Written November 1, 2023, offshore in the Pacific Ocean.

Yesterday, October 31st, we made our passage through the Panama Canal. Before I discuss that remarkable experience I must visit October 30th.

As we approached Colon, Panama, there was a remarkable increase in ship traffic. Many vessels were anchored waiting their turn to enter and transit the canal.

We were advised that shore excursions were cancelled due to widespread protests. Viking Star would dock for 6 hours solely to refuel and provision. However, at dock port security informed the Captain that passengers would be permitted to disembark if they remained within the secure port zone. Christine and I took the opportunity to “stretch our legs” and wander through the duty free shopping area.

Later that evening Dr. Ian MacLachlan gave his third lecture on the Canal, this time focusing upon the Neo-Panamax. (Last night we shared table and a delightful dinner with Ian and his wife Diane.)

The Neo-Panamax is a significant expansion to the Canal that opened in 2016.

It features new locks that have a capacity for much larger vessels and has doubled the capacity of the Canal.

Vessels sized to fit within the original locks are deemed “Panamax” vessels, while those larger ones that fit the new lock system are “Neo-Panamax” ships.

Here are some facts that compare the old and new lock systems together with how our ship “measures up”. Viking Star is 748 feet long, 95 feet wide, and has a draft of 21 feet. She is easily accommodated within the confines of the original locks which are capable of handling vessels up to 965 feet long, 106 feet wide, and drafts up to 39.5 feet deep.

The Neo-Panamax locks allow passage of ships 1,201 feet long, 168 feet wide, and 50 feet deep. While the numbers may not seem that significant, the VOLUME of a Neo-Panamax ship is much greater, more than double the capacity. The significant constraint not yet addressed is the Bridge of the Americas which limits the height of vessels to no more than 205 feet.

As an aside, the toll for Neo-Panamax vessels to transit the Canal can exceed 1 million dollars. Our toll for Viking Star was approximately $50,000 dollars. The cheapest toll ever was charged was to Richard Halliburton in 1928, 36 cents. The adventurer swam the 48 mile length of the Canal. It was still required that he be accompanied by a pilot boat!

Since we fit within the original locks, that was our transit.

I awoke at 4:45 a.m. on the morning of October 31st and was on-deck in the pre-dawn by 5 a.m.. I was not alone.

My camera has a setting which allows me to take pictures without a flash in extremely low light conditions.

It really came in handy. Other passengers trying to use their cell phones and less capable cameras were audibly frustrated.

At this point in my narrative I will mostly rely upon captioning the pictures for details:

We approached the Gatun Locks that through three chambers would lift us 85 feet to the level of Gatun Lake.

Daylight broke as we waited to enter the locks.

After over 100 years the Canal operators still find that rowboats are the most efficient way to transfer lines to and from the vessels.

We were assisted on our 36 mile passage across Gatun Lake by an onboard Pilot and accompanied by a tugboat, in case anything went wrong.

Passage through Gatun Lake was through a well marked channel. This was shared by ships in both directions.

Dredging is critical to the continued operation of the Canal. Silt and hillside erosion are an ongoing problem.

The Panama Canal is number one on The American Society of Civil Engineers list of The Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Among the greatest challenges faced in building the canal were conquering malaria and yellow fever, creating Gatun Lake (at that time the largest dam and man-made lake in the world), and digging through the continental divide (known as the “Culebra Cut”).

60 million pounds of dynamite were used by 6,000 workers and a vast array of equipment to open the cut!

Past the Cut and the Centennial Bridge we reached the Miraflores Locks. Again configured in three descending chambers, these lowered us 85 feet to the level of the Pacific Ocean.

Finally our transit of the Canal was complete with the passing under of the Bridge of the Americas.

As we left the breakwater the skyline of Panama City gleamed white on our right…

…while ships on the Pacific side waited for their turn to cross to the Atlantic.

I spent 11 hours on deck watching our transit unfold. Over 16,000 vessels make the crossing each year.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Earlier in the voyage I heard a surprised voice call our names, “Mr. Pete, Ms. Christine!!” It was Sasa from South Africa, who is an officer in Guest Services. We developed a close friendship with her on our earlier voyage around Cape Horn in 2019. She has been following our travels through my posts ever since, and was visibly relieved to see me in “in the flesh” and in good health.

Written October 30, 2023 in the Caribbean nearing Colon, Panama.

Yesterday we arrived for the day in Cartagena, Columbia. Columbia (pop. 50 million) is a prosperous nation, 25th in size among countries and roughly equally between the size of California and Alaska. It is the third largest economy in Latin America (after Brazil and Mexico) and features one of the finest heath care systems in the world.

The local currency is the Colombian Peso, 4,200 to the dollar. It is a bit of a shock to see the price of gas, but converted it’s about $3.50 a gallon US.

Geographically, it is remarkably diverse. Near the equator, it still has mountain peaks with permanent snow caps (Mounts Cristobal Colon and Simon Bolivar are each 18,800 feet high), yet broad expanses of the country are Amazon tropical rainforests. It has shores on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Finally, its flora and fauna are the most bio-diverse per square mile in the world.

Cartagena is Columbia’s 5th largest city, with a population of about one million. It was founded by Spain in 1533, but indigenous peoples have inhabited the area for at least 6,000 years. It is a major seaport and once the site of a significant slave trade.

Its historic center, where I spent most of my day, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprised of the colonial era fortification encircled by a 7 mile long defensive wall.

We arrived in port in the late morning. 90 degrees Fahrenheit and over 90% humidity, the “feels like” temperature was over 100. I left the air conditioning of the ship to go on deck to take pictures.

The first shot was fine, but within a minute condensation fogged my lens both outside and inside the camera. It took 15 minutes for the camera to “warm up”.

On my tour we visited an area of artisan shops.

Walking through the old city our guide, Ender, provided both historical local knowledge, seasoned with humor.

Here is a door knocker that actually has historical significance. The Iguana marks the door of a family of political importance. The lion denoted military association. (See the above image)

We visited Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, built between 1580 and 1654, (Church of St. Peter Claver) where his earthly remains are seen through glass at the main altar.

St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit, is deemed the patron saint of enslaved peoples. He dedicated his life to opposing the slave trade while ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of slaves.

The Convento de Santo Domingo (1630) featured a small non-climate controlled museum. It is a wonder that the works of art, many hundreds of years old do not rot.

This Dominican convent was also a center for local prosecution of the Spanish Inquisition.

Cartagena is mere feet above sea level. As predicted ocean levels rise due to global warming I wonder it this will someday become Atlantis (one of many) of the New World.

Christine and I usually take shore excursions together. Today was the rare exception. While I wandered the old city she visited an emerald school where young people are trained in the art of emerald gemology and jewelry making. As part of Christine’s experience she made herself emerald jewelry, a ring, bracelet, necklace, and earrings. The stones are emerald, rough, uncut, and unpolished.

We left port after dark. My vantage atop the ship provided the opportunity for some beautiful pictures.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Written October 26, 2023, at Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

We previously visited Cozumel in February, 2022. We stayed in a tiny remote “resort” that depended upon a generator for electricity, typically on only 4 hours each evening. It was charming with a “Robinson Crusoe” vibe. Then we were able to dig deep into the island culture.

Traveling on a cruise ship is entirely different. Instead of becoming part of the local color, one “samples” it. It is kind of like dining at a smorgasbord. Many varied “dishes” (ports-of-call) from which to assemble your meal (journey).

Our preference has typically been to dive into the culture and meet the “locals”. Nevertheless, the cruise version of travel has its place. This is especially so for those wishing to be pampered, or who are up in years, physically challenged, or who have a desire to visit an array of places that would otherwise make for an impractical journey.

This may again be us as we have a desire to someday “sample” the South Pacific and perhaps Southeast Asia. At this point trying to see multiple countries for longer individual stays would not be practical, it would stretch (or break!) our budget, not to mention that we certainly are getting up in years. I recently flirted with physical challenges from which I have thankfully recovered, “one day at a time”.

Today we visited the mercantile district of Cozumel (island pop. 60,000) which is the heart of this island’s tourism and drives the local economy.

The tourist shops abound. You can feel an invisible hand trying to suck the dollars out of your wallet. We did in fact indulge in the purchase of a silver necklace and an obsidian carving.

Our delightful tour guide, Patricia, gave excellent local knowledge and arranged for us to see black coral which grows only on local reefs.

This is the second largest reef complex in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Black coral grows at a rate of about an inch a century. It is protected, but four divers are licensed by the government to harvest pieces that have broken off in accidents, storms, and hurricanes. This coral makes excellent jewelry and its rarity commands a steep price.

We also enjoyed an energetic exhibition depicting Mayan and Aztec ritual dances in a small arena setting.

The arena was otherwise dedicated to local pro wrestling matches, known as Lucha libre (“free fight”) where the contestants wear colorful masks (available for purchase as souvenirs, but we passed).

The waters in the vicinity of our ship were frequented by a variety of tour boats, speed boats, dive boats, catamarans, and even transparent boats through which passengers could view the reefs.

Before dinner I attended the first of four daily lectures on the history, design, technology, and politics of the Panama Canal by Ian MacLachlan, PhD. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, currently a visiting professor at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School. Fascinating!

Did you know (I did not) the following:

The tide range on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal is 2 feet, but on the Pacific side it is over 21 feet.

The impoundment of fresh water from the Chagres River created Gatun Lake which is part of the canal and feeds the canal 85 feet above sea level. Gatun Lake is the largest artificial lake in the world.

Between 1881 and 1899 France made the first effort to dig the canal, a venture that went bankrupt but not before over 20,000 workers died in the effort.

In 1855 a “trans-continental” railroad was built across the Isthmus of Panama. It was 47 miles long and cost over 5,000 lives. This was 14 years before the golden spike was driven in Utah which marked the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads, and nearly 60 years before the canal was finally opened.

The United States’ successful project to build the canal took 8 years, concluding in 1914. It cost another 5,000 lives.

These are just a few of the many challenges and marvels I learned about today.

Here on Cozumel there is a wonderful site of Mayan ruins. We did not visit them this time as we spent most of a day there in 2020. However, for those of you who wish to see those pictures and “dig deep” into that history here is a link to my 2020 post:

The Mayan Ruins at San Gervasio.

Tomorrow and Saturday we are at sea, bound for our next stop, Columbia.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Tonight the Viking Star should be named the “Barbar Ann” : “…You got me rockin’ and a rollin’ rockin’ and a reelin’ Barbar Ann.”