Saturday: Final day in Panama

How terribly sad the last day was. After getting up early and flying to Panama city we spent the morning in the rainforest looking at the monstrous vegetation and learning about the rainforest ecosystem. We took turns going up into a giant crane to look around in the canopy of the rainforest. It was amazing to get a view from the top of the trees and look out onto the city of panama. I was so surprised that the rainforest was in such close proximity to the city! I figured there would be a transition between the two but they were practically on top of each other! We got to see monkeys, lots of leaf cutter ants, and a Three-toed sloth! It was an unforgettable experience.
After the crane, we headed over to the biggest of the Panama canal locks, Miraflores, which was built in 1913. We even got to see a huge boat carrying close to 4000 cars in it go through the canal from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side. it was quite incredible to watch, and the speed at which the canals filled up was astounding. It was quite a treat to see.
The next stop was at the Artisan shops. We spent close to 2 hours milling around the various shops and buying local pieces of art. Many of us left the shops with alot less cash in hand. haha

Our final stop before dinner was at the STRI lab on the Pacific side of Panama. Here, we got to take a quick tour and look around at the scenery. We got to watch a gorgeous sunset over the water and the best part was getting to see an armadillo crossing the road. We were very lucky.
Finally it was time for dinner and the group enjoyed a delightful dinner at a local restaurant. The food was amazing and it was good to sit and relax after a day on the go. After dinner we returned to Gamboa to stay in the school for a night. Everyone was in bed by 9 though because we had to be up at 4 to catch our flight.
I will try to update the blog a few more times about our post-panama activities and with some more pictures and some video. Adios!!