On Monday, we crossed the isthmus and country of Panama via
the 50-mile historic Panama Railroad, which was completed in 1855, several decades prior to the
building of the Canal. It was an
extremely scenic ~hour-long train ride that paralleled the Canal to the Atlantic/Caribbean port city Colón to the north.
The very comfortable berth
Views of the canal
Here is "Sultan" Iver getting shaded (or fanned) during naps...
We first visited a new Visitor Center by Gatún Lake and learned about the Panama Canal expansion project, with an additional lane of the canal set to open in a few months.
Playing on the concrete...
... and on the nice playground!
We saw a (Holland America) cruise ship pass briefly into the Canal (only to retreat)…
... and later saw the same ship pass through the locks!
Driving over the locks (we often had to wait many minutes to let ships pass!)
On the Atlantic coast, we visited El Fuerte San Lorenzo, a Spanish fort dating from the late 16th century and our guide Edgardo's favorite spot in Panama (and an UNESCO heritage site)! It is part of a larger nature reserve, and is set at the point where the Chagres River empties into the Caribbean Sea. We sure got some great pictures!
brown pelicans in flight
mouth of the Chagres
Fort family (so happy to get all smiles here!)
Cannon boy
Running with sippy cup!
Good times with auntie!
The Caribbean
Iver was amused by Becky, a traveler on our semi-private tour.
Krazy-faced Kelvin!
We had a good seafood (octopus is amazing here!) lunch at a nearby Marina, and in the afternoon headed back to Panama City, across the country by car. It's amazing to have seen two coasts/oceans in a single day!
