The morning started as most with guests lining up for their first cup of coffee and then slowly remembering what the itinerary for today is supposed to be. Ah yes, today we enter the Panama Canal. As murmurs of what it will be like rumble through the ship we begin to realize that for the first time on our expedition, we can see other large vessels in the distance. Tankers and cargo ships on an intercepting course as they too make their way to the waterway connecting the two great oceans. Our slot to enter the canal is not until this afternoon however, and we have lots of time until then. It is then that we notice the other exception to this morning, we are not in sight of land.
During the evening we ventured into the Gulf of Panama, the broad expanse of water that stretches from the Peninsula de Azuero to the shore of Colombia. Our guests are torn between a talk by one of our naturalists, Roberto, about the history of his native land Panama, or staying on deck in hopes of catching one last view of dolphins riding our bow wave. I am interested in the indoor program; however, the out of doors wins out over being inside on such a wonderful day.
We watch and search for dolphins, and every few minutes we stretch our bodies over the rail at the bow in case they have evaded us and are already there. Every once in a while, a flying fish takes flight from the water and we are amused and amazed at how far they fly before entering the water once again. Finally, a shout of here they come, and we all rush to the bow and gaze at the aquatic ballet below us. I don’t believe there is anything quite as joyous as dolphins riding the bow wave. Although I know they are moving their tail to propel them through the water, from my vantage point it seems as though movement takes no effort on their part at all. They stay long enough for a few photos and then leave as suddenly as they arrived. This will repeat itself three or four times before it is time for everyone to prepare for a morning ride in the expedition landing craft around the Otoque Islands.
The Otoque Islands are groups of small islands with hundreds of nesting frigatebirds, brown boobies, and pelicans. Each species of bird has its own real estate and we visit each community of bird in their order. Boobies swirl around us as we approach the cliffs above which they nest, the frigatebirds however, are the masters of flight and easily control the skies above us. Finally we visit the pelicans, which seemed to be involved with catching their lunch, and reminded us that it was time to head back to the boat for a mid-day meal.
I am always amazed when we pull into the area directly outside the Panama Canal. I would not think that seeing so many big ships would be so exciting but it is. We stood in awe as we passed large cargo ships at anchor waiting for their turn to enter the canal or to take on supplies to continue their voyage. While waiting for the authorities of the canal to come aboard to clear our passage, we enjoyed talks and a special tasting of ceviche.
Passing into the canal is an experience that must be seen firsthand. We shared the first lock with a container ship, which makes our small boat seem even smaller. As the water in the lock lifts our vessel with the ease of an elevator, we come to understand the incredible undertaking of building the Panama Canal. We cannot wait to see what our day of exploring the canal will have in store for us.
