Panama Canal

We arrived in Panama waters on MV Explorer, a small expedition tourist ship, anchoring in a bay where ships awaited preparation for transiting the Panama Canal. We were in the company of at least 50 ships; container ships, oil tankers, cargo ships and passenger cruise liners all waiting their turn. Two officials came onboard, one a handsome young man and the other a gorgeous long legged model posing as a port official. They took our papers - he made corrections to salt water and fresh water displacements, she studied our vessel layout with a practised eye for length and breadth and protrusions and interrogated our Captain on how well he knew his bridge. They consumed tea and cakes and declared us fit to go through the canal. The sun was low as we sailed under the Bridge of the Americas, the only land link between North and South America. Everyone was on deck watching the ropes go out to the “mules” - the small tractor units that keep the ships centred in the canal, watching the crews on the ship and alongside, and watching the unfolding landscapes of jungle and towns and lakes and locks. The darkness quickly engulfed the jungle but bright lights and signs beckoned us onward. From the locks along the way onlookers watched our progress as they had since the first official transit in 1914.

The evening was warm and balmy and we ate a magnificent buffet dinner on deck as we marvelled at this engineering feat. The idea of this canal had been conceived by the Spanish in 1530, the French had begun excavations in 1880, and the United States bought the project in 1904 and completed the canal. It took ten years and 75,000 labourers. Large medical teams were employed to overcome yellow fever and malaria, but at least 22,700 workers died in the construction of the canal. There were many challenges - especially the construction of the massive locks. There were enormous volumes of excavation to be carried out and they were hampered by frequent landslides. It has paid off for Panama. In 2006 the canal contributed $570 million to the State. And there are the tourists. Most of us drifted off to bed about midnight not waiting to see the ship emerge on the other side.

The morning found us on the Caribbean side of the isthmus heading for the Islas Las Blas – tiny coral islands topped with palm trees, some with a small hut, a canoe, an owner waiting for payment for landing fees. We paid several people and zodiaced ashore, and then one by one we liquefied into the warm, clear, salty water. Some of us snorkelled further out on a reef, some of us lay on the white sand, and some of us were intrigued by the colourfully dressed Kuna Indian women who wanted to sell us molas, appliquéd pictures and t-shirts that have become famous in Panama.

Our hotel overlooked the entrance to the Canal and we could enjoy watching the ships sailing past. A short taxi ride took us to Miraflores Lock where we joined many others intrigued by the process of the ships being guided into the locks, this time we were watching the ships go by. Each opening of the gates drains water from the storage lakes that fill every rainy season and must last through the dry. So, smaller ships are teamed up to go through the canal together and there is a precise plan for the sequence of movements.

Another taxi ride took us higher into the interior to Gamboa and into the jungle. We rode in an open gondola amongst the treetops, lush vegetation and bright flowers and insects; butterflies with brown folded wings that flew away a brilliant iridescent blue. At the top we climbed a tower and could see the canal and the lakes far below, ships and trains, dredges and tourist boats, hotels and villages. Panama’s life blood is the canal. From the affluent resort we took a small boat along the river and up the canal to Monkey Islands. It was as much fun to be part of the canal traffic as it was to see the monkeys. Howler Monkeys were sleeping in the treetops but the small white-faced capuchin monkeys have learned to come to the branches overhanging the water to snatch pieces of fruit from excited passengers. We watched the monkeys pull tender shoots of water plants and deftly eat the tasty parts while clinging to vines above the water. A crocodile lifted his head from the murky shallows and the monkeys shimmied away.

We returned to our hotel along a good highway, through small villages and through suburbs of immense poverty. We passed beautifully painted buses pictured with gorgeous fantasy women, Rocky Mountain landscapes, wolves and super heroes. The personality of Panama is diverse – from the Indians of the islands to the Indians of the jungle, the French, the Germans, the English and the Americans whose army was encouraged to leave not long ago and not soon enough according to the taxi driver. And there are the tourists.

We started out early one morning and drove the length of a new and wonderfully landscaped causeway that now joined 3 small islands, a hundred new restaurants and several expensive marinas to the mainland, and boarded a small passenger boat taking day trippers to Toboga Island. The trip took us past the ships waiting for their turn to transit the canal and to a small island with golden sand. It was hot and the paths were concrete but there were no cars. Bougainvillea and hibiscus of intensely vivid colours lined the hillsides, the walls, the gateways and houses. It was humid and tropical, we saw humming birds hanging in the air like brilliant ornaments. The village had a small white church in its centre, some small shops and many brightly coloured houses, some tiny, some palatial. We stopped at a restaurant that had been bewitched into clinging onto the steep hillside. Climbing the steps was enough to justify a cool beer - we sat in the shade of flowering vines on the balcony and enjoyed a delicious meal – a seafood concoction of flavours from Thailand and Panama, coconut and ginger and mangoes. We rested a while longer in our cool and elevated position watching the small boats come and go. We couldn’t help admiring the super fast design of the super equipped fishing boats that would go at speed to a position described from a helicopter to catch tuna and mackerel. Then it was our turn to wallow in the sea or pretend to swim before catching the boat back with 50 other satisfied souls.

Another day, another adventure - the old part of the city was attractive to tourists. Here the palace stood in various shades of pink. Fine old buildings shaped the squares that held gardens of flowers and enormous trees, sculptures, statues of statesman, and children, dogs and cats. The buildings were decorative and intricate in design, symbols of a wealthy past, but now too often in disrepair; broken, fallen roofs, filled with rubbish and poor people. But there were pockets of clean and lively cafes and restaurants and ice cream shops and peddlers selling Panama hats for $10.

We didn’t find time to visit the city with its modern buildings and high rise apartments, we didn’t visit the west coast north of the canal where there are many beach resorts, we didn’t go for overnight trips into the real jungle to see colourful wildlife, and we didn’t take the opportunity to visit neighbouring countries with exotic beaches and cultures. We just didn’t have enough time. Panama is an exciting destination.