- Explore the Panama Canal Visitor Center at the Miraflores Locks
- Buy bus tickets for the nightly onward journey
- Roam massive Albrook Shopping Mall
- Board the night bus to Bocas del Toro
Sleeps a little better in a real bed. Even if it was quite cold at first because of the air conditioning and much too hot after it was switched off. We have breakfast before taking a taxi to the Moraflores locks goes. The first taxi driver somehow doesn't want to drive us there and throws us out unfriendly. So we take another taxi to the entrance area of the visitor center.
We get access to the observation deck for a whopping 15 USD. A large container ship is currently in the 9 m high lock. Using the natural pressure of the higher-lying Gatun Lake, 1,000,000 liters of water are pumped into the lock, which now lifts the huge ship within just under 10 minutes and thus has the second of a total of three steps on the Pacific side behind it. Before the ship can finally reach the Caribbean, it has to descend 82 kilometers and three more locks.
The idea of making the Panama Canal a reality was tackled by the French in 1881, but later abandoned after more than 22,000 deaths - mainly from malaria and money fever outbreaks - and due to financial difficulties. In 1914 the Americans completed this masterpiece of human engineering after another 8 years of construction under the most difficult circumstances and operated the canal until 1999. More than a million ships have crossed the canal so far and a further expansion should allow even larger ships to cross the canal in 2015.
A second large ship drives into the second lock and we observe the process a second time. Most of our San Blas group have now arrived. Niki and I will see the interesting one afterwards 3D movie on the history, construction and operation of the huge structure. Then it goes through museum and other showrooms.
Together with an Irish couple we take a taxi to the Bus station. But for now we end up in the immense one Albrook Mall. You can really get lost here! Yes, one feels more in the USA than in Central America. After we bought tickets for today's night bus we go to eat in the food court. Then we stroll through some shops and Niki has a manicure done.
Take a taxi back to the hostel, where it's time to go Take farewell from the cool group. With the left luggage we go back to the bus station to have a quick meal in the shopping center. It is inconvenient to have to buy a chip card to use the massively hypothermic bus to be able to climb. Nothing there, from the comfortable night buses of South America with highly adjustable, wide seats and enough legroom!
