men. After one of the buses (not the one with a line of shark fins down the top) crossed the Gatun Locks, the driver pulled over and a mother was allowed to place her son at trees edge to empty his bladder, then all drove away. The doorman at the Melia wanted to know why the Toucan was yelling his head off, it took him awhile to translate my English “he’s saying hey ladies, look at me, I got the fruit” before he smiled. Many of the people we are running into are speaking Spanish as a second language. 
(The Panamanian buses known as the Red Devils for their wild ways and fun decorations were due to be replaced in just 15 days, however, even the Taxis drivers--like this one-- have caught on to the fun of making their home away from home fun to visit.)
We returned to the hotel to find a Toucan yelling his head off, and for drinks—Bob bought snacks, just in case he got hungry. I’m still eating less than normal, hopefully it will take a pound or two off before I return home. Tonight we plan to swim in the glorious pools that are open 24 hours a day, no restrictions. The hotel itself is almost deserted except during lunch when the buffet attracted busloads of people.
We got drinks and now Bob amused himself watching a young lady remove her bra and put on her swimsuit top without revealing anything. Her babies were then encased in floating swim suits, one, the youngest was held with his toes touching and he immediately took up kicking. Once both were in floating swim suits, they also got to have a floating ring. The eldest cries if mom pays attention to the younger or leaves him alone. The Melia property is surrounded on about 270 degrees by river/lake.
Birds:
Blue-Crowned Motmot, Summer Tanager, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Magnificent Frigatebird, Cattle Egret, Woodstork, Smooth-billed Ani, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Great-tailed Grackle, Crimson-backed Tanager, Panama Flycatcher, Thick-billed Seed Finch, Yellow-headed Caracara, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, Palm Tanager, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Blue-Gray Tanager, S. Roughwinged Swallows
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