Saturday 23 February. Today we’re going to explore the Panama Canal. First breakfast at the old administration centre of the Canal. To escape the traffic jams of Panama City. Old American style buildings of a century ago. Palms and grass between the buildings. Then to Miraflores, a series of locks to get from the ocean into the Canal. A big boat arrives and is locked to 6 trains. The trains pull it through the locks. In the background the new Canal takes the huge boats. A containership is rising slowly with every step in the locks. Afterwards, we visit the centre, watch a movie about the Canal and visit the museum. Cool engineering.
Back in town we visit the old old city. The Spanish built this around 1500. Now just some ruins are left and they rebuild the church tower. The museum tells a bit about the history, how pirate Captain Morgan conquered the city.
The hotel is in the new old city. After the old city was burned down, the Spanish rebuilt Panama City at a better spot. Yesterday we explored this part of the city already a bit and this weekend there is more to explore.
