Just a few interesting facts that we learned in various lectures or commentary during the transit:
The French were the first to attempt the construction....and gave up after losing 20,000 laborers.
The U. S. completed the construction in 1914, two years ahead of schedule, but with a loss of 6,000 laborers......malaria research and ridding the area of the dreaded mosquitoes gratefully diminished the casualties. At the peak of the U. S. construction, the labor force numbered 97,000, primarily black Caribbean people.
During 2010, there were 14,200 transits of the Canal. Over the years, the cost to transit has ranged from 36 cents (for a swimmer) to thousands and thousands of dollars.....our Queen Elizabeth paid $390,000, including the pilots and the tugs.
China is proposing a railroad across Columbia which would impact the Canal.....negatively!!
The current enlargement of the Canal is projected to cost $5.25 billion.
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| Entering the Canal |
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| Our assigned "mules" so-called because they will do the work of a mule and pulling us side to side to keep us centered. |
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| Hooking on |
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| The locks open....and fold back flush into the wall. |
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Exiting our FIRST set of locks.......we will repeat the process THREE TIMES!!! Beginning at 8:00 a.m. and finished at 5:00 p.m.
The Bridge of the Americas.....connecting North and South America.......connecting actually two sides of Panama.
  Panama City, Panama.......not Florida 
Worthy of a second look......a beautiful skyline.....Panama City, Panama is becoming a well-noted LEGAL financial capital.
End of a beautiful day.....and it took us about as long to do this bloody blog as it did to transit the Canal!!!!!
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