Indiscreetly Us!: LOCKING IT UP IN PANAMA

Salud, Kids!

Finally!

If you have stayed with me on this virtual cruise, we have arrived in Panama and that fabulous Canal of the same name.

Having you along, sharing this adventure vicariously, has been the berries. In other words I have enjoyed having you along for the ride.

In the early morning hours on the day of our arrival we stepped onto our terrace where it was eerily quiet, and realize we are finally there. Panama, a place I have wanted to see since elementary school. Yes, I can remember that far back, so don't be giving me the old squint-eye.

Our enormous ship, was treading water, waiting in line to enter the locks.

Just to prove we were really there, here are the certificates we were presented at the conclusion of our transit. I know you can't see a thing and these could be maps sent to us from AAA, but I like them, so here they are.

The Queen Victoria is considered a PanaMAX ship. Barely small enough to squeak through the locks. But, an inch is as good as a mile (don't you love it when I get all philosophical?), so in we went and squeak and scrape we did.

The history of this canal is deeper than these locks, so I won't bore you with a history lesson. No, I think boring you with my snaps is quite enough. However, the story of this massive and on-going achievement is worth knowing, if you don't.

Honestly, the history of it all has fascinated me forever and the actual experience of traversing the locks into Gatun Lake was indescribable.

To think these ships are raised and lowered in the locks by water and gravity seems impossible.

Our partial-transit permitted time to drift all over Gatun Lake and ponder how this miracle was ever achieved and how it will evolve with the development of new locks currently under construction.

Of course, a partial-transit sparks the flame of a total-transit. How thrilling to navigate through the canal and pop out into the peaceful, Pacific.

Gaz and I roamed all over the Queen Victoria and attempted to view things from every possible angle. Witnessing this marvel made me appreciate the dedication of Teddy Roosevelt and a cast of thousands. I know, I know, there were all sorts of shenanigans involved, but what's done is done and it is semi-ancient history anyway, right?

Quite fascinating to me were the machines called Mules. They move along tracks and guide the ships through the locks with ropes. In the olden days, actual mules did the job. Somehow I don't think they ever envisioned these Panamax vessels back in that day.

Kids, one minute you are staring into the face of the mule driver and the next minute the water has elevated you many, many floors above him.

Great fun was to gaze across from our lock to Panamax ships gliding quietly through other locks.

You sort of become a kid again, waving at the folks on those ships.

If this sort of adventure doesn't bring out the kid in you, you probably don't like to ride the Tea Cups at Disney World either.

This cargo ship was squeaking through, just like the Queen V.

The strange thing is how all this nautical traffic movement and activity is so quiet and organized.

It's sort of like when you step onto the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building for the first time and it is so very quiet. Unexpected silence.