One major highway snakes its way through the countryside transecting whats left of tropical dry forests. Small two lane divergences in the western portion split off and direct you westward towards Costa Rica or north through the cloud forests and onto the Caribbean coast. We stop in Penonome for a quick meal - Pio Pio is our dining option and a chance for me to dig deep in the memory bank, babble out some broken Spanish and hope to order something appetizing. With a couple of attempts and chuckles from the ladies behind the counter, I pay for my meal and soda. In my periphery I catch lots of stares our way as we enjoy our hard earned meal - two Canadians, an American, and a Panamanian - a ragtag bunch out of place in a corner booth.
From the backseat I'm enjoying the view of the countryside, snapping away some shots as we zip by farmland, mountains, and small towns. All of a sudden I notice a police officer on a motorbike along the road side and he begins to wave us over to the shoulder. I was told by my travel companions that government on the lower levels in the country was often corrupt, and that on many occasions money exchanged hands in lieu of citations. The officer begins rattling off in Spanish and we're having a difficult time keeping up. Mario begins to inform us that the officer is citing us for driving too fast near the pedestrian overpass, driving continuously in the left lane, and for some other minor issue. The more Mario talks with him, the more calm the officer becomes, and then asks to talk with Mario. After a few minutes, he brings his book of rules & regs over to the car and hands it to us, showing us the infractions we've committed. Mario tells us in English "I think this cop likes money." I shove $20 in his regulation book and hand it back to him. He informs Mario that it would be beneficial to ride in the front seat while traveling with us to avoid any other enforcement issues and sends us on our way.
It's late in the afternoon on our drive and we're keeping our eyes out for any significant wildlife, reptiles especially. So far the only highlight was seeing a roadkill silky anteater on the highway. A few minutes later and we notice a snake on the road, unfortunately already clipped by passing traffic. We stop to take a quick look.... it's a parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla), similar to the green snakes found in North America These long, slender serpents are primarily arboreal and feed upon tree frogs. They possess small rear fangs and are mildly venomous, more so an irritant to a larger animal, however reactions tend to vary and can cause some significant swelling. Excited for finding an actual reptile we hop back in and continue on towards our destination.
We begin the ascent into the mountains near Fortuna just around dark. This area is characterized by sharp winding roads that are continuously under attack by the elements and significant elevation changes. This is cloud forest habitat, home to such species as solitary eagles, quetzals, mountain vipers and black milksnakes. It begins to rain, periodically heavy at times, making the drive a bit challenging. The temperatures begin to plummet as we climb from 60m above sea level, going from roughly 85 degrees in the late evening to the lower 60s as we reach about 1.1km in elevation. We begin seeing one of the more common inhabitants of the country, cane toads, hopping along the roadsides. About 20 minutes after the rain began, we're slamming on brakes as our driver cries out "snake!" I grab my camera and pile out to find disappointed faces. In my friend's hands is a spectacular species that I was hoping to see, Rhinobothryum bovallii - the banded snake, writhing from being clipped by a car ahead of us. It was a bittersweet moment, seeing such a wonderful animal that is not a common find in the area in its last moments of life. As the rain picks up, we get back into the car, mixed expressions still on our faces and continue on to our destination in Changuinola.
We arrive late into the night, with sounds of a siesta rising up from the town. Baseball is the national sport of Panama, with the NY Yankees being the team of choice. Pitcher Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian native and has spent his entire MLB career with the team. The streets are crowded with people all around the town's center where the baseball stadium is located. Bright lights, kids on bicycles, and stereos blasting on every corner - it was quite a sight after driving through remote regions with spotted homesteads along the way. We make our way on to the place we'll be staying - land belonging to friends of Mario where we'd planned to setup a tent and camp for the next few days. Mario suggests we explore the hillsides behind the cottage, so we grab lights, hooks, and camera gear to explore this coastal jungle habitat....
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