Sea to Ocean in One Hour

Today we are in Colon , Panama. Colon is an old city and sure looks it. It hasn’t been well cared for. Buildings are run down, the traffic is awful. We took a short bus ride from the ship to the train station. We boarded the Panama Canal Railway for our ride to Panama City. It’s a replica of a train that ran in the 1880’s. This train was probably built in the 1950’s. We paralleled the canal but mostly we saw Lake Gatun. It is the man made lake that provides the water for the locks in the canal. So we went from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean in 1 hour, 15 minutes. From there we boarded another bus to take a ‘panoramic’ tour of the city. That means we drove around awhile before lunch. Panama City is a modern city with many high rise buildings. We went to the Bucaneros restaurant for a pleasant buffet lunch. Then we took a short ride to a souvenir shop where we could buy a Panama hat , chocolate or coffee. We stayed on the bus. I was cold on the train so I bought myself a Panama Railroad denim shirt. I only have 7 or 8 at home, so I really needed this one. I know I will use it in the cooler areas of the ship and places we go where it will be cold. After the souvenir stop we headed back to the ship. We all had a little nap as we drove through a rainstorm.

When we returned to the ship, many of the staff were lined up to greet us as we walked by. A very nice touch. We ordered room service dinner before We went to the second lecture on the Canal. He explained how the Canal came to be built and owned by America. Lots of behind closed door deals happened. From there we went to Team Trivia. We didn’t see any of our team so we were on our own. Didn’t do too well. Do you know Julie Andrew’s middle name?

From there we went to the theater to see a Folklorico Dance troupe. They were in colorful costumes but every dance was pretty much like the one before it. Nature called before the end of the show. We tried to sneak out quickly, but clumsy me tripped on a step, my phone and glasses fell out of my purse. Not too embarrassing! After the stop in the ladies room we came back to the room. Got a big day tomorrow-we traverse the Canal. It will take 8 hours. We’re excited to watch it all.

Some people have asked for a photo of our cabin so I have included one tonight.