Cruising

Day 7 of 15…. Colon Panama

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Thursday April 27, 2023

Day 7 of 15….Welcome to Colon Panama, the gateway to the Panama Canal on the Atlantic Ocean

Arrival 9am……Gangway Open 9:30am….All Aboard….5:30 pm

Yesterday, Cartegena Columbia…… Today, Colon Panama…….. Tomorrow, The Panama Canal….Its a very busy 3 days. Today our excursion will be the Imax Theater production of The History of the Panama Canal. We headed to the Aurora Theater again to check in and get our number and colored sticker. We waited to have our number called and then proceeded playing follow the leader again down to the 4th floor to get off the boat. We had docked this time at the dock. It was a very short distance to all the buses.

There is our dock, and all the buses lined up waiting for us.
The red bus in the middle will be ours.

We looked for the guy with a sign with our Tour Number. On the way we stopped and had that Quick picture taken again…..Ughhhh…..

OMG

Then followed the Guide to our Beautiful Red Bus. As we had come down the inlet to dock, we had seen all these warehousing looking buildings. We found out it is the Tax Free Zone. Colon is a Tax Free Port dedicated to re-exporting to Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the largest free port in the Americas and the 2nd largest in the world. Hong Kong is first. It covers approximately 130 acres. It is separated from Colon by a wall. As we drove by the many entrances, it looked like regular shopping streets inside. Each entrance is gated. Our guide said it is totally locked up every nite at closing.

The Gates of the TAX FREE ZONE

The guide we had this time was not the best. He had a very heavy accent and was difficult to understand. We also didn’t realize the Imax was clear on the other side of Panama, on the Pacific side. That was about 50 miles. We also didn’t realize until later that the back of the Imax was against the Canal. So, we now had about an hour drive across Panama from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It really was a very pretty country. Lots of Trees, hills, just like the states, some small mountains, Lake Gatun, the manmade lake they flooded to make the Canal. There were plenty of small homes, very poorly made, hidden in the landscape. The main highway was Route 9, a beautiful highway, 4 lanes in places that ran from Colon to Panama City.

Countryside and the Highway from Colon to Panama City
Lake Gatun….The man-made lake for operating the locks.

We arrived at the Imax to a very large modern building. There were many buses there, not only from our ship but many others. It is probably a main Tourist attraction coming out of Panama City also.

The Imax Theater 3 miles from Panama City

We entered and was given free popcorn and soda. It was a very well-made movie about the History of The Making of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal was constructed at the Isthmus of Panama in order to save ships from going around Cape Horn in South America, saving 8,000 nautical miles. The canal is approximately 50 miles long from Atlantic Ocean deep water to Pacific Ocean deep water. The French first attempted to build the canal but gave up. So many men died of Malaria and Yellow Fever due to mosquitoes. Finally, the United States took over and acquired the Canal from France in 1904 and it was completed and opened in 1914. In total over 25,000 men died constructing the Canal, mostly French. Now what we did not know, was behind this Imax was the 3rd set of locks, Miraflores Locks. There was a stadium seating viewing area that they did not show us. The next day as we went through the canal, I seen the back side of the Imax. Now I sure don’t know why they didn’t take us there. We headed back to our BRIGHT RED BUS.

Our Bright Red Bus and Tour Guide
Drivers seat with his hanging monkey friends.

The tour guide drove us all through the area. The Canal was owned and run the United States from 1914 until a Treaty was sign in 1977. It stated that the Panama Canal would be officially handed over to Panama Dec. 31, 1999. During the United States time they owned it, they had constructed many buildings. Office buildings, homes for the officers and their families, as well as hospitals etc. All these were given to Panama.

The Style of all the American Buildings. They were all given to Panama

Our guide took us past many of these buildings that are successfully being used today. We drove by the Corozal American Cemetary. This land was designated for a permanent cemetery in 1914 when the US opened the Canal. Citizens of over 70 nations are buried here, among them over 5000 Americans, Veterans and Civilians.

Rolling Hills of tombstones, in Corozal American Cemetary. 5,000 Americans buried their since 1914.

Then we headed towards Panama City. We rode on the Official Highway 1 that connects the Americas. We saw the Bridge of the Americas through the trees and then passed some apartment areas with graffiti paintings.

Bridge of the Americas….Highway #1 in the distance near Panama City
Apartment Buildings overlooking Highway #1

We headed for a little strip of land that ended in an area called Flamingo Island. It was a beautiful drive to the point. The ocean was on either side. Panama City was in the distance. So impressive with its tall buildings.

Flamingo Island in the distance
The Skyline of Panama City….This is as close as we got.

We drove all the way out there to stop at a souvenir shop and a bathroom break. lol. But it really was a pretty area. At the Souvenir shop I bought this cute little purse. I bought this purse for a purpose. I will write all about that the next time. Its worth a laugh.

Cute little Panama Purse.

Time to head back to the ship. We were pushing it for time. I heard comments being mentioned about how late we were. But remember……..We purchased this tour through Royal Caribbean. They wait for any tours that come back late. So I wasn’t worried. So back across Panama we went to Colon and our ship, The Radiance of the Seas. Another pretty drive back through the trees, hills, some mountains, Lake Gatun to Colon.

…..The POLICIA PASSED US BY….
Pretty red curtains on our bus. You don’t find that in the USA
There she is “Radiance of the Seas” “Home Sweet Home”

We finally got back, again tired and hungry. So off to the Windjammer for Dinner. We looked for Conmelia and Shane. As usual there they were. It is so good seeing them every day. Like seeing long lost friends. It was so good to sit down and relax in front of the windows and see the magnificent scenery that lays before you. Here we sit after a full day tour and are eating a wonderful meal before us, while looking out of the wall of windows from the 11th floor. Your looking at this magnificent view and think. WOW, Is this real? How Amazing life can be. We left port and are now traveling to Limon Bay near by. It is the entrance to the Panama Canal. We have to head out and wait for our turn to enter the canal in the morning.

Ships waiting in Limon Bay to head across the Canal.

Tomorrow, we will be entering the Canal and riding through 3 sets of locks to the Pacific side. It will take all day. This will surely be the highlight of the trip.

This is a map of the Panama City side of the Canal. The red flag is where the Imax was and the last of the 3 locks, Miraflores Locks. The long strip of land called the Punta Nature Center is where the driver took us. Panama City is on the right upper side of this photo. So tomorrow we get to stay on board, but it will be the Purpose for taking this Cruise. Our Passage all the way through the Panama Canal to the Pacific. It’s a once in a lifetime trip for us.

This was an actual license plate that we purchased.
“PANAMA CANAL……..HERE WE COME”

……We Met a Wonderful Lady that Helped Us Celebrate Our Belated 50th Anniversary…..

w2bergen 2 Comments

The weather so far as been beautiful. Nothing but blue – blue skies, and lazy white clouds. The water is a beautiful blue with a few white caps as we sail south. No bugs in the air either. That is wonderful. But then we are miles and miles from land. So, no mosquitoes, or flies. But it is so quiet. No birds tweeting, nothing but sounds of the ship and the waves as we slide through the water. At night we usually sit out on our balcony after dark. Sometimes you may see the lights of a ship far, far away on the horizon, sometimes it’s just black.

The Moon and a star….and the Beautiful Sunset

Nothing out there but the sounds of the waves crashing into each other as the ship powers through the water. Sleeping has been no problem. I didn’t know if I might get a little nauseated. Rich has even done well. For me it was like being rocked to sleep gently like a baby. There wasn’t much movement. I would wake up in the morning and go outside and check the weather for the day. The TV was all Royal Caribbeans channels. Several Movie channels, but mostly channels about RC destinations and ships. The Activity Directors have a channel telling you all about the itinerary for the day. Then it was time for breakfast at the Windjammer and fun for the day.

On the last blog we stopped our exploration at the Solarium. After walking through their and testing the water….brrrrrr. we headed towards the double glass doors heading towards the front of the boat. There was a little hallway. In the center of the boat was another set of elevators. On one side was the entrance to the Hair Saloon and Spa. You can get anything done you want from your hair all the way down to your toes including a Fantastic Massage. They are there to please you. We took the stairs to the next level and followed it all the way down the side of the ship. It opened up to the very front of the ship….The Helipad…..

Helipad on the front of the ship.
Rich sitting on the bench of the Helipad area.

It was very windy up there. The row of the dark windows is the bridge of the ship. Where the pilots control the ship. Above the Bridge, {which you can’t really see}, there are several more decks with some walk areas with lounges to lay and enjoy. They are lined with tall glass railings so you can’t fall off. Also a deck above the Hair Salon and Spa, facing the front of the Ship was the large Fitness Center

Exercising with a Beautiful Window view, looking out the front of the Ship

The small port holes were more rooms. I’m not sure if they are some of the officers’ rooms and other staff or not. On the map diagram they are not listed. The Heliport area was freshly painted, and everything was very clean and fresh. I was surprised the wooden benches looked so good, not sunbaked or waterlogged. We continued around the other side.

Beautiful view of the waves made by the ship.
This bird kept circling feeding on fish from the ocean.

We walked back to the elevator and went down to the 6th floor. There was the Aurora Theater. It is in the front of the ship and actually is setting on Deck 4, 5, and 6. It is beautiful.

As you see, It is huge. It contains 868 seats. It has entrances on Deck 5, and 6. The seats were so comfortable. They have regular scheduled shows every day with Singers, Dancers, Comedians, movies also informational slide shows with presentations of upcoming Ports that we were stopping at. It was also the area we had to go to when we were in port and ready to leave for our Port excursion. We decided early on to enter on Deck 6. We liked to sit in the balcony. It was less crowded, easier to get to our favorite seats.

Entrance to the Cinema

Also on this floor they have a Cinema. It is small but sufficient. They show several movies every day. We tried to see a movie one day but it was so packed.

After the Cinema, heading back to the Centrum, is the Casino. It has a very nice bar, lots of slots and game tables. Usually, we don’t gamble much. This time also. The only thing I really like to do is play the slots. But I always lose. Its just my luck. On Deck 5, just below us is The Shops of Centrum.

They sell many high-priced items like diamond and other precious stone jewelry, Lots of souvenir items and a small area called the Drug Store for personal items you might need. Also the Photo Gallery is down the hall. They have walls of pictures displayed that they have taken of the guests on board. The photographers are always roving the boat as well as setting up outside at each port. They also have dress up sittings by the Centrum for your formal pictures. The Photo Gallery is where you pick out your pictures that you may want to buy.

Conmelia is from Jamaica. She has a delightful accent.

When we were in the Windjammer one day, we were wandering around choosing our food. There was a lady with a tall white Chefs hat on. She was standing very professionally watching and checking the different food islands, making sure everything was full and the servers were in place to help the people. She was very friendly. We started talking and I mentioned that this was our Cruise for our 50th Anniversary, January 14, 2022. It was delayed because of covid so it was really 51. She was so nice and excited for us. She is from Jamaica and has a wonderful accent. Her name is Conmelia. She is a Sous Chef. Definition of Sous Chef…..A chef who is second in command of a kitchen. They rank just before the head chef. They generally manage the members of the kitchen for the Chef who is busy with other duties. She came over and visited with us at our table. She works in the Windjammer and down in the main dining room Cascades. She told us to come back the next day and she was going to do something special for us. We came back and she was so excited to see us again. After we eat our meal, she came back with this beautiful dish….

Conmelia brought this plate with a beautiful tasty dessert and 2 forks. She even sang a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY song to us. It was wonderful. This became the start of a new friendship. We all started looking for each other for each meal just to visit a little.

OMG….What a picture. Did I really look like that? lol

I’ve covered most of the big areas of the ship. There are many areas I haven’t covered. There are many bars and lounges situated all over as well as 11 different dining options. Some are just little snack areas, and some are upscale restaurants. I will probably cover some of those later. We have been at sea for 2 1/2 days. We will be Docking at our first stop, “Georgetown Grand Caymen Island, British West Indies” in the morning. It’s time to head for our room and get ready for bed. We are excited.

This is our hallway to our room from the Centrum at the middle of the ship. I bet you can’t see the last room at the left. Thats our room…….so far far far away…..