03 Panama: Sailing from Ocean to Ocean...

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart..." - Helen Keller

(A cargo ship vrissing the Panama Canal)

Day 03: 21/06/15 (Saturday)

Tour: Panama Canal Cruise and Gamboa Tour
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

(Waiting for the Tour bus at the hotel lobby)

This morning we skipped breakfast.

Mr Alonso, our tour guide and Mr Manuel the driver, picked the four of us around 6.00 am. The bus made its round to fetch other tourists from their hotels for the Panama Canal Tour.

Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The Panama Canal, a famous feature of human engineering, cuts through its center, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to create an essential shipping route.

(One of the canal expansion locks in Panama Canal)

(Overloaded cargo ship entering from the Pacific Ocean)

The capital, Panama City is a modern town with skyscrapers, casinos and nightclubs contrast with colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district and the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park which we visited later of the day.

(Bridge over the Chagres River)

(The train track along the river)

(Exploring the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve)

We travelled to Gatun Lake in Gamboa located about 45 minutes drive from Panama City. From the jetty, we boarded a boat for a cruise along the Panama Canal and Gamboa Rainforest Reserve where we visited the Monkey Island.

(A small jetty at Gatun Lake)

(Enjoying the Panama Canal Cruise)

(One of the many tourists cruise boats)

Monkey Island is famous for its vibrant monkey population. It is also a sloth sanctuary. The small islands in Gatun Lake are home to birds and several monkey species, including capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, and tamarins among others wildlifes.

(Cruise boats docking. Time to watch the wildlifes)

(The white-nosed coatimundis)

(A white faced monkey)

(Some monkeys are playfully tame)

(The wild ones)

Gatun Lake is an artificial fresh water lake which is 27 m above sea level. It was created by damming the Chagres River, the largest river in the Panama Canal's drainage basin.The river is dammed twice, and the resulting reservoirs are Gatun Lake and Alajuela Lake forming an integral part of the canal and its water system.

After the Gatun Lake Cruise We had coffee break at a nearby Chinese Restaurant.

(Having brunch at a Chinese Restaurant)

We had the opportunity to watch a cargo ship passing throught the three levels of locks at Agua Clara Panama Canal Locks and sails into the Atlantic Ocean. Tourist could view a 10-minutes video before watching the locks in operation.

(The Canal De Panama)

(Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center)

(Tug boats assiting to align the cargo ship)

(The opening of the locks for ships to pass throught)

(A cargo ship passing through the locks)

(The tourists viewing area)

(Souvenirs of Canal De Panama)

Next, we travelled to Puerto Bello, a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District of Colón. Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama, it is 32 km northeast of the modern port of Colón at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.

It was raining very heavily when we arrived at the fort. We were supposed to have a picnic lunch but because of the heavy rain we had buffet lunch under the shade in the Visitor Centre building instead.

(Heavy rain at Puerto Bello)

(No sign of the rain stopping)

(Stranded visitors listening to the guide)

(Our buffet lunch at Puerto Bello)

( The historical fort at the background)

It was not fun to visit the fort drenched wet in the rain. Because of poor visbility we were unable to take photos.

The drive back to the capital city was unevenful. We reached our hotel by 3.30 pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping.