Day 6 Panama & Carribean Cruise

Day 6 Panama

Well we have finally reached our first port of call; Cristobal in Panama – this is the main port on the Caribbean side, and entrance to the Panama Canal. The QM2 docked at pier 6 at about 9:00AM; this means we will get to walk off rather than use the little tender boats – which is great.

After a breakfast in the Britannia dining room it was back to the cabin to slap on an inch thick layer of sun block and a good dousing of insect repellant – this is after all the former mosquito capital of the planet! And, after removing all outwardly indications of any wealth (for fear of being robbed) we headed to our appointed holding area for our pre-booked shore excursion – a day long tour of the canal via the Panama Railway Company and tour bus.

We finally got off the ship and over to the railway station by 11:00AM. The outside of the train gave no hint of what we experienced once we got inside – the carriages were superbly outfitted in early 20th century style, with wood paneling and beautiful seating. Our Panamanian guide then began to give us a series of interesting facts about the railway, the canal and Panamanian history. The train set off and we settled in for the hour long ride across the isthmus from Colon to Panama City. In due course, the food trolley arrived – staffed by one of the railway servers who all young females and wear a very smart uniform. Expecting excessive heat ahead Mike and I had a beer, even though it was not yet noon.

The railway mostly follows the track of the canal; in fact it follows pretty much the same line as the original railway that predated the canal and was instrumental in the successful construction of said waterway. There are some spectacular views of the lakes and rainforest; at several points the line runs on a causeway with water on both sides of the track for several miles. There is an open section on the train where I stood and tried to get some pictures of the scenery; I was trying to spot some wildlife (we’d been told to look for crocodiles and monkeys) but all I saw was another kind of wildlife… The train at one point passes right by a prison and I just happened to catch the inmates at shower time. Showers in Panamanian prisons are apparently al fresco.

After about an hour we reached the other side and got off the train at Panama City Passenger Station where our trusty tour bus was waiting for us – having apparently raced ahead of the train. With our guide in toe we set off for the Mira Flores locks, about 10 minutes away. The visitor set up at Mira Flores is very good; there is a visitor center right at the lock with a small museum, informational movie and, up on the 5th floor, an observation deck looking right down onto the lock.

We were fortunate to see a gigantic container ship transit the lock when we were up on the observation deck. The process is very well orchestrated – you’d think they did it every day (actually it runs 24x7). The ship enters the lock under its own power then the gates close behind it. At this point ropes are attached to several (2 on each side I think) small trains (they call them mules). The mules not only help to move the ship along but also keep it from touching the sides – for these large ships there can’t be more than about 2 feet of clearance on either side. The lock then starts to drain – this happens much faster than I expected; the whole thing seemed to drain in less than 10 minutes. At some point the front lock gates open and the little mules help the ship on out. It is an amazing site to see. I should point out that it rains a lot in Panama (that’s a huge understatement) – which is just as well since the whole operation of the locks depends on the rainfall. In fact it takes about 1 million liters of water to get a ship from one ocean to the other.

We stayed at the Mira Flores visitor center for about an hour then it was back on the bus and off to the Pacific Ocean. The tour guide took us to a nice vista point where we could get pictures of the Bridge of the Americas that crosses the canal, effectively joining South and North America. From here we could also see Panama City across the bay; I was really surprised to find it a very large modern city with many high-rise structures. Our final stop was in a small shopping area on an island that had been connected to the mainland via a causeway. Though touristy, this was actually quite a nice area – a bit like Mexico, only a bit. We had a beer and got back on the bus for the return journey to Colon on the Caribbean side. I must say it is a very strange feeling to be able to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea in the same day.

The bus driver’s secret was revealed as we found ourselves heading down a nice modern freeway for the 1 hour return trip. Not much to see until we got to the outskirts of Colon; a series of, at best, shanty towns with a distinct third-world appearance. Closer to the port we encounter a massive series of warehouses that make up the free-trade zone of Colon; 20,000 people work here every day – it’s a huge contrast to the aforementioned hovels. Apparently the free-trade zone is where a lot of the products from those container ships end up. If you want to do a deal for a boxcar-size load of flat screen TVs – this is where you come.

We briefly see some of “Old Colon” before entering the port. The old part of town has that distinctly run-down, mold-encrusted, wrought iron balcony, loose pack dog, armed guard outside all the jewelry stores, old men sitting outside shops reading the newspaper, hoodlum on the corner kind of look to it.

Another quirk of Colon; the town is apparently the final resting place for just about all the old school buses from the US. The buses are sold to individual driver-operators who take great pride in decorating these old jalopies according to their own taste. The locals call these buses the red devils and some of the paint jobs are incredible; ranging from religious themes to lighting bolts to super heros.

Returning to the ship at about 5PM we just had time to get back to the cabin, shower and head to dinner – thank god it’s an “Elegant Casual” night; where do they get these names? – I don’t think I could be “elegantly casual” even if I had Tim Gunn giving me pointers for a month. All this really means is that I don’t have to where a tie – still got to don a jacket, just no need for a tie. Why don’t they just call it “No Tie Night”?

No I’m not going to give you a blow by blow account of everything served at dinner; sorry.

It must have been a tiring day because Sandra and I decide to call it a night; as I write this Sandra is passed out on the bed. It’s 9PM on Saturday night.

(Comment from Sandra) Actually I was not passed out I was merely resting my eyes for an hour or two so that I could find my way to the midnight buffet.