Showing posts with label Panama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panama. Show all posts

2011-03-31

Costa Rica - Panama 110213 Sunday

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Click to enlarge All photos, NF Photo 110213
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Time to go back home :(
San Jose           8.22   ->   Panama City   10.28
Panama City   19.40    ->  Amsterdam

Waking up time the earliest on this trip. 3.45!
Today the lugage was packed in the bus for a fast unloading. So, it was crowded. We had breakfast on the lodge before leaving. Coffe, juice, pancakes and the dripped bread, omelett. At 4 aclock in the middle of the night. Well, most of it ended up in the backpack for eating at the airport.

We drove through the night trying to get another nap. It took about an h to get to the airport. We droped Herman off on the way. And then goodbye to the CR staff.
This time I only got one window seat. But at least it was the first part down to Panama. So the Andes would be in view.

We went through the last birds at the gate while we ate the rest of the breakfast. And waited for boarding to Panama.

In Panama we left the airport as the plane for Amsterdam was not due before 19.40. We were picked up by the local guide they shall have during the stay in Panama.
We headed straight for Panama City. It was a weird town. Lots and lots of sky scrapers that was in strange shapes. And most of them not finished. Maybe they hav e the same tax rules I heard of in another country. That they had reduced taxes as long as it was not finished.
The town is located at the shore  to the Pacific. And I saw a shore with lots and lots of vaders. And we did not stop. My trigger finger scratched. :(

The guide obviousely had something in mind. We stoped at some kind of park. A lawn with a tree. On the ground some yellow finches  was feeding. Saffron Finch!

We continued to the Canal. There were ships and some laughing gulls. People seemed to find it interesting with the ships, but I got bored.

Then we went to an area with marches ans small lakes. Probably close to the Metropolitan Nat Park as we were outside a gate.  There were a brown heron, some jacanas and some other birds. And some ants that wanted to share our lunch. We walked a bit along the small lakes and birded.

We continued to Parque Nacional Soberania, a reserve in the forest. With hummer feeders and "näsbjörn". The best thing I saw there were a huge butterfly. A blue " jungfruslända" three times the size of ours. And I did not get any shot of it as it flew away before I had time to get the camera ready as I hardly believed my eyes.  
  
When we turned back to Panama city and the airport there was trouble on that old railway bridge. It was a one way lane for cars and cars could not meet on the bridge. And now it seemed as the lights was out of order and cars was standing in the middle from both directions and noone wanted to back off. It took 1 min and a polis to get one side to back its cars. Well, luckily we made it to the airport. It was a relief even if we lost some birding time. Then we said goodbye to those who should stay and headed for the gate.

And now all the trouble started. We were checked over and over. There seemed it had been an "incident" on a plane arriving from Amsterdam and now we had to suffer for that.

But that is in another post already written.

Thanks  to HG and Herman Venegas for a great trip to Costa Rica.

More about CR here:
Costa Rica Birdblogg

OM NÅGON FRÅN RESAN LÄSER DET HÄR SÅ VORE DET ROLIGT OM NI VILLE GE ER TILL KÄNNA. TRYCK BARA PÅ ORDET "KOMMENTARER" UNDER INLÄGGET SÅ KAN NI SKRIVA NÅGOT! Ni dör inte om ni gör det.

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2011-02-21

Arlanda - Amsterdam - Panama - Costa Rica

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Click to enlarge photos
All photos: NF_Photo 110227, across the Atlantic Ocean
110127 Torsdag
Arlanda 06.20 -> Amsterdam 08.35
Amsterdam 11.15 -> Panama City 16.30
Panama City 18.50 -> San Jose 19.03

Currency: CRC = Costa Rican colón = "₡" = 1kr = 73,57 öre, 100kr =7356₡   Dollar?

Jag halvsov på en brits på Arlanda och det börjar jag ju bli van vid. Väl incheckad möte jag några av de blivande deltagarna på resan. Dock inte min rumskamrat. På väg till Amsterdam hade jag fönsterplats. Men på höger sida den här gången. Försökte plåta lite städer men det gick inte så bra. I Amsterdam hittade jag blå Lotusblommor eller frön som jag ska försöka köpa på vägen hem.

Vi mötte alla i gruppen här och påbörjar vår långa dag över Atlanten. Hade även fönsterplats på den här biten. Jag såg en rund regnbåge nedanför planet. Såg lustigt ut. Enl en site ska regnbågen bildas runt planets skugga. Jag såg dock ingen skugga. http://www.weatherquesting.com/glory.htm
NF Photo 110127 over the Atlantic Ocean

Vi passerade Västindiska öarna som jag fick några bilder på. Sedan var det inte så långt kvar till Panama. Det har blivit en LÅNG dag eftersom vi flyger MED solen.

I väntan på planet från Panama vidare till Costa Rica spanade vi inifrån Panamas flygplats, vilket gav ett 10-tal arter såsom Red-breasted Starling och Northern Crested Caracara. Det var ju knepigt förståss som vanligt. Fåglarna var ju på andra sidan om planens väg till startbanan. Jag plåtade också en som jag tror är great-tailed grackle

Red-breasted Starling, ja jag vet, LÅÅÅÅNGT borta. Men jag lyckades äntligen hitta den lilla röda pricken alla kunniga män pratade om. Då har jag ändå kapat bilden lite.  :)

Planen gick i tid och kom i tid. Mörkret hade redan fallit när vi landade i San Jose. Vi passade på att växla in lite Colon. Jag tog 1000Sek till det. Sedan fick vi bagaget och gick ut för att möta Walter och Herman.

Vi stuvades in i en gammal buss tillsammans med bagaget. Trångt som bara den. Sedan bar det av norrut. Det verkade mest vara villaområden vi passerade. Men det var ett vidsträckt område. Så småningom kom vi ut på bygden. Vi åkte små, krokiga vägar och de flesta undrade nog om vi kört fel. Bussen gick inte mer än 10-20 km/h på de dåliga vägarna. Och brant var det. Modell alpvägar mitt inne i regnskogen.

Så småningom kom vi i alla fall fram till Bosque de Paz Lodge. Kl var nog nästan 22.

 Värden förstod att vi var trötta och bara ville till kojs så han hade förberett en liten välkomstpåse med juice och div annat. På gräsmattan gick Borugo (Agouti taczanowskii) världens största gnagare och betade.

Borugo (Agouti taczanowskii)
Rummet var fint men kallt. Vi behövde de extra filtar som fanns att tillgå. Tandborstning och sedan sängdags. Utanför rummet sov några blå-vita svalor.
Blue-and-white Swallow - Notiochelidon cyanoleuca


Väckning ca 5.45 för den som ville se kolibrir vakna.

More on:Costa Rica på NF Photo 2 and Costa Rica Birdblogg