What an excellent night of sleep.  I know I was tired after so many mornings of very early awakening and then flying for a good portion of the day but I do not remember one time having to get up during the night, even briefly.  My Fitbit says I slept for nine hours and that, for me, is extremely unusual. Great way to start the day.  I opened my curtains to my balcony to see a beautiful sunrise but, as I had not yet had a cup of coffee, never even thought to take a picture.  I watched the sun rise, listened to the jungle sounds and then made myself a cup of French press Café con leche.

I don’t know if I previously mentioned my addiction to coffee—and, not just any coffee.  I want it strong.  I usually buy a combination of beans – Cuban, French roast, Italian espresso, and perhaps a bit of New Orleans chicory which I grind together.  When at home, I use an old fashioned Italian espresso maker that goes on top of the stove.  Over my lifetime, I have owned some very expensive cappuccino/espresso machines but have found the simple Bialetti Moka pot to produce the best cup of coffee.

Obviously, I cannot count on having a stove in my hotel room so for travel, I have purchased a dual voltage collapsible pot and a travel French press.  I usually pack enough of my coffee bean mixture and bring along sufficient Mini Moos as well as sugar and Splenda.  Throughout my travels, I have found that I enjoy coffee made in most countries other than the United States but usually I want a cup as soon as I arise—before showering and dressing.  My pot and cup take up about as much space as an outfit so you see where my priorities lie.

Interesting fact–As Panama City is only a little more than 60 miles from the equator, daylight hours remain pretty constant at twelve hours per day with sunrise and sunset at around 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM respectively.

I signed up for a combination tour—aerial tram, nature preserve, and Gatun lake tour to commence at 9:15 AM.  I and eight others stated out with the tram.  Here’s one of the main differences at this jungle lodge versus others I have stayed in.  Instead of hiking to the destination (less than a mile), we were picked up in this funky-looking truck and were driven to the tram.

The tram offered a beautiful view—being taken above the trees and afforded the opportunity to see birds and monkeys up in their natural habitat.  Then, after getting off the tram, we walked up a very gradual ramp to the observation deck—10 stories and I didn’t even break a sweat.  That tells you how gradual the climb was.😊

After the tram, we visited the nature preserve where various injured animals were being taken care of.  There were, of course, parrots and monkeys, but two animals I had not seen in the Amazon were ocelots and sloths.  We were up close and personal as some of these animals had been injured as babies, thus never learned how to live in the wild and cannot be released.  We also visited the frog preserve, the butterfly preserve, as well as the orchid house.

Finishing the nature preserve, five of us were once again picked up to be taken to the marina for the canal tour.  Within about 5 minutes, we were in the Panama Canal, side by side with huge boats making their way to the Pacific.  We were told that mornings are for the Atlantic to Pacific crossings while the reverse is true in the afternoon.  Apparently though, it depends daily on conditions and the number and type of vessels traversing the canal.  Canal crossings occur 24 hours a day and it can take up to 18 hours for the complete crossing.  US military vessels take priority in transit.  Some vessels are restricted to daylight crossings.

Besides watching several of the vessels, we also went around Gatun Lake searching for animals.  Many, many birds, including toucans were sighted but I wasn’t quick enough to capture their picture.  Panama is home to caiman and crocodiles but never saw any on this trip.  We did see turtles resting on a log and at one point, the captain nosed our boat into an island where little monkeys actually came on board!