The forests of the legendary quetzal

For: Daniel Landa

The scenery was out of place. The mountains seemed painted a dark green and ghostly mist swayed between alpine looking houses. We rescued the suitcase with clothes that fit an autumn nonexistent in the rest of the Caribbean countries. The province of Chiriqui, in western Panama, cloud forest home, where you installed permanently humid weather makes plants grow exaggeratedly.

The responsible tourism that accompanied us in this part of the country was called Eric. Lived hung the phone trying to mobilize anyone who could help us find her beloved territory. He was a man vocation. Almost without realizing we were unloading the luggage in a small hotel with a fireplace in the town of Guadalupe. According to the plan we had to travel directly recording the capital of Panama but Eric corrected route, contacted several hotels, coordinated to different expert guides and got improvise our stay in the cloud forest region, looking to win a battle to the irresistible promoting destinations Panamanian coast. I always appreciate your tenacity.

The bird in question was argued legendary powers and from early to modern Mayan Guatemalans have always in awe to the quetzal

The next morning we went to tour the call of the Quetzal Trail. It, our bird expert guide, was pessimistic from the beginning. Speaking of the quetzal was like a mythological creature mention. The bird in question was argued legendary powers and from early to modern Mayan Guatemalans have always in awe to the quetzal. It is also the symbol of Guatemala. We remember fondly the illusion that our good friend Walter, in the land of the Maya, showed when he commented "ay, if I could see a quetzal ".

At a bend in the road, Ito took a tape recorder that played the sound of these birds, a kind of dry cry, without lyric. Then shrugged.

-In the past month have not been here quetzales.

-Well, insists you with the lure, to see if we're lucky, 'I said.

-It is very difficult, is a very elusive bird usually… -Ito was stopped abruptly and opened his mouth wide as he pointed a branch-… I can not believe. Look there!

Ito was stopped abruptly and opened his mouth wide as he pointed a branch-… I can not believe. Look there!

And look at the tree pointing to discover, how to jump, from branch to branch, a pair of quetzals. Ito made gestures of disbelief while we desenfundamos cameras. We managed to record a male chest emerald green with red. Its tail is forked in two very long feathers and his head was a kind of imperial crest. The female lacked the majestic tail, but the couple did represent quite a find. Here were our quetzales. Moon, if Walter had seen them ...

That day, They told us all, was unusual. Not only we saw this couple ... until six beautiful quetzals appeared fluttering on the way! The trail ended at a place called the start, and from there we see the valley where the view reaches the Baru volcano, on a day that also gave us a clear sky.

During the time we spent at the mountain hotel, had the opportunity to go fishing for trout, approaching planting fields on the tops of the hills or visit a greenhouse with the most eccentric varieties of orchids. They also had carnivorous plants and landscaped ponds with water lilies something like. But perhaps the most overwhelming was adjacent to the cabins of Cerro Punta.

The ferns were over two meters tall and hummingbirds suddenly appeared on tropical flowers to disappear the next moment.

Getting to meet all these huts meant a rally with our 4×4, they had to ford rivers and into the bush roads was gradually strangling. But there were those cabins in the heart of a forest so green that drowned. The moss covered logs and leaves were gigantic size, as in a fable. The ferns were over two meters tall and hummingbirds suddenly appeared on tropical flowers to disappear the next moment. The prehistoric-looking forest produced a mystical silence in all of us, perhaps for fear of waking any beast of proportions similar to those of plants. In fact in these forests inhabited by tapir, and even, as we had Ito, Ever seen the figure of the black panther among huge rods. But it will be very difficult for us to see today, concluded with his pessimism, or optionally, perhaps was more optimistic comment.

The cabins were hidden among the plants, isolated. They were simple two-story buildings, with a balcony from which one could see the burst of nature. It was a place away from the Caribbean, because in the tropics there are places that do not require the magic of the beaches. He knows well the quetzal, who prefers to hide in the woods, away from the noise of men and chirping their history where no one can hear you.

In those camouflaged huts in the world would I ever born.

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Comments (5)

  • Montse

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    How can they say that paradise does not exist? But ye have visited and what is more, shared with us. Thanks!

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  • Lydia

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    Course, is fortunate to have seen the quetzals. Well, and everything else that you tell us. That makes forest fires the imagination.

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  • Daniel Landa

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    Course, Lydia y Montse, is a dream. I want to clarify one thing: the bird that is on the cover of the video is the quetzal, a secondary has been cast on the front page 😉 The quetzal is the bird that comes out (two copies) near the end of the video, with red breast. I know that there is a close, but is the most you get closer, not too bad for this elusive bird to looks…

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  • Angel spiny

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    I live in this province chiriqui panama and it is difficult to observe this bird is a privilege your observation

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  • Marine carriba ROSSELLO

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    Thank you for sharing so wonderful

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