PANAMA CITY, Panama – Our speedboat trail of white foam stretches in a wide arc far behind as we race across Lake Gatun. We’re searching for monkeys on the islands scattered across this massive man-made lake.
As the boat nears the promisingly named Monkey Island, it pulls close to the bank where several tree branches overhang the water. There!
The ranger whispers that the little creatures with red patches of hair behind their ears are tamarin monkeys. They scamper through the lower branches, and two jump onto the bow of the boat, jostling for tidbits of food that the guide unfortunately offers. Still, we get a close-up view. The tamarins soon retreat, and the guide points out black-mantled howler monkeys, including a baby, up in the foliage.
This is Day Three of our week here.
