The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal has been a big highlight for me. It was a 2 bus morning journey to get there, but definitely worth it. Right as I was walking in there was a jolly man shouting "BEINVENIDOS A PANAMA!" and all the school kids were cheering & waving flags & what not. So it was quite exciting to say the least. 

We watched a couple ships pass through. It was pretty funny because there were moments where we were taking pictures of the people pass through as they were all taking pictures of us too. 

The cars that help keep the boat moving & in position. 

Here is one set of the Canals locks. 

As the bridge swings close the water starts dumping into the other section to help the boat pass through. 

I really like this picture because it shows the difference in the water levels as one section in the canal is filling up so the ship can pass through.

After we saw a couple ships pass through we went to the museum and watched a movie which were both very well done & informative.

The canal was originally started in the late 1880s by the French. It failed miserably when around 22,000 people died mostly due to yellow fever & malaria. Then in the early 1900s the Americans started working on it. 

One major reason why we were so successful because we built the railroad line. They also created a different canal system with the locks & sections so water could be raised & lowered to make sure the boat could pass through. It was finished in 1914. 

I also found it very interesting they had a whole separate section on the effected ecosystem & amazing specimens of other insects & bugs that are found nearby. The canal is a huge tourist attraction, as a result Panama is very clean and the only Central American country where you could drink the water!

This picture just shows how important the canal is for transporting goods. 

Right now there are 3 different canals. All of the canals have a couple different channels with lock systems where ships can pass through. In the morning all ships pass one direction & in the afternoon they pass through from the other direction. 

America had control of the canal for 85ish years. When Carter was the president, he signed over control of the canal to Panama which switched on December 31st, 1999. 

Now they are working on new plans to develop another canal with wider dimensions and a more advanced lock system that uses less water... It should be completed in 2014.