Gavia
Well-known member
Panama Trip Report
12-27 January 2011
Canopy Tower and Lodge
This was the second trip to Panama for the Canadian-based Maritimes Nature Travel Club. The first was in 2005, and that trip report is available on-line here.
In 2005 we spent two weeks in-country, the first week at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at a coastal resort on Playa Blanca. During the second week we contracted with Canopy Tower for three day-trips to the El Valle de Anton area, where the Canopy Lodge is now located (it was under construction in 2005).
For our return trip we booked our first week, as earlier, at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at the Canopy Lodge. I pre-arranged all our group’s outings with Raul Parias, the owner and operator of the Tower and the Lodge.
Day One - January 12
Most of our group, 11 of 14 participants, were to fly from Halifax to Panama City via Newark, New Jersey. We always try, whenever possible, to avoid any U.S. city in our travel plans, but regrettably there is as yet no direct service between Canada and Panama, though one will commence next June. One couple were flying from Toronto via Houston, and our last (but not least) participant flew from Germany via Amsterdam.
A nasty winter storm had passed over the New England states on January 11, and though snowfall amounts were modest by Canadian standards most of the U.S. airports, Newark Liberty included, cancelled most flights on the 11th. U.S.-based airports always seem to be unprepared for clearing even modest amounts of snow from runways. Perhaps only Heathrow is worse?
The storm was scheduled to increase in intensity and move into the Halifax area by the afternoon of January 12, our departure date. Our flight to Newark was delayed by three hours, not because of conditions in Halifax, but because they still had not cleared the runways of snow in Newark.
Our flight did eventually depart Halifax, though 4.5 hours late, which meant we would miss our connecting flight to Panama City. Did I mention that our carrier was Continental, one of the wretched U.S. based airlines? It is in the process of amalgamating with United Airlines, and I can’t foresee that there will be any improvement in reliability or customer service.
Our superb travel agent in Halifax had already booked us onto the next day’s afternoon flight from Newark to Panama City, which meant that we would arrive only one day late. We arrived, perforce, in Newark, but most of our checked luggage did not. Continental chose to put most of our checked bags on a later flight out of Halifax, and that flight, being a turboprop, was duly cancelled. This, of course, according to Continental, was not its fault, as they blame everything on the weather.
We overnighted at one of a series of Marriot hotels (one without a restaurant), but an adjacent Marriot Hotel did have a restaurant, and it was within walking distance. All our group had, fortunately, taken travel insurance for this trip, so our unexpected hotel and meal expenses would be reimbursed, but I am sure everyone became bored with my frequent reminders to "keep your receipts".
Day Two - January 13
We spent the morning in the hotel, having a leisurely (and unprepossessing) breakfast, the cost of which was included in the room price. By looking out of the hotel over the urban barren city scape that surrounds Liberty airport, we did manage to catch sight of a few routine local species with which to begin our trip list: the Big Three (Rock Pigeon, House Sparrow, European Starling), and a few odds and ends, such as Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Great Black-backed Gull.
There was free WIFI at the hotel (unlike Liberty airport, where one must pay), so I was in correspondence with the staff at the Canopy Tower, rearranging our intinerary for the first week, since we were to miss a day. We scrubbed two "soft" non-nature outings, including a tour of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. Sometimes sacrifices must be made.
We headed to the airport at noon in the hopes of learning more regarding the missing luggage (8 of 11 in the group were without their checked bags), and were distressed to learn that the bags would not arrive in time for our late afternoon flight to Panama City. We duly boarded that flight, and were surprised that Continental did provide a hot meal of a sort, but they charged for everything else on the plane, including the privilege of watching the seat-back TV.
We were delayed in our departure from Newark by the long queues for plane de-icing, and as we picked up only a little time on our 5.5 hour flight, we arrived in Panama City just before midnight. We were picked up by Canopy Tower staff, and met our main guide for our Tower stay, Alexis. The transfer to the Tower was efficient (we saw Peccary in the van’s headlights), and we were in our beds before 0200. We were fortunate there was little jet lag (Panama is on Eastern Standard time), as we were facing a short night’s sleep. But our adventure could now truly begin.
Stay tuned for the next posting, likely later today.
12-27 January 2011
Canopy Tower and Lodge
This was the second trip to Panama for the Canadian-based Maritimes Nature Travel Club. The first was in 2005, and that trip report is available on-line here.
In 2005 we spent two weeks in-country, the first week at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at a coastal resort on Playa Blanca. During the second week we contracted with Canopy Tower for three day-trips to the El Valle de Anton area, where the Canopy Lodge is now located (it was under construction in 2005).
For our return trip we booked our first week, as earlier, at the Canopy Tower, and the second week at the Canopy Lodge. I pre-arranged all our group’s outings with Raul Parias, the owner and operator of the Tower and the Lodge.
Day One - January 12
Most of our group, 11 of 14 participants, were to fly from Halifax to Panama City via Newark, New Jersey. We always try, whenever possible, to avoid any U.S. city in our travel plans, but regrettably there is as yet no direct service between Canada and Panama, though one will commence next June. One couple were flying from Toronto via Houston, and our last (but not least) participant flew from Germany via Amsterdam.
A nasty winter storm had passed over the New England states on January 11, and though snowfall amounts were modest by Canadian standards most of the U.S. airports, Newark Liberty included, cancelled most flights on the 11th. U.S.-based airports always seem to be unprepared for clearing even modest amounts of snow from runways. Perhaps only Heathrow is worse?
The storm was scheduled to increase in intensity and move into the Halifax area by the afternoon of January 12, our departure date. Our flight to Newark was delayed by three hours, not because of conditions in Halifax, but because they still had not cleared the runways of snow in Newark.
Our flight did eventually depart Halifax, though 4.5 hours late, which meant we would miss our connecting flight to Panama City. Did I mention that our carrier was Continental, one of the wretched U.S. based airlines? It is in the process of amalgamating with United Airlines, and I can’t foresee that there will be any improvement in reliability or customer service.
Our superb travel agent in Halifax had already booked us onto the next day’s afternoon flight from Newark to Panama City, which meant that we would arrive only one day late. We arrived, perforce, in Newark, but most of our checked luggage did not. Continental chose to put most of our checked bags on a later flight out of Halifax, and that flight, being a turboprop, was duly cancelled. This, of course, according to Continental, was not its fault, as they blame everything on the weather.
We overnighted at one of a series of Marriot hotels (one without a restaurant), but an adjacent Marriot Hotel did have a restaurant, and it was within walking distance. All our group had, fortunately, taken travel insurance for this trip, so our unexpected hotel and meal expenses would be reimbursed, but I am sure everyone became bored with my frequent reminders to "keep your receipts".
Day Two - January 13
We spent the morning in the hotel, having a leisurely (and unprepossessing) breakfast, the cost of which was included in the room price. By looking out of the hotel over the urban barren city scape that surrounds Liberty airport, we did manage to catch sight of a few routine local species with which to begin our trip list: the Big Three (Rock Pigeon, House Sparrow, European Starling), and a few odds and ends, such as Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Great Black-backed Gull.
There was free WIFI at the hotel (unlike Liberty airport, where one must pay), so I was in correspondence with the staff at the Canopy Tower, rearranging our intinerary for the first week, since we were to miss a day. We scrubbed two "soft" non-nature outings, including a tour of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. Sometimes sacrifices must be made.
We headed to the airport at noon in the hopes of learning more regarding the missing luggage (8 of 11 in the group were without their checked bags), and were distressed to learn that the bags would not arrive in time for our late afternoon flight to Panama City. We duly boarded that flight, and were surprised that Continental did provide a hot meal of a sort, but they charged for everything else on the plane, including the privilege of watching the seat-back TV.
We were delayed in our departure from Newark by the long queues for plane de-icing, and as we picked up only a little time on our 5.5 hour flight, we arrived in Panama City just before midnight. We were picked up by Canopy Tower staff, and met our main guide for our Tower stay, Alexis. The transfer to the Tower was efficient (we saw Peccary in the van’s headlights), and we were in our beds before 0200. We were fortunate there was little jet lag (Panama is on Eastern Standard time), as we were facing a short night’s sleep. But our adventure could now truly begin.
Stay tuned for the next posting, likely later today.