Just the Canal and the Hat?

Two ships at different levels on The Panama Canal

We could tell that the islands of Bocas del Toro were beautiful but as the weather continued to deteriorate, we reluctantly decided to leave in search of drier weather and to dry out our clothes.

A swift eleven hour bus journey across the country and we arrived in Panama’s capital, Panama City where it was our intention to stay for just a few days but now we had six days to find out if there was more to it than just the canal and the hat. Most importantly it was dry with just the odd shower and about 30 C.

After the first day looking round the historic area of Casco Viejo where most of it is being rebuilt, our next stop had to be the canal where they have a fabulous visitor centre with a four storey high viewing gallery over Milaflores Locks. Like most other people, the Panama Canal has just always been there without giving it much consideration, so some interesting facts:

• It took 10 years to build and was completed in 1914
• It stretches for 50 miles linking the Caribbean to the Pacific
• 25,000 men died during its construction mainly due to malaria and yellow fever
• Each vessel is raised and then lowered by 27 metres through three sets of locks
• No hydaulic pumps are used, just gravity
• It takes 8-10 hours to navigate during which time the ships captain is relieved of his duties, much to his disgust, and a specialised Panamanian Canal captain takes the controls
• On average it costs $100,000 per vessel, $800 for a sailboat and up to $400,000 for a cruise liner

Panama city skyline from Casco Viejo

We arrived at 9am to catch the first ships pass through only to be told that the first one would be at 2pm which was odd considering on average 40 ships pass through a day. We weren’t lucky enough to witness a massive container ship or cruise liner but we saw three sizeable beasts plus a small yacht navigate the locks. It really is a spectacular sight to see vessels of this size squeeze into a lock and then get lifted in front of your eyes by nothing more than gravity.

Getting around the city is by the cheap and numerous taxis but we have learnt that our little knowledge of Spanish makes things more difficult than knowing none whatsoever so we took a break from the city by catching a boat to a lovely little island for the day. It was pretty impressive as we lay on the beach to have the Miami-like city skyline as a backdrop with the ships lining up in the foreground, ready to navigate the canal.