Crossing the Panama Canal
Colon, Panama
Colon isn’t exactly known as a secure thriving city, and we were cautioned about wandering too far from the cruise terminal without a guide. We arrived in Colon around 10am and the customs officials required face-to-face meetings to check us into the country. The staff on board ran crew and passengers through in an orderly fashion and were cleared to go onshore around noon. We decided to have lunch on the ship and then head out. There is a large shopping complex right next to the terminal and we were content to peruse the shops on our first afternoon in Colon.
All aboard on our second day in Colon was 1:30pm, so we didn’t have a ton of time, but we still wanted to get a decent walk in. Fellow residents had ventured further out the day before and said they felt perfectly safe, so we decided to go for a walk. We teamed up with another couple that we spend time with and headed for the Paseo Marino City Park and the Park of Youthfulness. Basically, the whole end of the peninsula where the cruise terminal is located is park. The parks were well kept, and we ran into several people playing with their children or walking their dogs. Everyone seemed friendly and welcoming.
After the park we headed down the main road P. del Centenario which had a lovely tree lined meridian with benches and statues. We followed it down toward the Catedral Inmaculada Concepcion where we hopped over to get a look at the cathedral and the Parque 5 De Noviembre across from it. The side streets were not the nicest or cleanest to be honest. The buildings are incredibly run down and there is a lot of garbage. The whole area beyond the cruise terminal appears to be in disrepair, but the residents were kind, and we did not feel unsafe at all. After the cathedral we walked back to the main road and continued on until we had a straight shot back to the ship. We walked along the outskirts of the central market and made our way back to the ship for lunch.
This afternoon we will be heading out to wait for our turn in the Panama Canal. Sounds like we’ll have to get up early if we want to catch the first round of locks around 7:30am. Looking forward to the adventure.
Panama Canal Transit
At 2 o’clock this morning Panama Canal Surveyors boarded our ship for the regulatory survey prior to crossing the canal. I’m not sure what all they did to the ship, but it sure was bouncing around a lot making it difficult to sleep. We got up a bit early this morning in order to catch the first of the canals. The schedule had us entering the first of the Gatun locks at 7:45am, but we were slightly delayed and entered around 8:30am. The lock system is fascinating especially given its age and how advanced the engineering was for its time. Of course, Mike filmed the majority of the transfer and took a ton of pictures.
There are two sets of locks for entering the Panama Canal from the Atlantic side. The Agua Clara Locks are much newer and were commissioned in 2016 to allow larger ships to transit the canal. Our ship transited through the original locks that have been in use since 1914. From the Atlantic Ocean side you go through three step locks called the Gatun locks assisted by ‘mules’. These mules are electric locomotives that assist to keep the ships centered in the lock. There are no bumpers inside the locks, so it is important that the ships stay centered as the move through the locks. The newer locks have bumpers and ships are able to move through under their own steam without the aide of mules.
To get back down from Gatun Lake to the Pacific Ocean you go through a single step lock called Pedro Miguel and than a little further down you go through the two step Miraflores lock. There is also a newer set of locks that consists of three steps down via the Cocoli locks for the larger ships. Even though there are two sets of locks and ships can go both directions through each set there is a section in the canal called the Culebra Cut that is too narrow for ships to pass. This means that ships generally go one direction at a time through the canal.
I don’t want to bore you too much with the specifics, but it’s a pretty incredible process and insane that it’s been in operation for so long. The original engineering has stood the test of time. In the end it took us about ten hours in total to transit the canal. It was a great experience, and they brought on an expert to commentate for us throughout the journey. We got a play by play and some of the history as we went.
Panama City, Panama
After transiting the canal, we sailed out into the Pacific Ocean for the night and then returned to our berth at the Panama Cruise Terminal in the early morning. Mike found a discount code for the Hop On Hop Off bus, so we wandered out to find the bus stop this morning. The cruise terminal is located on Perico Island and is connected to Panama City by road, so the bus seemed like a good option instead of walking all the way to town, it is a 4 mile walk one way. We rode the bus, took in the sights, and enjoyed the commentary. We hopped off when the bus reached Albrook Mall which is the largest mall in Latin America. There were a lot of stores, and we did find a few things we’d been looking for, but at the end of the day its just a really big, busy mall. The Hop On Hop Off bus got us back to the cruise terminal via the scenic route, and it was a great way to see the city highlights. Our tickets are good for two days, so tomorrow we’ll get off and actually explore some of the sights!
For our second day in Panama City we hopped back on the bus and got off at the Casco Viejo stop and we went to explore the historic district of the city. Panama’s Casco Viejo was built following the destruction of the original city in 1671 when it was attacked by pirates. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. The architecture is stunning and there was an interesting mixture of ruins, restored properties, and new construction. We also stumbled across a parking lot full of cats and they were very friendly. I have now officially pet over 100 cats since we started counting. After wandering around for a few hours, we decided to walk back to the ship. It was a good long walk, and it was warmer than I would have liked, but we enjoyed it.
In the evening, we attended a Welcome event for the new residents and the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Our final day in Panama City was very short. All aboard time was 11:30am and the ship was scheduled to leave at noon, so we really didn’t have much time. We were just going to go for a walk, but other residents recommended the Punta Culebra Nature Center which is located close to the cruise terminal. It meant an early morning, but we were at the gate at 9:00am when they opened. It is a museum/exhibition featuring local wildlife. We saw a few sloths, star fish, crabs, a variety of frogs and toads and a mapache (which are just South American racoons, but still pretty cute). There were also iguanas and lizards throughout the park. It was a quick tour, but we had a good time and enjoyed the critters.
We were back on board by 11:00am and ready to set sail. Tomorrow is a sea day as we cross the equator in transit to Ecuador, so we’ll be hitting the pool and catching up on some sleep.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We'll pick you back up soon as we start exploring South America.
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