GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #10: MONKEY ISLAND

We suppose there are two sorts of people who come to Panama; those who ignore the Canal and those who don’t. This puts us somewhere in the middle. It’s a great monument to what we’ve done as a nation, and it was a sad day when Jimmy Carter gave it up – particularly as a dictator was in control of Panama when the agreement was made rather than a freely-elected president (says something about old Jimmy, doesn’t it?). At the same time, you can’t blame the Panamanians for wanting it back – our guide put the blame on a double-dealing Frenchman and who’s to say her nay. Anyway, we were looking for a tour that was not Canal-fixated, but which didn’t ignore the structure either.

So what were our choices? Well, there was the Authentic Embrera Indian Visit – involving a trip by dugout canoe to one of their villages, but that would have been too obvious, wouldn’t it? Choice number two was an Aerial Tram and Ecological Encounter. This did involve a frog exhibit and serpentarium stop, which might have filled in some of the gaps from Costa Rica, but at the time we booked, it seemed a bit of a rerun. The Shaping of Panama hit some of the sites of Old Panama, as well as the modern city, but did not stop enough to suit us. (Be very careful to check for actual stops – as opposed to “you will see” which might be a drive by with not even time enough for a picture.”) Miraflores Lock Observation Center was Canal-oriented and we found was also included in our eventual choice Monkey Island Adventure. After all, who can argue with nature, and what was good enough for National Geographic, The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet (all of whom have filmed here) was good enough for us.

After an initial drive to reach the dock along which Mary spied termite nests in the trees (apparently they don’t like flooding), we met Carl, obviously a Midwesterner, judging from his sense of humor. Our object was to see howler and capuchin monkeys in the wild – never a guarantee.

We edged out into the Canal and were treated to a closer look at some of the sites that we had seen the previous day, as well as a more in-depth account of the Canal’s history. Even as we watched, changes were being made which would bring the new enhanced Canal into being – hopefully in time for the Centennial of its opening. Like a kid, it’s growing before your very eyes, so now is a good time to see it!

“Monkey Island” is in fact a series of islands left by the builders of the Canal. We caught a short glimpse of howlers at the first stop, (but no pictures), but really struck gold with the capuchins on the next island. The whole family was in trees down by the water and through a bit of dexterous maneuvering (and the bribe of a banana by Carl), the entire clan came down close and one even jumped onto the boat! It may sound like a zoo experience, but it wasn’t. And the chance to see these primates (and the top of the odd croc) while revisiting the Canal was quite fulfilling.

The final stop before returning shipside was the Miraflores Lock Observation Center. This is really quite a good little multimedia museum with several old films playing, a mocked up “bridge” to steer through part of the Canal, and an outside observation platform where you can watch transits in progress. We were also able to fit in the English version of a ten-minute movie (it also plays in Spanish) – history as seen from the Panamanian side. Our only critique would be of the gift shop; while French and Spanish language books on the Canal were available. It had sold out of the English version. (Hello, Museum people, does that tell you something about the composition of your visitors??? You lost a bunch of sales, and are losing more every day the English-language version is not restocked.) Sam, of course, bought the French version, acting in the belief that he would not find the English pamphlet for sale back at the port, as indeed was the case.

So Monkey Island was thoroughly satisfying. If we ever come again, however, we want to see Old Panama City (with time to explore – we got the English-language guide for that!) and might even try the dugout canoe visit to the Embrera.

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #9: TRANSITTING THE PANAMA CANAL

There are plenty of ways to transit the Panama Canal. Richard Halliburton swam it in 1928 (and paid a toll of $.36, allegedly the lowest on record). One of the nicest ways has to be doing it on a cruise ship like the Amsterdam. Just like tailgating at a football game, there’s a whole ethos about how to do it properly. We’ve only transited once and are still tyros. But here’s what we have learned that could put you ahead.

First, read up. In advance! Probably the best general history is David McCulloch’s The Path Between the Seas, and yes, the Amsterdam does have a copy, but you can imagine how popular it has been before the transit (after is another matter …). For those with a slightly less voluminous interest who still want a good background, try Anne Vipond’s Panama Canal By Cruise Ship, which is a less complicated overview. But have some idea what you’re going to see before you see it!

Second, be up early. Not only because you don’t want to miss anything, but because there are a limited number of prime seats from which to enjoy the show. While the Lido Restaurant is nice, taking pictures through streaked glass may not be your thing. There are seats out by the pool, but only a few undercover, if a rainstorm blows up like one did for us.

“So the vessel will be transiting the Canal most of the day,” you say. “Why should I bother to get up early?” Because some things you don’t see twice (like the crocodile barely visible outside of Gatun Lock). Also, while you may not care about seeing the whole shebang, if you can’t respond appropriately when someone asks you about the Gatun Locks and Lake, Culebra Cut, or Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Lock, they are entitled to wonder if you slept through everything. Mind you, there will always be one-uppers. We talked to some Edmundtonians, who had transited three times. Earlier that morning, they had talked to a woman who had done it five, and whose immediate question was, “Have you done it both ways?”

We were quite happy starting off with breakfast outside the Lido Restaurant at Gatun Locks, Taking a breather and viewing the Lake from the Crow’s Nest, and Sports Deck where we had the option of inside or outside views going through the Cut and the final two locks. We anchored off Panama City. (Our next dispatch will be about Monkey Island ….) And be warned they are enlarging the Canal, so if you don’t see it quickly, someone is bound to say, “Oh, you should have seen it before ….”)

Mary wants to add that the transit will take about eight to ten hours, depending on the traffic. Suggestion to Holland America– a signed certificate of passage would have been nice.