It’s funny, but there was no weather prediction for today in the When & Where paper. Perhaps it was an oversight, or a deliberate mistake? As it turned out, it was a mixed bag throughout the entire day. One thing that was missing was the intense sun we normally experience in this part of the world. Thank goodness for small favors.
By the time we woke up, the Amsterdam was entering the Panama Canal sometime around 6:30am. And our most favorite pastry, the Panama Rolls, were being served in the Crow’s Nest, Atrium deck 3, and outside on the bow. And no, we would not be going there to get some. Taking a quick stroll around the promenade deck, we could see the new bridge that spans the canal at the Colon side. It is another cable stay design, but it is not finished yet.
By the time we went to the dining room for breakfast, we were through the Gatun Locks, which raised the ship 88 feet to Gatun Lake. The new set of expanded locks, Agua Clara Locks, could not be seen from our vantage point. It was most enjoyable watching the lake transit while ending our light meal with Panama Rolls that our waiter, Bangun, had found for us. We do expect these delights to be the last we will see until next year.
We have to admit that today’s temperatures had to be the most pleasant ever. Taking some photos during our AM walk, we hoped for a sighting of the American crocodiles or even monkeys. We saw neither. By the way, there are no alligators in this part of the world.
The expert Panamanian lecturer that joined us today had to be one of the best we have heard. He was easy to understand, and came across the speakers loud and clear. The best part was that he kept the dialogue interesting, as well as answering many of the guest’s questions along the way. For the entire sailing through the massive lake, it was partly cloudy with a nice breeze. This never happens, but unfortunately, it would not last.
Today’s continuing talk included the usual facts about the canal, but also was full of little unknown facts such as the types of vessels that do this transit the most. Number one are the LNG ships (liquefied natural gas), then ships that transport grains, mainly corn, wheat and soybeans. The third most numerous ships are the carriers of fuel, such as jet fuels, oil, and liquefied petroleum gas or LPG.
Rainfall is the key element for the canal to operate. It is the ultimate use of working with nature. The flow of the fresh water would end up in both of the oceans, so people are just using it before it is dispersed. So when the rain began to fall at 10am, everyone had to take cover. At that time, we had been visiting with friends, Ellen and Aart, by the Seaview Pool, but had to leave to save the cameras. These showers, which turned torrential at times, are unpredictable in this “El Nino” year, according to the speaker. The canal zone has either gotten too much rain at times, or too little.
More hidden facts concerned the special engines called mules, used to center ships in the locks. Each one cost 2 million dollars, many years ago. And it takes six mules to do the job at each set of locks. The new locks do not use mules, but have six tug boats at 11 million dollars each to center the ships in the much wider locks. The other most unusual story we heard today was about the growing of a special coffee in this region. Thinking we heard the name of the coffee is geisha, it commands a price of $800 a pound. And one cup costs $65, with no refills. It is sold in places like NYC and the United Arab Emirates, where the hefty price is not questioned.
Panamax ships were the largest ones allowed in the old locks as they measured 965 feet long, 106 feet wide, and were under 90,000 gross tons. Up until the new locks were used, any vessel larger than the Panamax group could not transit the canal.
As the day advanced, the ship finally reached the Chagres River and Calebra Cut. By the time we arrived to the Centennial Bridge, it was hard to see, since it was raining so hard. Gold Hill had waterfalls pouring out from the sides. Although the estimated time of arriving to the last set of locks was 12:30pm, we think it was later than that. More like 1:30pm. It took longer than the normal time to enter the San Pedro Locks, and the Miraflores Locks. There was a small crowd at the building where everyone lines up to watch ships being lowered back down to sea level.
The final frosting on the cake was sailing under the longest highway in the world – the Pan-American Highway, via the Bridge of the Americas. Now we were entering the mighty Pacific Ocean. But the best surprise was coming when we spotted a small herd of deer grazing on the right banks of the canal. Never even knew they lived here. On the opposite side, we searched for the super-large capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. And we saw them this time…..at least 5 or 6 of them. The cooler wet weather must have roused them to come out of hiding.
Also we saw so many birds we could not believe it. The largest numbers had to be the pelicans, followed by frigates, egrets, herons, cormorants, and boobys. What a display we saw of the diving birds as we entered the Pacific Ocean, an indication of abundant sea life. It was 5pm by the time we headed back to our room.
Of course, there were hundreds of photos to download, so that kept us busy until dinnertime. Not too terribly hungry, we both had soup, salad, a shared tortellini dish, and one stuffed bellpepper. Marco brought us four little chocolate biscotti cookies for dessert along with some ginger. It was ample, but we were once again too early for the show tonight. The singers and dancers performed On Tour, a concert style music extravaganza, a show we have seen a few times already. It had been a very long day for most cruisers, so we think from looking at the lower dining room, many guests dined early, and retired early as well.
And the clocks went back one more hour tonight. That is always a plus.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Report #122 Transit the Panama Canal May 20, 2019 Monday
