Sorry to be so long in updating my blog. NO ports had Wi-Fi that was strong enough to upload so here I sit in LA at the Crown Plaza Hotel which will be our home for five days. Then we will board the Emerald Princess for our holiday cruise to Hawaii. Hopefully I will be able to upload now. 🌲🌲
Dan was up first around 5:00 opening the drapes by our balcony and starting our coffee so we could position ourselves to view adventure. A commentator was on board with his narration available through the TV which was on the channel that showed the bow view. We saw a beautiful crescent moon aside Jupiter. This is going to a long blog mostly so we remember what we have learned so if you know all about the canal skip this !! Ha ha.
Panama’s best resource is their unique location. Each section of the canal has its own resources and procedures. There are 50 tugs available in the canal used as a safety net. Two main bridges have been constructed in the area. The one we get to first is under construction at 387 million dollars done by a French contractor. Panama is 50 miles wide only and this is where the canal is.
We are up at 5:00 to watch us start our transit into the canal. It’s really fascinating and even surreal to imagine the feat of this construction and the amount of man power and suffering.
New locks as we enter are to our left; the newer channel having two locks and the old one three. Average toll for a ship like ours is $150,000. Big container ships could be $25,000 to $85,000 per day to operate with salaries and then fuel is another $130,000 per day so they save a lot going through the canal versus more hazardous days at sea and costs.
There are two cargo ports on the Atlantic side of which one is Colon named after Christopher Columbus and the other Limon. On a previous partial transit we stopped at Colon. The canal operates 24/7 every day. The other port on the Pacific side is by Panama City. This is the largest shipping port in Latin America. The canal is 48 miles long with locks at each end.
5:30 am from our balcony on transit day
Dan’s always got his binoculars in hand.
Centennial Bridge
Tugs that will help us if needed.
Entering our first lock
This is a huge replacement wheel bumper that catches you when you enter the lock
If you look at the left hand top corner you can see the wheel in place
The mules that pull us through slowly four on each side.
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