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Panama Canal/Gatun Lake - Part 3
Written by: Dominick A. Miserandino
Photography by: Margherita Miserandino
Exploring the world renowned canal and walking through the jungles by the lake.
At 9 a.m. we went out to the deck and had breakfast while the ship began its navigation through the canal. When you see the canal you think, "I’ve seen something like this before." Actually we’ve seen locks on the Mississippi, but of course, nothing on this scale. We saw the canal and thought, "Looks a bit like the East River of Manhattan."
You then look and realize that somebody built this. Somebody carved, dug and actually connected two oceans. And they did this nearly 100 years ago. You look at these locks and realize that the locks in the Mississippi, while impressive, were dwarfed in comparison to the job at stake here. The magnitude finally hits you. If this happens while eating breakfast, you choke a bit, but generally you’re quite happy.
We went through the locks, and the entire ship’s population rushed to the decks. The ship goes into a walled chamber, which fills with water that elevates the ship. When the water level matches that of the other side, the next door opens, and you go out into the canal again.
We stayed out on the deck as much as possible with our binoculars, watching the birds and looking at the jungle and enjoying the barbeque lunch. Hot dogs and lamb chops while watching the canal aren’t a bad deal.
Gatun Yacht Club
While they were making this massive canal, they wanted to give the workers a place to relax, so they built a yacht club in the middle of Gatun Lake. Gatun Lake is so big it makes the great lakes look small. Okay, it’s not necessarily bigger, but it is massive. You watch tankers float by, and if you didn’t know where you were, you’d swear you’re in the ocean. It’s essentially an aquatic lobby, which allows the large ships to pass each other before going through the narrower portions of the canal.
Anyway, back to the Yacht Club. It is now used for tourism and had some of the best activities the entire trip, which better yet, were free. Not only that, although other cruise ships were docked around, the yacht club was exclusively for Silversea guests. Silversea always gets exclusive excursions.
The first entertainers were Panamanian folk dancers. Margherita kept going on and on about their beautiful costumes. Then came a group of female tribal dancers, and every decent male averted his eyes. While to the natives being topless was normal, it still felt a bit odd looking at prepubescent naked teenagers. I guess when in Panama, do as the Panamanians.
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Crossing the locks of the Panama Canal | |
Then it was time for a nature walk through the rainforest, which was another of the many highlights. Our guide took us right into the rainforest and pointed out birds, flowers and even a sloth.
We then returned to the Yacht Club for some snacks, then to the ship.
By this point it was time to get ready for dinner, when I discovered how to make my one-hour independent journeys even better. While Margherita got dressed in her multi-staged process, I went to the spa. I sat in the sauna, watched the sunset from the spa’s deck and then took a hot shower. Afterwards, I walked back to the room, perfectly ready to go, and without having to hear, "I think you should do this or that." It was the best of both worlds.
At dinner, Margherita was a bit concerned that we wouldn’t look proper over my "Crab Cakes Incident." See the crab cakes were good; in fact they were the best damn crab cakes I’ve ever had. But they were officially an appetizer. This was wrong, simply wrong. I ordered them first as an appetizer and also as a side for dinner. The waiter happily obliged; my wife gave me a scowl. I explained that it was perfectly safe, and the waiter reinforced that argument. She keeps forgetting that on Silversea you can pretty much order whatever you want.
What a day. I walked in a rainforest, watched a beautiful sunset and got yelled at over crab cakes.
San Jose - Part 1
San Jose - Part 2
Silversea's Silver Wind - Part 1
Day at Sea - Part 2
Panama Canal/Gatun Lake - Part 3
San Blas Island - Part 4
Cartagena, Colombia - Part 5
Day at Sea - Part 6
Aruba - Part 7
Curacao - Part 8
Bonaire - Part 9
At Sea - Part 10
St. Georges, Grenada - Part 11
Barbados - Part 12
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