Mangostine tree

Last weekend I decided to go on a hike. My original plan was going to pipeline road (a road that goes through the jungle that is only used for research), bring my net, and just enjoy nature. But when I left the house I changed my mind and went to a completely different and unknown place.

The only way to get to Gamboa is through a very small bridge -300m long- that only has one lane. It's sort of scary going in a car through it because it's not an actual paved lane, it's just two-80cm paved sections that go just under the car tires. There is a stop light in each side of the bridge to control the car flow direction. The bridge also has a railroad section and some space for pedestrians just next to the car lane (I'll post pics later). I walked to the bridge and started walking through it, the bridge passes where the Chagres river and the lake Gatun mix their waters. There is some nice breeze coming all the time. My target this time was to find a mangostine tree (mangostino in spanish). I've tried this fruit before in Colombia, and in my opinion, it probably has one of the most exquisite flavors among tropical and temperate fruits. Somebody told me that the tree was just next to the bridge, although I had absolutely no idea how it was going to look like. I scanned a few trees I saw with no luck, no fruits, or old fruits on the ground. Just past the bridge to the left, there was this beautiful tree, with intense green and dense foliage. It had no flowers or fruits, and it was located just at the edge of the Chagres river. I started searching the ground, and there they were, mangostines! The fruits I found were old and dry, but now I know were I can get these amazing fruits! I just hope the tree gives some fruits before I leave this place.

Getting used to life in the Jungle

Well, it's been a month living in a magical place in the middle of the Jungle. Unlike my first days here, now time is passing so fast and I just want every second to last forever here...

I can't complain at all, the first days were a little bit rough, but once I moved to my current apartment things started getting better and better. I'm living in a house owned by a Danish-American couple. Many people from here say that it's probably the best place to live in Gamboa. The place is nice, my room is big, and decorated tastefully with local and foreign native indian crafts. The kitchen has whatever I need to cook the most complex recipes, -although I haven't been able to cook anything-, we have hot water, satellite tv, and internet access. It's weird to have this little bubble of civilization in the middle of the rain forest. The husband is called Ani, he is an old man full of amazing stories. We sometimes sit after lunch and talk a little bit. One afternoon he told me that he was taken as a war prisoner by the Japanese army by mistake. He was just a tall 13 year-old boy wandering around the woods in Indonesia -were he was raised- and the Japs thought he was an American soldier. They kept him during 3 years and was treated just like any other prisoner, "I had to grow up really fast", he said when telling me the story, "Life has been so kind to me, I'm really lucky" I thought...

Well, not many animals this time, jajaja