Endangered animals are projected on Empire State Building
Images of endangered animals were crawling and swimming across the Empire State Building. It was all part of the first light show of its kind in ESB history. Awesome display! It’s also a timely reminder of the impact and devastation caused by incidents like the hunting of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe.
Firstly, I’ll show you some gifs and photos. Secondly, I’ll explain how they did it. Finally, you’ll learn why they did this ambitious project. Here we go!
Empire State Tribute To Endangered Animals
How’d they do it?
They used 40 light cannons projecting images of wildlife upon the Empire State Building. After that, design firm Obscura Digital put it together for $1 million.
Who put it together?
The Oceanic Preservation Society organized it. They teamed up with the filmmakers of the new documentary, Racing Extinction. To clarify, it’s a documentary about humans’ impact on threatened species. Louie Psihoyos was also the director of The Cove.
I couldn’t hear most of the Racing Extinction music because of where I was set up.
Photos of animals on the Empire State Building:
You’ll notice some of the 160 species that were featured on the Empire State Building skyscraper. For example, here are some in group shots:
Cecil the Lion (on left)
This was the first of its kind; the Empire State Building is typically lit up with colors for weekly occasions and even light shows.
For example, click the below thumbnail for a full-size image:
We found Cecil the Lion (on left)!
photography by mariacelestearraras
And, here’s another video:
In conclusion, it was both an impressive display. Above all, I think it makes a powerful statement. I hope they do it again!
Most of these were my photography, besides a few from mariacelestearraras and empirestatebldg. In addition, check out NBC, Daily Mail, Gothamist for more great pics.
Travelers consistently say that Bocas del Toro Panama is among their favorite parts of Central America, especially for backpackers and travelers. Bocas is an archipelago (group of islands) with beautiful beaches, wildlife, adventure, and great backpacker vibe. It also has good food, and a great party scene that attracts backpackers from around the world.
Most people have only heard of Bocas del Toro Panama from the TV series Survivor (17 countries filmed there) – it’s a real place and worth a visit. While many people visiting Panama only get to Panama City, Bocas is a hidden gem.
5 days of Island Hopping in Bocas
Every day we chose an activity or an island to go to – then hopped in a boat to go check it out.
31 photo tour of Bocas del Toro Panama
Here’s a 31-photo tour, with some highlights from our five days of island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama:
Playa La Estrella – Starfish Beach
While it doesn’t get nearly as much acclaim as the other beaches, Playa La Estrella has easily the most beautiful water next to their nearly private beaches. The name literally translates to Starfish Beach, and you can see why – they’re everywhere!
Starfish everywhere! – Playa La Estrella, Bocas del Toro Panama
Playa La Estrella, the most beautiful beach in Bocas
Have you ever seen this many starfish?
Tip: please do NOT touch the starfish or take them out of water – it actually kills them.
“Star Beach – please don’t touch the stars!”The water at Playa Estrella is as clear as any Caribbean beachWith water up my neck, you can still see the starfish – and my feet. It was THAT clear.
Sunsets in Bocas del Toro Panama:
this was actually part of our hostel, Pukalani Hostel
The views are amazing all over the Bocas del Toro archipelago – it’s even more beautiful after the sun goes down.
Photo from ecocircuitospanamaRoundhouse kick! This was our afternoon workout.
Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimentos
Red Frog Beach is the most famous of the Bocas del Toro beaches. It includes the combination of hiking and rare Red Frogs in the forests right near the beach. I liked this beach, but found La Estrella to be more of my idea of relaxation.
Red Frogs are fascinating but tiny – most were an inch long (about the size of my pinky finger)
Lots of people were learning to surf at Red Frog Beach. You can see the lush green forest jet out on the right.Jumping pic on Red Frog Beach! I take jumping photos in nearly every country I visitTiny Red Frog from Red Frog Beach – they’re all this small
Dolphins in Bocas del Toro Panama!
There’s dolphins all around the archipelago. You can book a dolphin tour, but we saw lots of dolphins just on our various boat trips to snorkeling while island hopping in Bocas Panama.
Nearly every meal comes with a beautiful view. We couldn’t get enough of the seafood, which was super fresh, being a busy archipelago. Most of the restaurants are on Isla Colon, but a few others are just a short boat ride away. Dress at most restaurants, even the fancier restaurants, are “beach town casual” (as we call it).
Most of the restaurants have seating either overlooking the water or on a deckThe seafood was delicious – one of the benefits of being on islands. This was fresh tuna, caught that morning. Yum!Tasty dinner at Barracuda, which ironically is an italian restaurant with few seafood options. Still it was delicious!Meals are right on the water. Yes! Dress is beach town casual, even at the nicer places.While there’s plenty of inexpensive backpacker options, there’s plenty of of delicious moderately priced seafood. That top photo is a “surf-n-turf” – lobster tail and steak. The bottom included a mix of seafood (calamari, shrimp) in marinara sauce.Hmm…do I want “Chicken in a Hole” or Porridge? Like many countries that don’t natively speak english, there’s a few curious english descriptions. Another example is directly below…Begging for a caption – see sign above us. “Killin me man sauce”The waterfront is this colorful. Loved it!
Surfing in Bocas too!
There’s a bunch of spots for surfing, and each surf company seemed to have their secret spots, depending on what level you are, and what time of day we’re going out. We were complete novices (I learned how to surf in Bali but apparently you don’t become an expert of going just once). There’s apparently really good surfing in Bocas, as the one of the top surfers in Panama is actually from Bocas del Toro.
We snapped this photo after we got back from a morning of surfing. There’s no waves in the photo but there were plenty when we were out on the water.
Tip: Our surf lessons were at a secluded area right off the beach. Do NOT leave anything of any value on the beach. Don’t leave your wallet, phone or camera – it will disappear. While Bocas is generally very safe, it’s not the richest of areas, so leaving anything by the beach is just begging them to walk with your stuff. Bring your rented board and that’s it – we were warned that even t-shirts get disappear. Bocas isn’t dangerous, but your belongings are valuable to others.
Time to find some waves! There’s plenty of places to surf while island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama. Unfortunately this was not one of them (just a posed photo after our morning of surfing).
Snorkeling & kayaking around the islands
Take a boat trip to go snorkeling – ours was relaxing and came with a delicious lunch. Rent a kayak and enjoy the waters.
The Bocas archipelago has 9 main islands, 52 cays, and thousands of islets with coral reefs and mangroves. Kayaks and boats aren’t the only ways to get around –
Transportation in Bocas
Isla Colon is the main island where the vast majority of restaurants and bars are located. There’s guys on the docks just waiting for your business – it was never difficult to find someone to take us on boat to the other islands. We also took taxis, bikes, kayaks, and more.
The taxi actually drives onto the beach – there’s no road for them to drive on. I assumed I’d have a long walk to the get home. Surprising!
Check out the quality the bicycles before you rent them. We rented bikes for just $5 for the day – as it turns out they were appropriately priced. My didn’t even have handles and had a slow leaking flat.
Getting to Bocas – your only option might be a quick flight on a prop plane from Air Panama from Panama City.
Pukalani Hostel
We stayed at the oceanfront Pukalani Hostel, located right on the water and even includes a pool! It’s located away from the craziness (and noise) of Bocas Town, but close enough to take a quick cheap taxi to and from the party. It was perfect for us, although it’s a bit far from the action.
Pukalani has a swimming pool, pool table, punching bag, BBQ, and decent free WiFi. The family that runs it are super friendly and welcoming. They have a kitchen too – the food was adequate for when you can’t make it into town.
Pukalani “hostel” – photo taken from outside my room. Can you believe this is a hostel?
Location: It’s a short taxi ride, and while it’s walkable during the day, after dark there’s no street lights so you might consider the taxi. At times you might wish you were closer to the restaurants and bars staying in Bocas town, but this location gives you a chance to recharge and actually sleep when some bars are still raging. And did I mention it’s right on the water with a pool?!? It was our home base while island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama.
A dose of reality –
Keep in mind that it rains quite a bit in Bocas; I was lucky to have a dry week, but I’ve heard that’s not typical. Also, not all beaches are as beautiful as Playa Estrella. We were a little disappointed with the quality of the beaches until we stumbled upon Star Beach. The best part of Bocas was the backpacker community.
Bocas del Toro Panama nighlife!
The best part of Bocas may be the Bocas nightlife, where travelers from around the world all go out and meet each other over a few libations. Check out my post on Bocas after dark.
