A few days after arriving back to Shelter Bay Marina we had boat projects wrapping up and our daughter Sarah joined us for a whirlwind visit. We showed her the sights on the north side of the canal and then spent a couple days in the Panama City area exploring before she returned to school at Baylor University. Along with the historical sights we had an extraordinary run of wildlife encounters including two sloths crossing roads, a rare thing indeed. There were dozens of monkeys and coatimundi along the road out of the marina the couple days we drove it. The anteater was a rare treat too.
We took a boat trip on the canal/Lake Gatun and found out that capuchin monkeys bathe with lemon juice for its disinfectant properties. We got to watch one smash a lemon repeatedly against the branch and then rub it on his fur. Among the reptiles, we also found the elusive tamarin monkeys, aka mono titi. These were easily the best critters of the week.
We found an AirBnB located in the center of Casco Viejo, Panama City, for our last 2 nights in Panama City. Had a beautiful view of the main cathedral and it was central to all the night life. Interestingly, our shower had floor level windows to the street and no covering at all. We chose to shower in the dark rather than provide public entertainment!
Took Sarah to Ft. Clayton to show her the office and living quarters of her Oma and Opa when they were stationed here back in 1991. Sarah was quite impressed with her grandfather’s status in the Army. We visited the Mira Flores locks and watched a cruise ship transit the canal.
Sad to say goodbye but we are sure to see Sarah again in the near future. Great visit!!
Welcome back to the sailing life. Hope that the boat is well now and soon you can continue your voyage into the Caribbean Sea? Love following your adventure and glad to see the visit from your daughter. Happy trip!
Hey Rick, nice to hear from you! Our next post will be from the San Blas Islands, where we are truly living remotely so stay tuned. Fair winds and following seas
Don’t the sloths get run over all the time?
Yes. Apparently it’s their leading cause of death. They only come down out of trees once a week or so to go to the bathroom, and apparently to cross roads!