Panama Canal (Panama)

Whilst travel potential aboard any one of the many cruise liners afloat these days is extensive, thorough exploration of any of these increasingly exotic ports is limited. For a cruise ship photographer, however, the situation is very different. As a crew member it is always a joy to disembark, and on Panama Canal Day it's a James Bond style start to the morning followed by a series of unique experiences!

With the ship passing the small town of Christobal close to the Gatun Locks, a succession of pilot boats approach, and with both vessels in motion, various personnel are embarked to take the ship through the Canal. The disembarkation procedure is the same, we don a lifejacket attached to a pulley connected to the ship and climb down a rope ladder to the pilot boat, which in rough weather is fun to say the least.

Ashore, a local taxi driver is waiting in his minibus, our transportation for the day. Now the clock starts ticking as we head to the Gatun Locks by land, about a 20-minute drive, and hope to arrive before the ship begins its transit.

Arriving at the locks with the ship already in the first chamber and with the rain at no more than a drizzle, we quickly found our guide and headed up to the Canal. Understandably, security is very tight around the Canal and whilst tourists are able to enter the area they are restricted to a separate viewing section. It was a real privilege therefore to walk, not only along the Canal sides, but also to cross from one side to the other, walking on the lock gates themselves.

Talking to the Canal guide, he explained the Canal Commission's cash-only policy for toll payments, significant when you realise the average cruise ship doesn't get much change from $250,000. With the 400 shots or so required in the bag (of the poor old passengers waving from their balconies on board) and with the ship leaving the last chamber and heading into Gatun lake, our job was done, and it was only 9.30am! We were to rejoin the ship at 5pm, once docked at Christobal.

Keeping the Panama Canal experience alive, we decided to drive across to the Pacific side where our driver assured us of a great vantage point to view the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks. The journey of one and a half hours was a varied one. At times the roadsides were nothing but vegetation, interspersed with shacks and sheds, homes constructed of corrugated iron with the occasional TV aerial or satellite dish precariously attached on the side. At other times there were wider motorways with fast food restaurants along the side and busy junctions.

The mountain road was particularly memorable with several collapsed trees to negotiate, and one in particular that required a team effort of the 3 of us to clear them out of the way. Our road clearing efforts were aided considerably after borrowing a machete from a local fire station.

Our forestry work was certainly worthwhile and the mountain gave an excellent aerial view of the Canal at work. To see ships exiting the Canal into the Pacific Ocean allowed for a real understanding of its significance, above and beyond that which I had experienced a few months earlier after sailing through the Canal from Alaska en route to the Caribbean. On a journey from New York to San Francisco the Canal shaves 8000 miles off the alternate route around Cape Horn. Convert this to a monetary value and the toll charges still represent great savings for shipping companies.

Returning to Christobal gave a reminder of the more dangerous side of Panama. Stopping at a local restaurant our driver stayed in the minibus knowing it was not safe to leave it unattended. Foolhardily we used our remaining time to explore the town on foot, and whilst walking among the locals we began to appreciate that the area was not safe. With uninviting looks from old men sitting on street corners playing checkers with bottle tops, and young children waving from balconies of dilapidated buildings, we cautiously but enthusiastically explored the streets.

Inevitably we were approached by 2 police officers who appeared genuinely concerned for our safety. They proved this by offering to stay with us whilst we continued our walkabout. So with our driver waiting in the minibus, our ship arriving alongside the dock and the passengers just preparing to disembark for the first time in Panama, we spent our remaining minutes touring Christobal, all the time being followed and encircled by 2 policemen on their mountain bikes - a very unique and memorable experience!