Looking down on the huge torrents of water flowing through the locks, and the massive steel doors that close to control the flow of water, it’s hard not to be impressed by the Panama Canal.
This amazing feat of engineering was high on my list of must-sees when my boyfriend and I headed down to Central America for a trip after I’d been working in Austin, Texas, for a couple of weeks.
Ever since we’d seen a documentary on the canal it had been a place that we decided we just had to see at least once in our lives.
The Panama Canal has seen billions of dollars of foreign investment pour into Panama, giving the country one of the highest standards of living in Central America. Officially opened in 1914, it wasn’t actually handed over to Panama until 31 December 1999.
The canal is around 80 kilometres long, and its three locks control the flow of water, lifting and lowering the water level 26 metres to allow ships to pass through from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and vice versa. For an Aussie with severe restrictions on how much water we’re allowed to use because of long-standing drought, the amount of fresh water that is flushed into the sea as each ship passes through is staggering: 197 million litres. Did I say per ship?
Most people head straight to the Miraflores Locks to see the Panama Canal, the easiest of the locks to visit. It’s just outside of Panama City, and easily accessed by local bus (the Rojo Diablos, or red devils) or taxi. As the closest, it’s got a great museum, restaurants and several platforms to view from. Of course, this also makes it the busiest.
While we did go to Miraflores, we also decided to see another side of the canal, and boarded the Panama Railway bound for Colón, on the Atlantic Ocean.
Before I go on, it’s worth mentioning that Lonely Planet describes Colón as “best avoided” and capable of sending “shivers down the spines of hardened travellers and Panamanians alike”. We had no problems, and I didn’t feel unsafe, but our driver did surreptitiously show us the gun he kept in his glove box (although he wouldn’t tell us if he’d ever had to use it before). He also cautioned us against travelling alone, and was very reluctant to drop us off at the bus stop by ourselves after we’d tired of his company. While I had my suspicions about his motives, and guessed that he would have preferred to keep us scared so we’d continue to use (and pay for) his services throughout the day, I’m not going to argue with a big guy with a gun.
When we stepped off the glass-domed train in Colón – a two hour round trip which takes you on a picturesque journey along the canal – we were immediately surrounded by touts, all wanting to take us on a tour to rescue us from the danger that awaited us outside the station gates. For a price, of course.
“This city is very dangerous.”
“Many people have been killed here.”
“You can’t take a bus or a taxi – you will be robbed.”
Reluctantly, we succumbed to the pressure and climbed into a big SUV, the doors immediately locked behind us. Oh, and that’s when our driver showed us the gun.
The Gatún Locks – only about 10 minutes by car from the train station – were amazing. We were the only people there, and the viewing platform was so close we could almost reach out to touch the vessels inching past, each barely centimetres from touching the sides of the lock. We got the full treatment from the man in charge – he told us the history of the canal, showed us the records of some of the ships that had passed through that day, and explained how the pilot system works (a ship captain has to hand over control to one of the Panama Canal pilots, who drives (is that even the right word to use?!) the vessel through the entire length of the canal – it’s the only place in the world where this happens apparently). Quite good service, I say.
If you’re interested in the Panama Canal and want to see it up close, without the crowds, consider taking the train to Colón. Or, better yet, find a way to get on one of the boats going through. I didn’t get the chance to do this, but it’s on my travel wish list!
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Great article, fabulous pics! We have been to Colón twice now, and not yet set foot outside the car! I don’t know if it is as dangerous as the guide books make out but we weren’t taking any chances with our three young children. We tried to find Gatun from Colón but failed! Maybe next time…
Hey! Thanks for the comment. You should definitely try to get to the locks if you do go back to Colon – they’re quite safe and outside of Colon town. And I particularly found them so much better after seeing Miraflores. But I can certainly imagine that you always need to be cautious with kids and shouldn’t take any unecessary risks.
I loved this post! Great shots! very informative. Made me feel like I was there! Great job.
Thank you! Particularly coming from someone who can photograph (unlike me!) – your site is amazing!
So informative! The photographs were great too.
http://www.denwrites.com
Thanks! I’m no photographer though, so need to work on that… Have a great day!
great post, great photos!
Thank you – appreciate your kind words and taking the time to read it.
Amazing post and photos!
Thanks so much!
Nice story, you know, us in Canada we actually use the same “floodgate” concept along the Saint-Laurence river, to get ships form the sea, to the Greak Lakes.
The Saint-Laurence river? The Great Lakes are quite known.
Thanks! It’s quite amazing how these things work. I’m not familiar with the Great Lakes but I’m interested to find out more!
Awesome post and awesome pictures! Sounds like you got in a hairy situation…. Well, I still want to go to Panama, even if it’s dangerous!
Awesome pictures? I do not like them very much.
Okay, well not everyone’s going to like my pictures!
Was it difficult to take them?
Thanks! I didn’t feel scared at all while I was there, or felt that I was in any danger. I’m sure there are issues in that particular town, but I’ll hazard a guess that the touts play it up a bit to get customers!
You should definitely go!
Amazing. Was it one of those things you see that when you look at it you can’t help but think, “I can’t believe people in the past built this.”?
Crystal
http://www.crystalspins.com
Totally! Who in the early 1900s thought that this was a possibility?? I’m constantly amazed by the things people think of!
Is it truly fresh water that flows through the canal? I guess I just assumed that it was a salt water to salt water route, and neglected to remember the artificial lakes are fed by rainwater…hence, fresh.
Yep, fresh water. Between the locks is a HUGE man made lake which is filled with fresh water from all the rain that Panama gets. And that’s what used in the locks and eventually flushed out into the sea. Amazing!
Fantástico, a primeira foto dá até vertigem.
Alguém sabe dizer se (imediatamente) o nível de água de cada oceano é o mesmo?
This is really informative I suppose I should put my plans to the panama on hold until I can bring along a few guys!
Oh no, don’t be too worried! I found Panama to be very safe and had no problems at all. I’m certainly not going to question the safety of Colon – after all, if everyone’s saying it then there must be something to be concerned about! – but there are plenty of ways to see that side of the country safely.
Smile
http://ninjawiththeorangetshirt.wordpress.com/
Great Post!!! The pictures are amazing! This is still on my travel list to see………
Thanks! Definitely get there if you can – absolutely stunning to see in person.
Wow, your last picture is just incredible! That ship is almost about to hit the banks! Why the heck didn’t they make that canal wider? Or the ships smaller?
It’s crazy, isn’t it? I spent the whole time biting my nails, waiting for it to crash into the sides! I think they’re about to start (or may have started) a massive program to widen the canal so that even bigger ships can get through!
They have! That’s why we are living here at the moment – my husband is working on the expansion project.
I know right?
It look soooooooooo narrow!
lol
Great pics by the way Rebdcca
very nice pics… one day I will get down there to see them in person!
You should! Panama is an amazing place.
The locks in the current Panama Canal are exactly 110 feet wide by 1,050 feet long. The canal was built around 1910, when ships were a lot smaller. I was stationed with the U.S. Navy there many years ago and can recall that when the battleship U.S.S. Iowa transited the canal, the crew had to go over the side after leaving the canal to repaint the ship where the paint was scrapped off by the sides of the canal locks.
The Panamanians have a new project to build new canal locks to accommodate larger ships.
It must have been amazing to be stationed there!
By the way, I just looked at your blog – amazing poetry!
Great Post! Follow me on Twitter @ bernardway, i do follow back
Sure looks like the ship barely fits in that last picture. That ship came all the way from Norway!
Yes, on that day that ship had paid the highest toll ever. I can’t remember what the amount was (but in the hundreds of thousands of dollars) but all the workers at the Gatun Locks were pretty excited!
Thank u very much…
i was thinking to visit panama canal,you gave me a great article for me.
Cheers! – PG http://mypurush.wordpress.com
Great, I’m glad you enjoyed! I hope you get to visit and you enjoy it as much as I did.
Great Post! And Good work on the photos! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you – you’re too kind!
Hey! Awesome post & Thanks for sharing!
your friends,
XR VOLUME
Glad to share! And thanks for commenting!
Interesting post. Nice pictures.
Thanks for the kind words!
thanks for sharing
Thanks for commenting!
Really sounds a great adventure with all the gun showing
But is the water in the canal fresh water? I thought it would be ocean water.
The photos are amazing.
It was a great day out – the canal is amazing. The water is fresh – it all comes from a huge fresh water lake (which runs between the three locks) and that’s the water that’s used to raise and lower the levels so the ships can go through. And then all that water gets flushed into the ocean. Incredible!
informative post. I liked it.
Thanks for the kind words – glad you enjoyed!
It really ticks me off when taxi drivers and tour guide take advantage of tourists. Yes, Colon is not the safest place to be wandering around, and even in the free zone area you need to keep track of your purse–a friend of mine got pickpocketed. But it’s not like you need a guy with a gun around. In my opinion, it might just provoke further problems should you encounter them. There’s also a really nice hotel in the Colon area called Hotel Melia. (It’s outside of the main city area, of course.)
Have you been as a tourist to Colon?
I second that!
nice place, but also scary
Oh no it’s not that scary! You do obviously have to be careful, but the locks are a little way out of town.
Best way to see Panama Canal? Work on a cruise liner as a photographer… you get to be the only ones allowed off the ship as it passes through the locks, to take photos of the transit.
5am, climb down a little rope-ladder dangling off the side of the ship, onto a small speed-boat which takes you and 2 other photogs ashore. Race ahead of the ship to meet her at the first set of locks where you have pretty much free reign of the locks, you can go wherever the lock workers go. Shoot the transit.
Back to your driver who then takes you to various hills and lookout points along the canal to photograph the ship as she moves through the lake.
Drive to the other side of Panama, shoot the last locks and then back on another speedboat to climb up the small rope-ladder onto the ship again. (all while the ship is moving) Its awesome!!
And Colón can be dangerous, I was hit on quite aggressively by a Russian who insisted that I get on his ship instead of mine and drink vodka with him, as well as having a machine gun pointed at me on the street… all in a days work!
Thanks for posting, brought back some memories!
Ooohhhhh, jealous!! That sounds amazing!!
Frankly speaking, I do like the boat in this article. Thanks for your hard work.
Thank you for reading! The boats are enormous and look like they’re not going to fit through – definitely a finger nail-biting moment!
Love that last picture! Now I kind of feel that my life would not be complete if i don’t pass through the locks at least one in my life…
It is pretty spectacular – and even though I’ve seen it up close I still have no idea how people think up these things! Quite amazing!
thans for great sharing
Thanks for checking out my post!
Thanks for sharing your experience! The pictures are wonderful (using a nice camera too). I haven’t been to that side of the world so again, thank you for sharing a glimpse of Central America and the Panama Canal. Congrats on Freshly Pressed! LB
Thank you! The camera was actually just a point and shoot, but they did turn out pretty well. Central America is one of my favourite places in the world to visit and hopefully I’ll get the chance to go back one day. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
WOW! Incredibly insightful, I just love your photos.
Thank you for your kind words! It was pretty amazing to see the canal up close.
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