El Diablo Rojo, The Red Devil Bus Transportation in Panama City

Estoy en Panama! The trip here was fun, had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and one of my best girlfriends Sarah picked me up. We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast then spent hours at the Bodies Exhibit. I hopped on the plane that evening and four hours later landed in Panama City. I was greeted by the smiling faces of interns who had also just arrived and Johnny the chef who picked us up. As we drove into the city a cop car had its array of flashing lights on the entire time while it was driving along. Well, you don't see that often in the USA.



Now I'm sitting on a huge, bright green whicker couch amongst green, blue and yellow pillows. The wall next to me has been painted in beautifully brilliant colored swirls. The entire floor is made up of burgundy tiles and parallel lined tiles with paintings of birds and hearts. Kalu Yala's fury mascot is Gatun, a boxer mix of some sort. This fifth floor apartment is home to the interns who spend their days in Panama City. I will be staying here a few days out of the week to use the internet and facilities. The apartment is large, with roughly four rooms that can fit up to four or five people. There is a spacious dining room, large kitchen, living room, and the entry way holds a few chairs and two brightly colored hammocks. I had the luxury to relax in one last night when temperatures were at their lowest for the evening, probably eighty degrees.

My New Year's resolution was to bring the joy of yoga back into my life and so this morning I laid my mat out by the hammocks and listened to my aching body and the chirps, toots, and whistle of birds outside. There are a lot of windows here and the entry way looks like a huge balcony with no windows but completely open to the outside and guarded by white posts. While sitting on my mat I can look out into the park filled with tropical trees and birds.  The building is surrounded by skyscrapers and palm trees.

There are a lot of interns arriving all the time and we all have different skills to bring. There are a lot of outdoor recreation folks, an organic farmer, agricultural, business, teachers, couple guys are making toilets at the research center in the remote valley, and I have yet to meet another biology intern. Tomorrow we are all meeting for orientation and then I'm not sure if I'm headed off into the valley. I will be spending almost all of my time there. I asked how we get to and from the valley and Panama City. We take the bus! I'm excited to do this, it's a great way to meet locals, learn about their culture, and practice spanish. To get into the valley apparently the road is very difficult to travel on, this road takes you to the somewhat remote village of San Miguel. From there interns hike about three miles to the Kalu Yala center. Not sure what to call it and don't know what to expect of the place. It will be very rustic and home to interns working on outdoor recreation, biology, and maybe some other programs. Just so you get a feel for how rustic it is, for the first time this year we get a toilet!

Will keep ya posted!