Panama City to Colon

From our hotel in Panama City, we drove to Colon where we would view the new Panama Canal Expansion. We saw some new scenery along the way of houses in the jungle.

Colon

We saw some very nice gated communities outside of Colon, but the properties inside Colon do not match them. Colon is a very large free trade zone and the government wants to expand the zone and, hence, is not spending much money to make Colon a nicer place. It is the port of call for cruise ships transiting the canal, but most passengers skip Colon and visit Panama City.

Panama Canal Expansion

The Panama Canal Expansion opened in 2016 and added a lane to handle the Neopanamax ships which are 1 1/2 times larger than the smaller Panamax size and which can carry twice as much cargo. One reason that I wanted to see the Expansion was because it had become an “enemy” of where I live. To explain: The Los Angeles/Long Beach ports, already taking in 40% of the cargo that comes into the U.S., anticipated even more cargo coming in when the Expansion was finished and, hence, it would mean even more port trucks on the local freeways. The 710 freeway is used by the trucks to drive north from the ports but that freeway ends about 6 1/2 miles from the 210 freeway that many of the trucks want to reach. To extend the freeway overland was blocked by a federal injunction from going through a neighboring city to me: South Pasadena. So the Los Angeles County Metro Board came up with a number of detailed plans of other ideas. One was to make the major road in my 100–year–old neighborhood from a four–lane road into a six– to eight–lane road, connecting to other roads, and tearing down over 200 houses to do this. From the deck from my house, I would then be looking down on this highway. This idea was thankfully taken off the table to be replaced by what Metro wanted in the first place: twin 6.5–mile toll tunnels without any exits under populated areas, with the ventilation stacks blowing pollutants into my city of Pasadena and into the city of Los Angeles, and connecting with the 210, an already overly congested freeway, and costing many billions of dollars. The tunnel was successively fought by tireless activists and various negatively impacted cities, a 5–plus–year fight. The Expansion is no longer an “enemy.”

Panama Canal Expansion

Photo of a Neopanamax ship going through a lock on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal Expansion. There only two sets of locks on the Expansion––one set on the Atlantic side and the other set on the Pacific side. The Neopanamax ships are so big that they are hard to maneuver, so tugboats in both front and the rear are needed to guide the ships through the canal. The “mules,” electric locomotives, are not used in the Expansion to guide the ships as they are in the original canal. But the Expansion is not operating to full capacity as there are not enough heavy duty tugboats available to pull the ships and not enough trained tugboat operators. Even with the tugboats guiding them, some ships are hitting the rubber bumpers on the side of the locks.

Panama Canal Expansion

The type of lock gates used on the Expansion are different from the swinging gates used on the original canal locks. The Expansion uses retractable gates.

I have put my photos of the Panama Canal Expansion on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/panama–canal–colon–and–expansion/

(Slide Shows, Central America, Panama, “Panama Canal: Colon and Expansion”).

Panama Canal Expansion–MOVIE

The movie is of a ship going through the lock of the Expansion.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/AAKsgJ0oBaY

Panama Canal Expansion Dancers-1–MOVIE

We ate lunch at the Colon Panama Canal Expansion Observation Center, where we were treated to dancing.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/LCPI57aGfPg

Panama Canal Expansion Dancers-2–MOVIE

Another set of dancers.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/aBJuhzaqOkw

Dancers and Yani

A photo of our tour director, Yani, and two of the dancers.

Dancers and Yani Close-up

A close–up of our very pretty tour director, Yani.

Gatun Lake Cruise

After lunch, we went on a cruise of Gatun Lake which is part of the Panama Canal. We were required by Panama law to wear life vests.

Gatun Lake

Gatun Lake covers 21 miles (33 km) of the 50 miles of the Panama Canal transit. It is an artifical lake that serves as a reservoir of water for the operation of the canal. It is located on the Atlantic side of the canal right after the Gatun Locks.

Gatun Lake

Our tour group went in two boats. One boat is approaching an island in Gatun Lake.

Gatun Lake Capuchin Monkeys

Yani is searching for the capuchin monkeys that hang out here.

Capuchin Monkey

A monkey has spotted us.

Capuchin Monkey

This monkey came down from the trees to snag a grape that was thrown to the front of the boat.

Capuchin Monkeys–MOVIE

A movie of the Gatun Lake Capuchin monkeys.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/qMzo9X7kPy8

Toucan

We saw some birds on Gatun Lake. This looks like a toucan.

Lizard

We also spotted a lizard with a very long tail.

Gamboa Rainforest Resort

After the Gatun Lake cruise, we went to spend two nights at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort at the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve at the Chagres River which feeds into Gatun Lake. View from the windows.

I have put my photos of our Gatun Lake cruise and some photos of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/panama–canal–gatun–lake–gamboa/

(Slide Shows, Central America, Panama, “Panama Canal: Gatun Lake, Gamboa”).