Panama City and Canal

Panama City is filled with wildlife, mostly buzzards and cats. That wonderful humid, fetid, rotting feeling is all around along with loud happy people. The city has Panama flags everywhere from sports fields to light poles, all to express their patriotism in the face of Trump.

Panama owns the canal

The only Frank Gehry museum in Latin America is a 20 minute walk from my hotel (Radisson) with signature latin colors -Museo de Biodiversidad. It looks like it might leak.

From the terrace of my hotel, cats run free but the view of the canal entrance is right here.

ship waiting for 3 am canal entry

So at 6 am Thursday, I cab to Flamenco Marina for a trip through the canal on the Pacific Queen.

Pacific Queen

The Pilot's launch pulls up beside and he boards the Queen to drive her through the Canal.

Our pilot boarding

The engineering is amazing and the guide is honest about how many Caribbean Islanders died as workers on the canal (over 20,000). The locks are impressive with the lifting power of water.

Gates at Miraflores, riveted steel gates, must be original

The size of the container ships is astounding and scary

And now I go explore the old city of Panama (Casco Viejo)