Crossing the Panama Canal
Amazement, amazement and more amazement
We chose a southern Caribbean cruise mainly because its itinerary included crossing the Panama Canal. So it was that after a fabulous tour of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, Bonaire, Aruba and Curaçao (the Dutch ABCs) and Limon in Costa Rica, we woke up at dawn on the last day of navigation to witness the entire interoceanic crossing.
It is -without a doubt- concrete proof of man's formidable ingenuity.
Already when the Spaniards reached the isthmus, the idea of the union of the oceans had arisen. But it was the French who in 1880 began the first work on the project, which they were unable to complete due to subsequent financial problems and, to make matters worse, the enormous mortality of the workers caused by the tropical disease of yellow fever.
Therefore, in 1903, while Panama's independence was being consolidated, the French sold their project to the United States, which modified it by means of a system of elevating locks and the use of the waters of Lake Gatun, and in 1914 inaugurated the canal.
It remained under the administration of that country until 11:59 a.m. on December 31, 1999, when Panama took over its management and administration as a consequence of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
Around seven o'clock in the morning, the cruise ship was already very close to the coastal city of Colon. From the balcony of our cabin we could see the hundreds of ships that every day wait their turn to pass. A picture like a movie.
About eighty kilometers separate the Caribbean from the Pacific and it is the Panama Canal that allows the flow of ships thanks to a complex system of locks, which function as elevators with water that lift the ships to the level of Gatun Lake (which is 27 meters above sea level).
Once the entry process has begun, Panama Canal operators get on boats to manage the ropes that place the ship in the approach channel and then connect it to railroad machines that move it forward once it is in the lock.
The first was the Gatun lock, where giant ships transporting liquefied gas, which crossed it in the opposite direction, magnified and gave greater meaning to the experience. To feel, to see how the cruise ship rose as the lock filled with water, while the neighboring ship "shrunk" as it descended to the height of the Caribbean Sea, shook us.
Once through those locks, you sail through Gatun Lake. It was then time for an early lunch in which we appreciated the diversity of the watershed and the tropical vegetation that accompanies it.
This is followed by the Culebra Cut, the narrowest part of the canal, which was excavated to allow ships to pass through.
Then we arrive at the Pedro Miguel lock.
A little later, at the Miraflores Locks, the same procedure takes place but in reverse, since it is time to lower the ship to the Pacific level.
There, tourists from the Visitors Center greeted us, the passengers of the Norwegian Jewel. Also many Panamanians, from Route 852, stopped their cars to contemplate the immensity of our floating hotel.
Having already crossed the Panama Canal, we still had another spectacular moment ahead of us, crossing under the Bridge of the Americas with the sun setting, illuminating the Panamanian skyline in gold.
Exhilarated by so much beauty, we went up to deck thirteen to witness all those postcards in full view. And there, that last little summer night, we were grateful for what we had experienced and began to think about what could be the next itinerary for @tripticity_.
A clarification: in 2007 the Panama Canal expansion works began and were completed in 2016. Fortunately for us, we made the crossing through the original canal. And all the afternoon of previous research took effect as we had chosen a cabin on the port side, i.e. to the left of the ship, which allowed us - in that privacy and comfort - to appreciate all the work in the locks and the neighboring ships going up and down.
The Panama Canal implies a connectivity of the oceans, a commercial route of enormous importance, connecting Asia with Europe. It operates around the clock. During the day, the largest ships pass through it, while at night, smaller ships pass through it.
This colossal work of more than a hundred years was a milestone for us, something like a cockade that we will proudly carry forever in our memories. That night at dinner, we had our last drinks saying goodbye to @tripticity_'s favorite waiters, Ralph, I Made, Amri and Jason. We also toasted to them, appreciating their work and life and our good fortune to have been able to make such a tremendous journey.
