Panama Canal Obsession Day 1 - Colon, Panama

On Tuesday night after dinner, we went to a presentation about the next day's (Wednesday) destination, Colon, Panama. He made it clear (with a funny/scary story of walking back through Colon after his bicycle AND shoes were stolen) that there are places you go and places you don't go. Which is most of Colon.

This sentiment was repeated on Wednesday by our tour guide, Jill, as bus #20 pulled out of the parking lot. Since we weren't planning on diverting from the bus itinerary in any way shape or form, we were good. 

Jill herself was pretty interesting- a proclaimed 5th generation Panamanian, whose grandfather was an engineer working on the building of the existing canal. Fifth generation, but with a 100% American accent to her English - and her Spanish as well. The family tradition seems to be to send the kids back to the USfor education and they somehow always come back to Panama. 

Anyway off we were to the Gatun locks, the first set we will enter the next day entering the lake from the north. Panama doesn't seem to. Invest much in road infrastructure- few traffic lights, a few totally ignored stop signs and pot holes the size of trash cans. There was a huge tanker truck in front of us - I made the mistake of watching as the truck (and our bus) swerved around the holes like a slalom even if that required zooming into the opposite/oncoming lane. Jill said, "I'd rather not know." 

The viewing stand was up a flight of 70 stairs (yey). 

We arrived  just in time to see a barge come through in one direction and an MSC cruise ship come through the other.

This photo is just as the water level in the cruise ship's chamber began to lower: 

8 minutes later, the gates opened and the ship pulled through.

The ship's are guided through by little locomotives called mules. This is one of the display mules. That's Jill, our 5th generation Panamanian tour guide 

Very exciting to watch the whole process. On our way to the next stop, we drove over the construction of the new locks. This one is just missing some water:

The new gates will slide back into the wall instead of folding flat.

The next stop was to an island in the middle of Gatun Lake to visit with the Embera Indians. Once on board the ferry, we took a spin around a small area of the lake in search of wildlife. 

Here's a fuzzy photo of a tiger heron:

There's also a fuzzy photo of a cormorant, but the heron is more exciting. 

Andy may have a fuzzy photo of a howler monkey, which I will add once we get home and I can get to it. We did see them, though, prehensile tails and everything (I think now I'll remember it's new world monkeys with the prehensile tails and old world monkeys do not. Yes, yes, I know who cares, but after all these years I'm still a wildlife nerd).

The Embera were delightful- their sole acquiescence to technology are their cellphones so they can coordinate tourist visits. Tourism is now their main source of income. The chief's 27 year old son delivered a Toastmsters-worthy presentation, with Jill and the other tour guide translating fro. The Spanish. Proud to say I understood about 70% of each sentence (I.e. There would be at least one or two words per sentence that I had no clue what it was). Of course that meant that 30% was a total loss, making for a spotty story. 

Here's the  chief-to-be (his father is 57 and looking pretty healthy, so I think he has a bit of a wait) showing cloth with Embera original designs (which changes every month):

Next they demonstrated a couple of dances, and then dragged us up onto the dance floor. Fortunately there is no video of that. 

Only 15 minutes of shopping (what are these tour companies thinking) and we were back on the bus on the way back to the ship.

Fourth night of Hanukkah and the crowd was abut sparse - many of the tours were just straggling in

Interestingly enough, at dinner we were seated at a table with two other couples we ad dinner with a couple of nights ago. I guess there's a limited number of people who go to dinner earlier than later and are happy to share a table. 

The ship didn't leave till after 8:30 - the no ounces reason was an extended time needed to finish "bunkering", a term that I needed to look up: having to with refueling the ship. Or something to that affect. 

Thursday: the piece-de-resistance: the transit of the Panama Canal (goal - be up by 6:30 to go out onto the bow to watch up close and personal as we go through the first series of locks).