Day 4 and 5

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Panama City is starting to spend money on revitalizing the city and neighborhoods.  The 1 billion dollar profit from the canal and tourism that supports it, is slowly moving into projects that will provide a better life style than exists today.  

We toured the original city ruins of the first Panama City Tha.t was built in 1519 by conquistador Pedro Aries de Avila and destroyed I 1671 by the famous Welch pirate Henery Morgan.  Hence that 2nd Panama City was moved further inland and higher up to give better visibility from invading pirates.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the river that feeds the Panama Canal and were able to get our first experience of ships passing through the locks.  Our first visit into the rainforest was awesome because we rode little trams through the tops of the trees.

This little boat will follow the much larger freighter through the canal.  The have entered the first lock.

The water in this lock will raise the ship up as the water level raises. The locks will close behind the ship and also in front of the ship and when the water level is the same height as the lake the ship will be entering, the front lock will open and the ship will be towed out.  

At the far end of the boat to the right you can see the water level is higher . The water under the cargo ship will continue to fill up until the levels are even.

The canal operates 24 hour a day 365 days a year.  It generates one third of Panama's entire economy. It takes a ship 8-10 hours to transit all locks and the entire Canal is 50 miles long.  

We had a great lunch on the river that feeds the Canal

On the other side of the bridge is the Canal and a ship is making it way to the first lock

Our rainforest transportation!

John and Doug Jackson just before we boarded our little 5 person outdoor tram....you can imagine how sweaty Johan's palms were

Our guide during the ride

See the tram basket in front of us..very deep in the rainforest.  The Panamanian people have done a terrific job at preserving these natural wonders and allowing the rest of the world to share in the experience

A native village near the lake

The Chief of the village has his own island. Panama has a diverse and culturally indigenous populations ... About 8% of the total population. There are the Guna, the Embera, the Wounaan, the Ngobe-Bugle, the Terbe, and the Bokota.  They range in population from 2,000 to 164,000 and live in the rain forests or mountainous western provinces.

Types of vegetation found in this rainforest

Me and Gayle Jackson at the top of the rainforest!

Ok asking John to ride an open tram made for really small people was a stretch.... Getting him to walk up the tower to the very top was over the top and he waited below.

After leaving the rainforest, we travel by bus through the isthmus which is the land that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. We stopped to see the construction of the new Canal expansion.  All construction on it has been stopped because the Spanish, Italian, and Panamanian conglomerate hired to build it has a 50% over run and wants another billion dollars to finish the project . The Panamanian government has said no, so until it is resolved or another company is hired to finish it, there will be no action.  10,000 people are out of work for now .

Part of the original Panama Canal railroad used over100 years ago to transport men and supplies over the isthmus. It was also used to move tons of rock and dirt during the construction years

We arrived at our ship, the Tere Moana, that is run by the Tauck small ship  cruising line. There are only 78 passangers and enough crew to be waited on hand and foot!! The ship is beautiful, the food is international favors and delicious and the service is 5 star!!!