2019-06-15 Central Hotel Panama, Panama City, Panama

Early morning departure from our hotel to do a cruise on the Panama Canal
We arrive at the Pacific Queen
At 6.30 am we leave the Panama Port for our excursion through the famous canal
As we make our way towards the canal we see numerous ships waiting to enter the canal
A pilot boards our boat for our tour through the locks
The Bridge of the America’s, situated in Balboa on the Pacific side of Panama Canal, at a distance resembles the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Again we pass one of the most extraordinary modern buildings in Panama called the Biomuseo where the Museum of Natural History is housed
With tug boats on all sides a large ship is guided into the first stage of the Panama Canal
We see a large ship moving along the most recently built canal in Panama
We follow a ship into the first lock
Slowly the huge gates close behind our tour boat
Ric certainly is enjoying the Panama experience !!
By cables on both sides, the ships are attached to a number of small locomotives called mules which keep the large ships in the center of the canal
We pass Miraflores Locks Visitor Center which we visited a couple of days prior
The men especially seem very interested in the amazing engineering of the Panama Canal
A view back over the different heights of the locks of the canal
We approach another large ship guided by a tugboat heading through the canal
A detailed map of the famous Panama Canal
Finally after almost 5 hour trip through the canal we arrive to board our bus for a return to our hotels
During our return we pass a ship which we followed into the first lock
We follow the Amador Causeway to return to Panama City
After we were dropped off at our hotel we checked out a shop in the adjoining street that specializes in Panama hats
In the evening we arrive at Donde Jose, a tiny 16 seat restaurant with the entrance through an inconspicuous door. The young cordon bleu chef that owns the restaurant specialises in Panamanian food …. it is believed to have been one of the 50 best restaurants in the world
It was certainly a delightful experience enjoying the wonderful flavors of the Panamanian food served to us at Donde Jose this evening

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