Ocean crossing, continent crossing

Ocean crossing, continent crossing, 29^th—30^th July

It is hard to describe the fourteen days crossing the Pacific and the ways we had of counting down. Finally on Wednesday 28 July at about noon we had our first sighting of the coast of Panama, with waves breaking on land, mountain ranges and small settlements. On the sea small fishing vessels as well as whales, dolphins and in the sky increasing numbers of birds escorting the ship. We also started to see the first debris and plastics of our voyage. We ground to a halt, off Panama City, waiting our turn to be admitted into the Canal.

We started engines in the early hours of Thursday morning. Uncharacteristically Claire crawled out of bed to peer out at the large number of container vessels ablaze with lights in Panama Bay (lights on mean that a vessel is stationery). There was an excellent view of Panama City by night as the pilot navigated us past the Islands Naos, Perico and Flamenco with its lighthouse, under the Bridge of the Americas towards the Miraflores Locks, the first of three series on the Panama Canal. Uncharacteristically Colin could only be coaxed to watch this progress for a short period leaving Claire to try to fathom just how the locks work and to stay watch in the saloon behind the blackout curtains. The Pedro Miguel Locks were next and then a long journey through rainforest across the lakes to the Gatun Locks where we at last grasped the engineering and technology that had taken us 37.8 kilometres across a content and 26.52 metres above sea level on the Pacific side and back to sea level in the Caribbean Sea.

Panama is a beautiful little country, luxuriant forests, scenic lakes - most of them artificially created and with the added tourist attraction of crocodiles. Eventually, late in the afternoon of the 30^th , we arrived in the port of Colon City. We were warned against doing anything too ambitious and finally it was suggested we four passengers take a taxi to Quadros Altos (Four Peaks)—a shopping mall Panamanian style - the biggest Best and Less in the world—and running on Central American music. The trip to Four Peaks, in our beat up yellow taxi, passed a gargantuan prison, was pure Russian roulette, as we dodged big trucks, cars, pedestrians, pot-holes. All-in-all we quite liked our first Latin American experience, a rumba rather than a tango. Next stop Kingston, Jamaica, which apparently is a real security risk.