Today was our Panama Canal partial transit. We had wanted to do the full transit (Pacific to Atlantic) but it wasn’t offered on the dates we were in Panama City. The tour started at 3:30 am with a transfer to the docks at the Amador Causeway, then we boarded the Pacific Queen and set out for the Panama Canal. It was raining lightly and Panama City could be seen through the haze in the distance. The entrance to the canal is crowded with ships waiting to get in, and there is a bridge along with a shipping port with lights towers and cranes. The entrance is also surrounded by lush green hills and there were no end of pelicans and frigate birds flying around us. The juxtaposition was striking.
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| Panama City through the haze |
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| The Pacific Queen |
The first set of locks (Miraflores) came up pretty quickly. We took on a pilot (captains of ships going through the Panama Canal relinquish control to pilots who guide the ships through)then watched as a gas tanker, the Nord Vulcan was meticulously guided into the locks by tugboats and mules (small trains that run on tracks parallel to the ship and guide it with cables). The process was slow and meticulous but fascinating. In the end, there couldn’t have been much more than a foot on either side between the ship and the canal wall. Once the ship was secure our ship along with on of the tugboats entered the locks and the enormous lock doors closed behind us. There was a churning in the water, we started rising up, and 10 minutes later we were 28 feet higher. We moved into the next set of locks, repeated the process then headed off to the next set of locks (Pedro Miguel).
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| Entering the locks |
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| The mule aligning the ship |
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| Water entering the docks |
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| Leaving the docks |
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Locks closing
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| Canal traffic jam |
What a thrill. The Panama Canal is truly a wonder of the world, and to experience it firsthand was for me anyway, a bucket list item. I think madeleine appreciated it, but let’s just say she was glad we only did the partial transit. Her favorite part of the day was pelicans and the gelato we got afterward.
The rest of the day was pretty low key. We had a snack at our hotel’s garden then hung out on the roof. The sun even popped out for a bit (and it got extremely hot). I have to say I’m not usually into hotels, I like cheap clean and quiet, but this one was pretty cool.
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| Early morning chat |
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| Madeleine’s favorite chair |
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Wait, that’s a real bird?
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| Coolest tree in a cafe ever |
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| Rooftop views to die for |
Up early again tomorrow for our light to David, then we pick up a car and drive to Boquete.
Michael
Finca Lerida
Boquete
