TREAT DAY!!

PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT

34c with 92% HUMIDITY


As the ship approached the entrance to the Panama Canal the sun had not yet risen although there was enough light to take pictures. It was 6am. The Panamanian crew have already boarded the ship and will now pilot and navigate into and out of the locks as well as through Gatun Lake.

We were very thankful that we had studied and read up on the details of the history, construction, route and current lease because, to our surprise, many passengers hadn’t a clue.

Did you know that the canal actually runs north and south?

The first set of locks, call the Gatun Locks, are a set of three locks in immediate succession.

These locks lift the ships to the level of the man made Gatun Lake. It is a massive lake that occupies over half of the peninsula.

As we were manuvered through the locks by the “Mules” we had plenty of time to watch the precision with which the dock crew handle the ship. It was also very interesting to see the excavations and concrete work for the new canal with is being constructed on the east side of the present canal. A MASSIVE project.

We started entering the first lock at 6:30am and finally exited at the top into the lake at 8:10am. It was at this point that I heard one of the passengers ask if we had now entered the Pacific Ocean. You gotta do your homework lady.

The trip through the lake takes about 6 hours. The trip takes you through some of the most interesting landscape. At the beginning it is fairly flat and mostly jungle. Here and there you come across a town but the north end is less inhabited than the south end.

In many parts of the lake they a busy dredging the navigation channel to accommodate the largest ships new plying the waters of the world. This, however, stirs up the mud and lake very muddy looking in many areas.

During the day the ship staff walked about on deck with ice clothes. They were facecloths soaked in ice cold water carried in basins with ice. A great way to cool down. I often wet my cap in very cold water and wore that until it was warm and dry and then repeated the procedure. Beside keeping cool we drank gallons of water, used sunscreen and tried to stand in shade if it was possible.

Once through the lake you enter the narrowest part of the canal and that is the Culebra Cut. More like sailing down a large river.

As you cross the Continental Divide there was a mountain that used to ‘cross’ where there is now a massive cut through the mountain. The Gaillard Cut.

At the end of the cut we finally came to the Pedro Miguel locks. This one is just one lock that takes the ship down the first step into a small lake. Once across the lake you enter the last set of locks called the Miraflores Locks. A set of two lock that take the ships down to the Pacific Ocean.

For whom the bell tolls. It was in these locks that we were stalled for well over an hour because of 3 medical emergencies. Two people were taken off to waiting ambulances and one was taken off… (no longer needing medical care due to massive heart attack).

Once that was all taken care of we continued through the last lock into the port of the City of Panama. The route took us under the “Bridge of the America’s”, the main highway connection between North and South America.

Not far into the harbour we had a most amazing view of Panama City with it’s surprisingly vertical skyline.



Then the final Panamanian Pilot left the ship and we were on our way out into the Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is at approximately 9 degrees latitude. To get around the peninsula we continued heading south through the gulf of Panama to approximately 6.5 degrees before heading west into the Pacific and sometime during the night we turned north. The sun rose into our cabin this morning so we were heading north.

Any surprises? One was the cleanliness of the whole canal project. The docks and working area are spotless. Another was the immensity of the whole project including the construction of the new portion of the canal. I had no idea what to expect with Gatun Lake but it is a small ocean itself, although fresh water.

The weather was hot but it’s probably a good thing that we have been in hot weather since leaving Florida so that has given us some time to acclimatize.

The ship rocks more here on the Pacific. The waves are slower but larger so taking a shower this morning was interesting. Trying to keep your balance while showering takes the experience to a whole new level. Neither of us fell out of the tub however. There are bars to hold on to just in case.

Today we are travelling close enough to land that we can see islands and mountains in the distance from time to time.

The Panama Transit day was indeed a Treat Day!!!! Wow!!!

Next stop Costa Rica on Thursday where we have booked a jungle canopy tour. Skyride and a tree top swinging bridges hike.