The main attraction in Panama is also the reason for Panama's existence as an independent country: the Panama Canal. The first attempt to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was by the French in the 19th century, enlisting the famous Count Lesseps to run the project (the dude from the Suez Canal). It took more than 20,000 lives (claimed by cholera and yellow fever) and $200M to declare the project a failure. It nearly drove the entire French nation bankrupt, and was fraught with scandals and corruption. On the bright side, it did lead to some engineering advances, and the discovery that yellow fever is carried by mosquitoes. This last discovery eventually lead to the eradication of the disease in most of Panama.

At the time, Panama was part of the greater Colombia and not an independent nation. When Teddy Roosevelt decided he wanted his own canal project, the Colombians weren't thrilled by the proposed terms. So he "helped" the Panamese to form their own independence, taking in return sovereignty over the entire designated canal area forever. Oh, and he forgot to ask for permission. So good ol' Jimmy Carter in 1977 was left with the unpleasant chore of fixing this mess, and signed a new treaty that gave the Canal back to Panama, on December 31, 1999 (probably hoping the Millennium bug would make it all moot).

So the Americans restarted the Canal construction, in a different site, with different requirements (warship size) and the latest technology of the 20th century, that had just barely started. They completed the project ahead of time and under budget (for the last time), and the Canal was officially opened in 1914, just in time for the new war.

Here is how it works: ships approach from either ocean at sea level. Most of the canal, being over land, is at about 85 feet above sea level. A series of locks and chambers on each end serves as a ship elevator. To lift a ship, it enters a chamber. The chamber is locked and the water level raised by spilling fresh water into it from the next chamber. When the levels in both chambers are equalized, the ship can move to the next chamber. A similar method works for lowering the ship on the other side. All in all, 52 gallons of fresh water flow to either ocean for each ship that passes. Good thing it rains a lot in Panama.

One set of locks, Miraflores, is open to visitors that aren't deterred by the admission fee. We weren't, so we were able to bring you this picture of what the chambers look like as a ship passes:



This cargo ship, built to "panamax size", fits snugly inside each of the chambers, with only about one foot clearance on each side. It's the job of the locomotives on the sides to make sure that the ship doesn't bump against the walls as it propels itself from chamber to chamber. By now you're probably sick of hearing about the canal, but you get to see another picture of the locks anyway, free of charge. This one is from the air:




Yes, there are actually other things to see around Panama City, and we did visit some of them, including museums, an urban rain forest, a botanic garden, some ruins, and the arts & junks market. We did all of those, but if you implore us to bore you with the details, you'll have to do it in person.

This morning, we took off from Panama City and started our long trip back west and north (around 3000 miles total). Not long today though. We flew to an Island on the western border of Panama called Bocas del Toro. It's really hot here on the Atlantic, but from what we hear, we're lucky it's not raining. This island reminds us a little of Roatan, and probably most other Caribbean islands. It's got its own people, accent, and white people buying real estate. Still, it's much less hectic than the last two cities we visited, and crossing a street here is not a death-defying experience. This is what we're expecting to do here for the weekend: