Panama Bay Islands & The Panama Canal
Enjoying some salsa dancing last evening left many of us sleeping soundly through the tidal changes and trade winds as the Sea Voyager made her way round to Punta Mala in the Gulf of Panama. Morning sun found us well established in these nutrient-rich waters and after a leisurely breakfast, we loaded the zodiacs and headed off to explore some of the inviting islands. Cameras, binoculars and eyes feasted on the abundant displays of brown and blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, black-crowned night herons as well as turkey and black vultures. A few lucky ones spotted some baby boobies and a peregrine falcon.
The skyline of Panama and presence of other ships of all sizes brought us to the reality that we had left the pristine preserves and tropical paradises behind, the contrast a bit of a shock! Viewing the movie “A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama,” helped forward us into present time, and soon we were caught up in the marvel of this engineering feat, sometimes referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world.”
Watching Panamanian officials hop aboard our vessel for clearance, boarding our pilot for maneuvering through the first lock, Miraflores, and observing the “mulas” and boatman who tethered us safely through, were all captivating images and an exciting first experience of “The Canal” for most on board! Christian Gernez our naturalist from Panama, kept things lively on the PA system, challenging us with trivia along with factual information during happy hour on the sun deck. Did you know that John Wayne was a key player in negotiations with giving the canal operations back to the Panamanians?
The galley was gracious to serve up a traditional Panamanian buffet in the lounge so that we might continue enjoying our transit through the canal, as Jupiter rose overhead in a clear night sky. Truly a different kind of day from many previous, but also a major interest and reason we come and explore this unique part of the world!
Enjoying some salsa dancing last evening left many of us sleeping soundly through the tidal changes and trade winds as the Sea Voyager made her way round to Punta Mala in the Gulf of Panama. Morning sun found us well established in these nutrient-rich waters and after a leisurely breakfast, we loaded the zodiacs and headed off to explore some of the inviting islands. Cameras, binoculars and eyes feasted on the abundant displays of brown and blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, black-crowned night herons as well as turkey and black vultures. A few lucky ones spotted some baby boobies and a peregrine falcon.
The skyline of Panama and presence of other ships of all sizes brought us to the reality that we had left the pristine preserves and tropical paradises behind, the contrast a bit of a shock! Viewing the movie “A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama,” helped forward us into present time, and soon we were caught up in the marvel of this engineering feat, sometimes referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world.”
Watching Panamanian officials hop aboard our vessel for clearance, boarding our pilot for maneuvering through the first lock, Miraflores, and observing the “mulas” and boatman who tethered us safely through, were all captivating images and an exciting first experience of “The Canal” for most on board! Christian Gernez our naturalist from Panama, kept things lively on the PA system, challenging us with trivia along with factual information during happy hour on the sun deck. Did you know that John Wayne was a key player in negotiations with giving the canal operations back to the Panamanians?
The galley was gracious to serve up a traditional Panamanian buffet in the lounge so that we might continue enjoying our transit through the canal, as Jupiter rose overhead in a clear night sky. Truly a different kind of day from many previous, but also a major interest and reason we come and explore this unique part of the world!
