AmanAplanAcanalPanama

Friday, November 13, 2009

We set the alarm for 5:45 AM but we both had been up and down most of the night. We went out on the balcony to see all the ships waiting to enter the canal before dawn. It was quite a sight. We dressed and went up to get some coffee and stake out our position on the front of the ship. We picked up the pilots and canal narrator and she explained the flag system used through the canal. We are the 7th ship on the north side to enter the canal. We entered the first lock at 7:20 and it was so fascinating to watch this whole process. All the doors are original and have never been replaced and they were built in 1914 or before probably. We got loads of pictures from our vantage point on the front of the ship. Once we were in the lock we moved along and took pictures from different parts of the ship. Then came back to the cabin while we were in the second lock to take some from our balcony then we went down to deck 4 and took pictures through the windows of the walls of the canal and then filmed as we came up as the water filled the lock, just amazing how that works! It is only 11 AM and I feel like I have been up for days. It is so humid and hot that you just stay soaked and feel like you need to take a shower every few minutes. We are now cruising Gatun (pronounced gatoon) lake which has dense jungle surrounding it. We have just passed the point where they are dredging to widen the canal to allow ships to pass each other in opposite directions. Currently that only happens in a couple places otherwise all ships must be going the same direction to navigate the to the next set of locks on the Pacific side. We will be at the Centennial Bridge in about an hour. Debbie and I are watching from the cool of the cabin for now until the bridge comes up. I forgot to tell Teresa and Susan and guys that yesterday in the shop where we bought some things there was a sign and quote by Randy Wayne White about the hot sauce sold there was the best he has ever had. I should have taken a picture of the sign..oh well. We passed the Centennial Bridge at noon and 9 miles to the San Pedro lock which is one by itself then onto the Miraflores which we entered at 2:10 PM and once we entered the locks we could see Panama. We were extremely lucky on Friday the 13th as we had only a small shower while approaching the last locks. When you see the pictures you will be able to tell how the rain was all around us. We saw lightening over Panama City. Once we were through the last locks we could see the Bridge of the Americas which is the Pan American highway which connects north and south America. Being in the Panama Canal is the only place you can see the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean and set over the Pacific Ocean. There was so much information given today that I don’t believe I can remember a small portion. Anyway, we did transit the entire 50 miles in an hour less than anticipated so here we are at 4:15 PM in the Pacific Ocean. We just dropped Anna our narrator and the 5 pilots and Debbie and I are near comatose with rigor mortise feeling as though it will set in at any time. We walked the length of this ship at least 25 times and up and down the stairs and elevators countless times and weren’t sitting except to eat and when I wrote the first part of the blog so this id adios amigos. We will probably not have any news to post tomorrow since it is a sea day and we are going to sleep in for a change.