PANAMA CANAL

PACIFIC TO ATLANTIC PANAMA CROSSING

Controlling the water level

There is a Visitor Observation Gallery at this lock

Water level control gates

Deepening the canal

Bridge of the Americas

Barge being loaded with dirt & rocks

Loaded barge

Dredging operation

Moving through the locks

The "mules" at work on the tracks

An automobile cargo ship

Waiting to be lowered down to the next level

Inside of one of the lock gates

Transiting the Panama Canal makes me marvel at the ingenuity, hard labor and technology that made this possible. Since ships are getting bigger and carrying much heavier loads, it's necessary to enlarge the existing canal system. This will be done by adding two new sets of locks beside the existing ones, one set on the east side of the Gatun Locks (Atlantic side) and the other on the south-western side of the Miraflores Locks.

It will be necessary to deepen the inlets into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, to build new access channels to the existing sea entrances, and to raise the level of Gatun Lake. In 1939 work was begun to build a third canal, but it stopped in 1942 when the U.S. entered WW II. Much of this excavation will be utilized for today's construction of the new locks and access channels.

We were able to see dredging and digging activity as we passed through the canal, and watched the efficiency of the barges as they removed the dirt and rocks, and were immediately replaced with an empty barge so there was no break in the work. The project is due to be completed in 2014.

The new locks will be much longer and wider than the existing ones, and will use rolling gates instead of miter gates, and tugboats will be used to position vessels instead of locomotives or "mules". These technologies are well-proven in locks of similar dimensions.

Webcams are situated at the Miraflores Locks and Gatun Locks, and my sister took this shot of our ship passing through the Miraflores Locks (at 4 a.m. California time!!). Unfortunately she wasn't able to see me waving my gold top hat for almost an hour, which raised eyebrows on my fellow passengers! The website is http://www.pancanal.com/ and it has a lot of information on the canal.

PANAMA CITY (FUERTE AMADAOR), PANAMA

Fuerte Amador on the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal is an artificial peninsula that connects three small islands to the mainland and to Panama City. The skyline is amazingly long and modern, with the "corkscrew building" being one of the more unique structures.

We took a local tour through the city, and saw the old colonial buildings and churches in the Casco Viejo (original part of Panama City) which are in the process of being restored; walked on the remains of the wall of the old Spanish fort that had prison cells under it; drove to the top of the mountain where the huge flag flies proudly over the city, and is replaced every three months, and enjoyed the panoramic views; stopped at the gazebo and park the Chinese community donated to the city commemorating 150 years of settlement there; and visited the memorial to the different ethnic communities in Panama -- Spanish, American, Chinese, Italian, Greek and Jewish.

We also crossed over the Bridge of the Americas, part of the Pan American Highway that starts in Alaska and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, and stopped at the old canal zone and observation center where we watched, up close and personal, as two tourist boats passed through the Miraflores Locks.

Returning to the ship, we felt that we had had an excellent overview of this important city in Central America.

CALLAO/LIMA, PERU

Callao is the port for Lima, Peru, and is now part of the city of Lima. In the 16^th to 18^th centuries it was the most important seaport in the world, because it was the only port that was allowed to trade with Europe.

Lima's population is 9 million, and it is divided into 43 districts, each of which is independent. This means that there are 43 different mayors, and each district sets it own prices and taxes. There is one main mayor, and this year for the first time, it is a woman. Interestingly there are 1 million Chinese people here, and 400,000 Japanese. We saw a tent city erected in one of the large squares, which was a group of people from the north protesting a proposed tax hike, and who had been there for over a month.

It is a very busy, smoggy, congested city that gets very little rain. Its water supply comes from 3 major rivers in the Andes, along with many other smaller rivers. It is foggy in the mornings so the buildings are painted in bright colors to counteract the grayness. The old historical center is called the Centro, and this is where the Presidential palace is located. Once the richest city in the Spanish colonies, it is now a UNESCO protected site and many examples of the old colonial architecture remain. The styles of the balconies are interesting to observe. Today the more affluent citizens have moved to the modern upscale communities like the beach district of Miraflores.

Lima experiences many earthquakes, and many of their buildings have been badly damaged and restored several times. We visited La Catedral in the Plaza de Armas and admired the beautiful alter, paintings and carvings. In a chapel near the entrance is a chapel where Francisco Pizzaro's remains are buried, along with the box that his severed head was originally buried in!

A few blocks away, in the Church of San Francisco Ancash, there are 50,000 skeletons in its crypt, and a Franciscan monastery that still houses 40 friars. Inside are beautiful Sevillian tiled walls and carved tongue in groove wooden tile ceilings. When some huge paintings were removed for renovations, damaged frescoes were discovered under them -- probably why they were covered with the paintings. Although it also suffered earthquake damage, it was not as bad because the crypt was built over 5 wells, which absorbed some of the shock.

We passed by the famous Bolivar Hotel where Hemingway, Ava Gardner and other celebrities have stayed, as well as the Bar Cordano, also frequented by the rich and famous. On the return drive to the ship we passed by an unusual mausoleum, a huge building covering an entire block, with the identifications easily visible from the street. I would have liked to have time to visit the modern area, but appreciated the opportunity to visit the historic center.

MANTA, ECUADOR

Manta, Ecuador has existed since pre-Columbian times, and is this small country's fifth largest city, 250,000 inhabitants. It is known as the "Tuna Capital of the World". We watched as they unloaded frozen tuna from large fishing boats opposite our ship. We also saw that many of the smaller fishing boats in the harbor had small helicopters on them, which we learned were used to fly out to find schools of dolphins. Wherever there are dolphins, there are tuna.

Since 1999 this largest seaport has been used as a military location for U.S. forces in supporting anti-drug trafficking by the Colombian cartels. It is also a regular stop for U.S. Navy warships, and is a popular tourist stop.

We spent our day ashore shopping in their wonderful handicraft market, and bargained for the popular Panama hats manufactured in the nearby town of Montecristi, and were happy to leave the 90 degree heat to return to the comfort of our air conditioned ship!