Passage From The Atlantic To The Pacific

On my way to Panama City I opted to pass the time by flicking through the guidebook that had been given to me. I was due to visit the Panama Canal after a few days in Central America and was keen to find out exactly what it was. I knew that it was a shipping passage and I had formed the image of a replica of the Suez Canal, certainly nothing more impressive. Through some brief research, however, I discovered that it was extremely important to almost every country that has ever traded with the west coast of the Americas.

The Panama Canal connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic and is considered to be one of the most important trade routes in the world. Before the canal was built ships travelling from New York to San Francisco had to travel around the tip of South America, now ships can halve the time spent at sea by taking the canal.

Architects and explorers had tried in vain for many years to set up over land routes and train links as a way of cutting over the thin strip of Panamanian land. They had failed, and were beaten back time after time by the rough elements of the country's landscape. This piece of information was particularly pertinent as our bus driver didn't flinch when the wheels of the vehicle actually came off the ground while travelling along a mud track. At least I knew I was definitely in Panama.

After a brief stay in Panama City, I prepared myself for the next white knuckle ride to the Pacific port that joins the canal to the ocean. It's not a long journey from Panama City, firstly because it's not a particularly large country and secondly because Panamanians drive at break neck speed from A to B. Not long after getting on the bus, we were disembarking at a haulage port that had the largest set of docks I had ever seen.

There isn't a notable tourist infrastructure in place once you arrive at the docks and many members of the party I arrived with were lost without a tour guide. Having pointed them in the direction of the signs, I set off to find my boat that would apparently take me through the canal. Numbers began to dwindle in terms of other visitors walking alongside me and the Dutch couple who'd looked lost were now happily on their chosen tourist cruiser. However, I was still around eight gates away from my allotted pleasure boat and so continued walking through the bustling loading of various freights.

At last I found my gate, but was surprised at the appearance of said pleasure boat. It was more of a tanker, but time was scarce so I climbed on and leaned up against the railing overlooking the port. The scene of a huge boat moving from the port and into the canal is a fantastic sight. After travelling painfully slowly through the lakes that supply the canal with water we arrived at our first lock. The ship entered the chamber and small trains with particularly chirpy drivers began moving backwards and forwards alongside the lock. Amazingly this powered the movement of water into the bay and what must have been a seriously heavy ship moved up around 15 metres in the water. A gate opened and the ship moved on.

I found the whole experience fascinating, although many in the group appeared bored after the fourth lock. This is completely understandable and although a great deal of history and myth surrounds the making and running of the waterway, it can be slow and weary. I looked at one particularly bored chap, strewn over a portside door, who commented "It's just a big old canal". Indeed, it is just a canal and a trip down it won't be everyone's cup of tea. However I couldn't help but marvel at the running of it. The Panama Canal opened in 1914 and it's believed that around 25,000 people died making it. Yellow Fever and other assorted diseases were rife and the US eventually took it out of French hands and finished the job off. This explains the strong US presence still in the country. Although the canal is officially owned by Panama now, US barrack buildings still line the waterway.

The canal justifies its place in the modern wonders of the world list and I'm very much glad I went when I did. The canal is soon planning to add a third set of locks and redevelopment is sure to be on the horizon. But it's the rough feel of boarding a proper vessel and going through the canal that appealed to me, so visit while you can to get a true taste of genuine human achievement.