Today, we spent a full day of cruising through the Panama
Canal from sunrise till sunset. The day
was chock full of activities from a hilarious “rendition of crocodile swimming thru
the canal contest”, to canal trivia and lectures, to Panamanian food and music
events!!
I was up at 6AM to watch the sunrise and to experience
our transit through the first set of locks at Gatun. I pitched a tent (chair) in the shade in the
aft pool area, then headed to the bow, which they opened just for this exciting experience.
Throughout the day, an expert guide provided commentary
on the history and engineering of the canal; and stewards provided snacks
including fruit kabobs, cold beverages and cold towels. It was quite hot in the
sun so I ended up with an unexpected tan.
For the crocodile contest: We all gathered around the aft
pool, with the wide expanse of the canal behind. The assistant cruise director, Erin, introduced
each crocodile contestant-there must have been 15. One by one, each croc showcased
a unique and cleaver theme, assumed a croc stance, then, proceeded to dive in,
swim, and leap from the pool, croc style.
My favorites were: Santa croc and flopping croc.
We howled with laughter after each performance!
As we approached the final set of locks, at an
observation center, there were hundreds of excited people on the balconies of
viewing platforms hoping to observe a ship transit through the locks. WE were
their entertainment!!! They cheered us
on, the captain honked in reply, and of course, we waved back.
It was a fabulous day transiting this masterpiece of an
engineering marvel!
I met Brooksie (Brooklyn) Ann Hughes that day. She just got a new job so she will only remain on until Singapore instead of taking the entire 115-day circumnavigation. This is her first cruise EVER.
At dinner, they gave us fedora-esque Panama hats. Inside was the inscription: ages 5 and up and Made in China. LOL!!
During the evening show, as we watched the harpist perform,
I attempted to confirm what I learned in my trivia game. Was she playing with all fingers except the pinkies!?!?! I could
not tell.
Next Day: Visit to Panama
City and The New Locks: Agua Clara
The next morning, we tendered to the port into Flamenco resort and searched for our (private) tour guide. I followed their instructions and ignored the inaccurate advice of the cruise and resort staff.
Our smart tour guide, was Christian, from Austria who studied and lived the Camino Real for 3 years. His Panamanian wife will have their first baby soon.
Agua Clara is
the name of the new locks on Caribbean side.
Panama's currency is the Balboa, which is the US dollar. They have 25 and 50 cents pieces.
I learned that the famous Vasco Nunez de Balboa, was a
stowaway, yet, he eventually claimed all of the Americas for Spain in 1513. He
was "the first European to see the Pacific “.
Tonight, I enjoyed: 1) ballroom dancing with the gentlemen hosts, 2) the big stage show: a marionette, Philip Huber*, who designed and showcased unique realistic characters (including high wire acrobat, package opening doggie, violinist, and Chinese magician who performed 6 illusions then transformed into a dragon-It was one of the most interesting performances I have EVER seen!!!; 3) taking a peak at the college football game on big screen (with hotdogs, tacos, shrimp salad and other snacks.) and 5) Camomile tea before bed out on the back pool deck. It was a calm, still, pleasant evening with clear skies.
Tomorrow clocks will be rolled back at 2AM, so we will
sleep an extra hour. It won’t be difficult to take my 8:15 tai chi class!
Chinese magician ⬇
