Just last night we started our trip by crossing during the night the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal. We boarded our home for the next week, the National Geographic Sea Lion, on the busy port of Colon, on the Caribbean side of Panama. Ironically earlier yesterday, we started by road from the modern Panama City on the Pacific coast to go back by water to the Pacific Ocean. What an interesting combination of modern and old is Panama! What a contrast to drive by the modern skyline of a city full of skyscrapers, most of them built in the last 10 years, and later in the water to be received by workers on rowboats at the entrance of a canal that is the same and still runs pretty much the same way it did a 100 years ago when it was built. Truly last night, we made a trip in time, from present to past in just a few hours. The Panama Canal represents a very important part of the modern history of humanity, and what better way to learn about it than being able to experience it on a ship.
After our intense day of time-travel, once at 85 feet above sea-level the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor at Gatun Lock for a quiet and restful night. Then early this morning we continued to our next destination for today, the famous research station of Barro Colorado Island. After breakfast and a welcome talk done by one of their most eminent scientists, Dr. Egbert Giles Leigh, we proceeded to visit this Island by foot and by Zodiac accompanied by the Smithsonian naturalists.
Being once the top of a hill, before the Chagres River was dammed to create the lake. Today the island is home to several laboratories, dormitories, and a network of trails run by the Smithsonian institute. A huge chunk of the knowledge about the tropical rainforest has been gathered here. We are honored to be able to walk on these trails. It was a very successful morning. We learned a lot about the workings and the importance of the tropical rainforest and we enjoyed watching some of its inhabitants, active and loud howler monkeys, crocodiles at the water’s edge, and agoutis on the forest floor.
Later in the evening we continued our journey through the canal crossing other historical places, such as the contractor’s hill, the massive Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, and finally our gateway to Pacific Ocean, under the Bridge of the Americas.
And off we go, to continue exploring! With the excitement to see what is waiting for us tomorrow.
