Day 78 - Panama. Hot. Just The Way I Like It!

Ah yes, I’d forgotten what the humidity & heat felt like. I love it! It saturates every cell of my body & I appreciate the slight & gentle breeze that comes along every once in awhile.

I woke up early-ish to see the ship sail under the Bridge of the Americas. It is the bridge that connects North & South America. I’ve always had an affection for this bridge, for whatever reason. I guess I feel it is such a small structure that unites 2 massive continents & millions of people.

I was able to drag Jaco outside for the last set of locks, the Gatun Locks. I could be wrong on my details, but I believe the Canal was built in 1914 & forever changed the shipping industry. Instead of having to round the Cape at the tip of South America, ships could now sail through the Canal, saving time & money.

It is quite fascinating to watch the ships enter the locks & be slowly pulled through by the ‘mules’ – metal vehicles on tracks with cable attached to the ship that guide the ship through the locks. To watch the lock slowly fill/empty water & thus lowering or raising the ship depending on which direction the ship is traveling.

I don’t know what the exact amount is, but I know that there is a per person price paid by the ship, as well as the weight of the ship. I don’t know what the Pacific Princess paid to transit the entire canal, but the Coral Princess, which only transited the first set of locks & then turned around, paid a price near a quarter of a million dollars. Okay, I know that the canal is amazing & interesting to see & yes, it’s an engineering marvel, but really? That could easily pay for the education of Panamanian children for how many years? And the Coral used to transit the ship once every 10 days! It probably still does! It’s quite shocking & sad at the same time.

Once through the canal, we watched the employees of the Canal leave our ship via a rope ladder & hop onto their Pilot boat. We docked in Cristobal for 6 hours & passengers could leave the ship & shop around the pier, where they had many tables of souvenirs. I dragged Jaco out & we bought him 2 more t-shirts. Might I just add, the t-shirts were $5 each. Compare that to the $37 for one in Bora Bora. Say no more. The sundress I bought was $12 compared to $50 for the same thing in Tahiti. CrAzY!!!!

I have many fond memories of Panama. Shooting ashore as a Photographer, we were one of the few non-Panamanians who were allowed to walk across the lock gates of the Panama Canal. We would have a driver for the entire day & would spend the remainder of the day at a 5 star resort or shopping in Free Zone – the 2nd largest duty free shopping area in the world! I always loved driving around Cristobal & photographing the locals. The gentlemen playing dominos – each one with so much character on his face, the children dressed in bright colours sharing their beautiful smiles. Once we drove to Panama City & took a helicopter ride over the city & the jungle. It was brilliant!

Every time I visit Panama, I purchase butterflies. Dead & mounted in a box, it sounds much more morbid than it really is! They are beautiful! I have a butterfly wall at home & each time I add to the collection. The ones I bought last year & the ones Jaco gave me for our first Christmas together were sadly lost. It’s a very gray area, but in any case, I have bought replacements! And they are beautiful! I can’t wait to put them on the wall!

Tomorrow is San Blas. I’m anxious to visit, as I’ve never been there before. Stay tuned! More to come!

Love & hugs,
Maria & Jaco
xoxoxo

The Canal Lighthouse

One of the mules

A crane chasing a mule.

The canal gates closing

Gatun Locks

Cargo ship in the canal

Jaco, the Legend, in Panama Canal

The Gatun Locks

Crane

Canal Help getting off the ship onto the Pilot boat. It's a dangerous job, folks!