After 4 miserable days in the Caribbean, then a nice stop in Colombia, we pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Panama Canal.
Early in the morning our escort is ready to take us into the locks.
Just an idea of the jungle before they cut the canal through it.
A good omen for our transit.
In our 2016 Panama Canal transit we came through on the very first day that the new, bigger locks opened up. Since we're a small ship, we stay to the right and go to the old, original (and cheaper) locks.
Into the first lock. One of the less desirable features of our ship, Oceania Insignia, is that there is no open deck with a forward view. You have to lean out to the side, or take a picture through a window to get the forward view.
Safety is a priority at the canal. No tripping over loose shoelaces.
There are two parallel channels in the original locks. As we were going southbound and up, other ships were going northbound and down.
After some Photoshop fixing, this is the view through the tinted glass on the upper deck.
A frigate bird. The Enrichment lecturer said this was also called a Man o'War.
The red/white, or Hotel, flag means that there's a pilot aboard. The blue/orange/white flag is for the Marshal Islands, registry of the Insignia. The yellow flag is a security flag, and the white flag is the Oceania flag (O is hidden.) Ed (last name unknown) was aboard only for the transit and was an excellent source of both historical and operational information about the canal.
The room with a view, the lounge/bar/viewing area at the top front of the ship.
It takes three steps, and three locks, to rise the 85 feet from sea level to Gatun Lake.
HQ for the canal
Exit from the Gatun locks into the lake
What appears to be a ship on a collision course with us is Oceania's Marina, going the other way. Lots of whistles and waving at each other. It was as if we hadn't seen another ship from the Marshal Islands before.
Here's an example of a mountain being cut down to make a place for the canal. This is the Continental Divide, and there was no way to go around it. The tremendous earth movement required, and yellow fever bearing mosquitoes were what made the canal so difficult to build.
A good friend from ATW2016, Luke, celebrates his birthday at lunch.
Heading back down from the lake through the Miraflores Locks.
Back at sea level we're passing Panama City and some street art. Our transit began about 7:30 and we returned to sea level by about 4:30.
Panama City has become a huge metropolis, driven by the flow of goods through the Panama Canal.
The buffet dinner was Asian themed. The octopus is actually edible candy. Some of the cooks are quite artistic.
Early in the morning our escort is ready to take us into the locks.
2 comments:
The colourful art is:
Inside an architectural wonder, the newly opened Museum of Biodiversity tells the story of how Central America divided the oceans and connected continents.On a peninsula of land that juts out from mainland Central America into the Pacific Ocean sits a building with a bright, multi-colored patchwork roof. The building is that of the newly opened Biomuseo (Museum of Biodiversity) in Panama City, Panama, and the roof's colorful, angular surprises seem to echo the creative adaption that comes with evolution.
The angular building dispenses with traditional architectural lines; as a product of renowned architect Frank Gehry (who also designed Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum), it's either exceptionally fun or rather off-putting, depending on aesthetic preferences.
And while Gehry's architecture might be what catches visitors first, the museum is not just a novelty of architecture, but was built to tell the story of how the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea to separate the early ocean in two, forever changing the diversity of the planet.
Today, of course, it's impossible to not be aware that the museum also marks the western entrance of the Panama Canal, which effectively rejoins those oceans (and which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2014). In the waters near Biomuseo, massive cargo ships and tankers queue up for a ride through the canal, as they make their way from the Pacific Ocean through to the Caribbean Sea and beyond to the Atlantic Ocean. The adjacent Amador Causeway which extends past the museum is manmade, connecting what once were three separate islands with the mainland, and built with rock and soil excavated during the canal-building process.
The museum contains eight permanent exhibition galleries that blend art and science—appropriately titled "Panama: Bridge of Life"—plus a public atrium and a botanical park with multiple outdoor exhibits. Bruce Mau, Canadian designer and founder of the Institute Without Boundaries, is the mastermind behind these exhibits these exhibits, including a gallery of biodiversity, cylindrical aquariums representing the separated oceans, a permanent display about the tectonics at work and the story of humanity's relationship with the nature of Panama.
BioMuseo: The Quick Facts
Opened: Oct. 2, 2014
Designed by: Frank Gehry
Concept: Biodiversity museum focused on wildlife and flora of Central America
Location: Amador Causeway, beside the Plaza de las Banderas, Panama City, Panama
Well done Kathleen
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