Panama and it’s Canal – Splitting the American Continent – September 2023

---

Monumental feats of engineering have always fascinated us and this artificial canal splitting the American continents is one such marvel. A must-see destination on almost every tourist’s bucket list, the Panama Canal opened in 1914 fulfilling a dream over 400 years in the making. How is it possible that what appears to be a simple 51-mile-long waterway can generate such interest, excitement and wonder in all who view it? It may indeed be just that, but the answer is far from simple! Let me explain……

A Little Bit of History: The idea of creating a water passage across the Isthmus of Panama to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans dates to at least the 1500’s. After explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa realized that a narrow strip of land separated the two oceans, King Charles I of Spain tapped his regional governor to survey a route along the Chagres River. The realization of such a route across the mountainous, tropical terrain was deemed impossible at the time, although the idea remained tantalizing as a potential shortcut from Europe to eastern Asia. The only other route was to sail around South America via the stormy, unpredictable Strait of Magellan, or use the Panama Railroad to transfer goods and people from one ocean to another.

France was ultimately the first country to attempt the task. Led by Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt, the construction team broke ground on a planned sea-level canal in 1880. The French quickly comprehended the monumental challenge ahead of them: along with the incessant rains that caused heavy landslides, there was no effective means for combating the spread of yellow fever and malaria. De Lesseps belatedly realized that a sea-level canal was too difficult and reorganized efforts toward a lock canal, but funding was pulled from the project in 1888. The United States started construction on the Panama Canal in 1904 and completed it in 1914.

Panama is roughly halfway through its rainy season right now and is one of the wettest countries in the world. Unfortunately, it’s having one of the driest seasons on record. At the Panama Canal, where freshwater serves as the lifeblood for its lock-driven operations, the lack of abundant rainfall is leading to lower water levels and putting a squeeze on a critical international shipping artery. Canal authorities have imposed restrictions on vessel weights and daily traffic and as I write this, the Panama Canal Authority extended those restrictions for at least another 10 months – there is simply not enough water. The Panama Canal relies on water from neighboring freshwater lakes and rivers, and the lock system then uses massive amounts – at least 50 million gallons of it – to float each vessel through the length of the canal. With an average of 37 vessels per day transiting the canal you can do the math – that’s a boatload of water (no pun intended!).

I begin my Panamanian adventure when arriving at Fuerte Amador, a beautiful man-made peninsula connecting 4 small islands at the Pacific Ocean entrance to the canal. At the end of Isla Flamenco, this complex contains a 2-story shopping center, a marina, a cruise-ship terminal and several restaurants and bars. At night, these open-air spots are a big draw, providing a fine setting for cocktails or a decent meal. Daily boats depart the marina for the nearby resort island of Isla Taboga. An initial glance across the bay, reveals a sparkling skyline, with shops and restaurants adorning its marina, beckoning visitors to lively Panama City, a region steeped in culture, history, and ecological wonders. Without a doubt, most visitors are here to transit the world-famous canal but consider spending a couple of days in this capital city – it just may surprise you!

Founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias de Avia, the city of Panama was the very first European settlement along the Pacific. For 150 years it flourished as Spain exported Peruvian gold and silver to Europe via Panama. In 1671 Captain Henry Morgan, the famous English pirate, sacked the city and it was relocated to present-day Casco Viejo, while retaining the original street plan. Architecture is an unusual mix of Spanish, French and early American styles, and the Colonial-era center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This charming district is home to several monuments and museums and is wisely protected by a sea wall, originally erected to guard against roving pirate bands. Strolling atop this wall affords breathtaking Pacific Ocean views. Today much of Panama Viejo – Old Panama - lies buried under a poor residential neighborhood, though these ruins are definitely a “must-see” for tourists.

Things to See and Do in Panama:

The center of power resided at Casas Reales, a complex ringed by timber ramparts and separated from the city proper by a moat. Within the complex were the customs house, the royal treasury, a prison, and the governor’s house. Despite the obvious historical importance of the site, past governments have allowed sections of the property to be used as a landfill and for horse stables – only scattered walls remain of these once-impressive structures.

The Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion, built between 1619 and 1626, is the best-preserved building of the ruins. In traditional fashion, it was designed so that its two side chapels gave the cathedral a cross-like shape as viewed from the heavens. The bell tower was at the back of the church and may have served double duty as a watchtower for the Casas Reales. The main façade, which faced the Plaza Mayor (Grand Plaza) is gone – only the walls remain. Also facing the Plaza Mayor were the Cabildo de la Ciudad and the Casas de Terrin, houses built by one of the city’s wealthiest citizens: Francisco Terrin.

Immediately north of the cathedral are the massive ruins of Casa Alarcon, the town’s best-preserved and largest known private residence, which dates from the 1640s. Just north of the former residence is the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo, a well-preserved church. The convent dates from the 1570’s, with the church being built some 20 years later. Arriving a decade or so after the Dominican friars were the Jesuits, who built the Iglesia y Convento de la Compania de Jesus, these stone ruins are likewise visible today.

Paralleling the modern bridge is the Puente del Matadero, an ugly and over-restored stone bridge that took its name from a nearby slaughterhouse and marked the beginning of the Camino Real to Portobelo. A much more interesting and significant bridge is the Puente del Rey, visible from Av Cincuentenario near the northern edge of town. Built in 1617, it may be the oldest standing bridge in the Americas.

Tourist Tip: the government of Panama has begun a program which offers free emergency medical insurance to tourists covering the first 30 days of their stay in the country. The program is available to all visitors arriving at Panama’s Tocumen International Airport. Travelers can obtain this insurance by visiting the tourist information booth in the airport’s immigration area. Visitors will receive a brochure with program information, along with a user card. When emergency medical attention is needed, simply present the user card along with your passport at any health center. The policy covers accidental death, plus hospitalization and medical expenses for injuries due to accidents or diseases contracted while in Panama; dental emergency expenses; administrative legal assistance; and lost or stolen documents. The policy does not cover incidents caused by negligence, anything related to alcohol and drugs, or resulting from participation in any extreme sports. Considering this is a “freebie”, why not take full advantage?

To really experience the origins of Panama, travel further back in time into the rainforests of Chagres where a traditional Embera Indian Village waits to be discovered. The Embera are an indigenous tribe, and daily life here is much as it was centuries ago. Tribal members welcome visitors to their authentic homes and proudly display original handicrafts. The country uniquely blends natural splendor and a strong cultural history with one of the greatest man-made marvels of concrete and steel. Yet this diverging heritage produces adventure, excitement, and beauty to all who visit its shores.

Did You Know?.......

- The city of Panama, for most of its residential streets, either have no name or 3 different ones! It is said this is a result of the city never developing a postal delivery system, with residents receiving mail in post office boxes called aparadoes.

- The Panama Hat didn’t begin here – it originated in Ecuador but was used by the rapidly balding Ferdinand de Lesseps during the building of the canal. The hats were then imported to be used by thousands of canal workers, to protect them from the fierce tropical sun.

- During the 10-year American construction period of the canal, from 1904 to 1914, anyone born only in this Canal Zone were automatically US Citizens. The American senator and one-time presidential hopeful John McClain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, and therefore eligible to run for US President.

- Panama is an international banking center with more than 96 different banks and is the largest banking region second only to Switzerland. The majority are located here simply to handle the vast number of tolls charged for vessels transiting the canal. These tolls must be wire-transferred at least 48 hours in advance to entering the Canal and must be in US Dollars. There is one exception to this rule: any small vessel with a toll not to exceed $1,000 can charge it to a VISA credit card. Appointments are then made with a definitive time and date for a vessel to begin its transit.

- Panama has no paper money, only a selection of small value coins. The American dollar is currency of choice and accepted everywhere.

One day prior to my full daylight transit of the Panama Canal, I decided to explore tourist options available to learn all I could about this incredible engineering feat. I found two such entities – one located close to Panama City and the other requiring a 2-hour bus ride departing from Fuerte Amador – I opted for this second choice. For visitors wanting to depart from the city, the Miraflores Visitors Center is the easiest, as it is located just outside the city. This modern center features a 4-floor interactive museum that looks at the canal’s history, operations, expansion, and ecology, an instructive 15-minute film and several viewing platforms with panoramic views. The main viewing platform can be found on the 4^th floor with stunning views of canal transits (the best times are from 9 to 11am and again from 3 to 5pm when vessels coming through are more frequent). It’s open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day. If you’re a traveler, admission to the observation deck and museum costs $20. The iMax costs $10. If you’re a resident of Panama, the observation deck and museum cost $3.

There is a direct bus to the Miraflores Visitor Center from the Albrook Mall Bus Terminal in Panama City, but unfortunately it runs somewhat infrequently. My suggestion would be to take the metro out to the Albrook Mall Bus Station, exiting and walking across the street to the taxi/Uber pick-up area. Either take a taxi or call an uber and ask them to take you to the Miraflores Locks. When it’s time to go home, you can either use an uber or have a taxi take you back to the Albrook Mall Bus Station and take the subway into town. Another suggestion is to catch either a Paraiso or Gamboa bus from this same terminal. These vehicles pass along the canal-side highway to Gamboa and will let you off at the “Miraflores Locks” sign on the highway – the fare is just $0.35 per passenger – a bargain in any currency! It’s an approximate 9-mile bus ride from Panama City. From the bus stop, it’s another 15-minute walk along the main road to the locks from the signpost. Or you can simply take a taxi – drivers will typically wait at least 30 minutes at the locks and then drive you back to the capital. Expect to fork out about $30 (don’t pay more than this) for the round trip, but make sure you agree on the price beforehand.

I wanted the experience of crossing the Isthmus via bus firsthand, so elected to take a coach from Fuerte Amador to the Agua Clara Visitor’s Center, located on the Atlantic Ocean side close to Colon City. This involved a 2-hour drive through the rainforest from the pier and afforded me the opportunity to view life in the suburbs and the density of the jungles in this region of the world. Arriving at the visitor center at 11am, I stepped off the bus and thought I had entered a sauna – humidity enveloped my entire body with a heavy, wet blanket – my sunglasses and camera lenses immediately fogged over, and I could barely breathe. If the air temperature was in the mid 90’s, the humidity would have to be hovering around 98% - enough to choke a horse. Needless to say, I was soaked to the skin in minutes, with sweat running down my back and arms.

The place was crowded as school kids were on a day trip with their teachers – there must have been well over 100 of them all coming here as I was, to gain knowledge about the canal. I had about 90 minutes total to explore, and there was no time to waste. Photos first of the locks and the canal and with an unparalleled breathtaking view that contrasts two particular scenarios that certainly generate mixed feelings. On one side is the famous Gatun Lake, where cargo ships and other vessels transit each day. On the other side, but from a different perspective, are the expansion works. Beyond its surprising technology and colossal machinery, it’s the ongoing work of thousands of people, determined to make the Panama Canal all it can be for the future.

An 8-minute film about the history and efforts of thousands of men and women that have marked the canal’s first century and of course, plans for the near and distant future, is available in alternating English and Spanish versions, in the projection room. Finally, walk along the country path where you will experience an exclusive view of the expanded Panama Canal operations – it’s almost as if you are standing in the Control Tower. A gift store next to the projection room offers a variety of canal-related materials – all prices are in US dollars. Entrance to the visitor center is $10 for adults and $5 for children – Panama residents get the bargain ticket prices of $3 for adults/$1.50 for kids. The center is open every day including all holidays, as the canal operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

My return to the ship was via train, using the historic railroad known as The Panama Canal Railway Company, which runs from the Colon City Terminal to the Balboa Terminal, paralleling the canal for most of the 90-minute journey. It covers 47.6 miles and is considered one of the greatest train rides in the world. Along with its colorful history, the railroad follows a picturesque path across the Isthmus of Panama, (my second time crossing in one day). It passes through lush rainforests, cruising alongside the canal’s locks, through the historic Gaillard Cut and gliding over slender causeways in Gatun Lake.

As we passed the town of Gamboa, I noticed a giant container crane which looked familiar – it should, it once served on the docks in Long Beach, California when I was living there, and was known as “Herman the German”. It was sold to Panama some years ago for the grand price of $1 and towed from Long Beach to Gamboa, renamed “Titan” and is now having a second work life at the canal.

The railroad effectively links one of the world’s less traveled but most attractive tourism corridors between Colon on the Atlantic Coast and Panama on the Pacific. It is truly the world’s first intercontinental railroad and the only one allowing passengers to travel between two oceans in less than two hours! This rail line carried thousands of prospectors in their quest for wealth during the California Gold Rush. Service began in June 2001 with the daily run catering to business executives commuting to work in Panama and Colon, as well as tourists from around the globe. Riding in the vintage rail cars is stepping back into the past: polished wood walls and ceilings; antique green-shade wall lamps; period-costumed train attendants selling coffee and snacks from a trolley – who could ask for more? Trains begin daily schedules at 8am with adult tickets costing $40 adults and $20 child round trip.

Fun Facts about the Railway………

The Panama Railroad was incorporated in New York on April 7, 1849. In January 1849 the company hired Col. George W. Hughes to make a location survey. This was not an ideal location to build a railroad. From June through December there were deluges of rain in cloudbursts that often lasted as long as three days. The isthmus was covered with dense, steaming jungles, and there was no durable timber for railroad construction. The native population was unaccustomed to physical labor and was undependable. Men, materials, and provisions had to be imported from thousands of miles away.

The first rails used were the inverted “U” type. These rails were first used in 1835 and were called “bridge rails”. They weighed 40lbs per yard.

By October 1851, eight miles of track had been completed at a cost of more than $1 million. Expectations of quick profits disappeared, and the Panama Railroad stock’s value began to fall sharply. The California gold rush had begun two years earlier, but travelers were still frantically making their way west.

In December 1851, two boats arrived at the mouth of the river in Panama with a thousand passengers. They were amazed when they heard a locomotive whistle! These travelers rushed to the railroad’s office. They were informed that the railroad had only eight miles of track laid, but the people wanted to ride it anyway. Taking 1,000 crazed men for an eight-mile train ride would certainly delay the construction work and bring reprimands from officials in New York. To discourage the crowd, a charge of 50 cents a mile and $3 for each 100 pounds of baggage was charged. The excessive charges were eagerly accepted and nearly $7,000 was collected! The Panama Railroad was suddenly in the passenger business. Its worthless stock on Wall Street began to rise rapidly. The railroad sold $4 million worth of stock and construction proceeded in high gear.

On Sunday, January 28, 1855, a train ran from the Atlantic Ocean all the way across the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The Panama railroad was finally in business.

A Canal Transit Timeline – How the Panama Canal Actually Works:

Dawn breaks on “transit day”- heavy overcast with dark clouds, rain threatening, storm on the horizon with lightning flashes and of course, the ever-present super oppressive humidity. But the main event is about to begin, with the ship delicately edging her nose closer and closer to the first set of locks: Miraflores, the largest and tallest of the locks system due to tide fluctuations in the Pacific Ocean. But before that, we must cruise under the first of three bridges which span the canal, the first being Bridge of the Americas, and we clear it at 6:15am with multiple cameras clicking like a million cicadas on steroids.

The locks are now in sight, and at 7am we enter the first of two chambers which lift the entire ship over 56’ in just 7 minutes, with more than 26 million gallons of water being transferred during this process. Massive gates open to receive us and then embrace the entire ship, now encased in solid concrete on both sides, as we smoothly rise to meet our second set of locks: Pedro Miguel, also observable from the Pacific side, with just a single flight gaining an additional height of 28’. Prior to moving through the second locks, we sail under bridge #2, Centennial Bridge at 9:30am and finally gain entry to the spectacular Gatun Lake – movement is barely felt - only watching the solid walls vanish under water and skylines appearing above, prove we really are rising in vertical fashion. Once in Gatun Lake, the ship lies at anchor for a few hours along with other vessels until 2:30pm. Then it’s time for us to head for the third and final set of locks: Gatun Locks. Here on the Atlantic coast, we descend 85’ via three chambers and sail into the Caribbean at 5pm. The third and final bridge – Atlantic Bridge – awaits our arrival and we clear her structure at 5:30pm.

Almost 12 hours of constant wonder. 12 hours of fulfilling a bucket list item for thousands of tourists. An eco-cruise along tranquil Gatun Lake, through verdant islands that are home to an abundance of wildlife and the famed Monkey Island, named for its playful inhabitants. Extraordinary scenery flanks the Panama Canal from end-to-end, and thrilling views can be captured in every direction. Rainforests as far as the eye can see – the most expansive man-made project ever undertaken was this construction. It took more than 34 years to complete, at a cost of over 25,000 lives, people who died from either tropical diseases or landslides. This watery monument to man’s achievements is truly something not to be missed.

Final Thoughts: the very first vessel to transit the completed Panama Canal was the cargo ship Ancon on August 15, 1914. I sailed through it 109 years and 18 days later – it’s a piece of history that’s more complex and impressive than you can imagine. It’s one of those things you must see for yourself, and it definitely lives up to all the hype.

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Panama
We enjoyed some time in Panama last year. We enjoyed your blog. Thanks for the memories.