"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart..." - Helen Keller
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| (A cargo ship crossing the Panama Canal) |
Day 03: 21/06/25 (Saturday)
Activity: Panama Canal Cruise and Gamboa Tour
Hotel: Casa Miller Hotel, Panama City
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| (Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City) |
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| (Waiting for the Tour bus at the hotel lobby) |
The day began early at 6:00 a.m., when Mr. Alonso, our
cheerful guide, and Mr. Manuel, the driver, picked the four of us up. Skipping
breakfast, we joined other tourists on the bus as it made its rounds through
Panama City, gathering travelers for the day’s adventure.
Panama itself is a fascinating country, a narrow isthmus
connecting Central and South America. Its most iconic landmark, the Panama
Canal, cuts through the heart of the land, linking the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans and serving as one of the world’s greatest engineering feats. The
capital, Panama City, reflects this dual character: a bustling modern skyline
of glass towers and casinos standing alongside colonial Casco Viejo and the
lush greenery of the Metropolitan Natural Park.
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| (One of the canal expansion locks in Panama Canal) |
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| (Overloaded cargo ship entering from the Pacific Ocean) |
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| (A bridge over the Chagres River) |
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| (The train track along the river) |
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| (Exploring the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve) |
After about a 45-minute drive, we arrived at Gatún Lake in
Gamboa. From the jetty, we boarded a boat and set off on a cruise through the
Panama Canal and the surrounding Gamboa Rainforest Reserve. Our destination was
the famous Monkey Island - home to playful capuchins, vocal howler monkeys, and
tiny tamarins. The lake’s scattered islands also sheltered birds, sloths, and
other wildlife.
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| (A small jetty at Gatun Lake) |
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| (Enjoying the Panama Canal Cruise) |
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| (One of the many tourists cruise boats) |
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| (Cruise boats docking. Time to watch the wildlifes) |
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| (The white-nosed coatimundis) |
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| (A white faced monkey) |
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| (Some monkeys are playfully tame) |
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| (The wild ones are keeping their distance) |
What made the experience even more impressive was learning
the history of Gatún Lake itself. An artificial freshwater lake created by
damming the mighty Chagres River, it lies 27 meters above sea level. Together
with Alajuela Lake, it forms the essential water system that powers the canal’s
operations.
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| (Comfort break, sharing the washroom) |
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| (Having brunch at a Chinese Restaurant) |
After the boat cruise, we stopped for a short coffee break at a nearby Chinese restaurant, before heading to the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side of the canal. Here, we witnessed the sheer scale of global trade in motion: a massive cargo ship slowly made its way through the locks, lifted step by step before sailing out into the Atlantic Ocean. Watching the locks operate after a short introductory video gave me a deeper appreciation of the precision and engineering genius behind the canal.
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| (Heavy rain at Puerto Bello) |
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| (No sign of the rain stopping) |
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| (Stranded visitors listening to the guide) |
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| (Our buffet lunch at Puerto Bello) |
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| ( The historical fort in the background) |
The return journey to Panama City was quiet and uneventful. By 3:30 p.m., we were back at our hotel, where a long afternoon nap felt like the perfect way to end such a packed day.
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