Panama is basically a country created by the US in order to build a canal. So, naturally it is the first thing I went to check out, from the less touristy Gatun Locks - near the scary-sounding town of Colon. The view is incredible as huge cargo ships squeeze through a system of 3 locks, which lift boats to the level of the lake. This man-made body of water comprises the majority of the canal and requires another system of locks on the pacific side, to lower the boats back to sea level. Ships have basically been built since the inception of the canal to be as wide as possible, yet still fit through. Only a two foot gap seperates the ships from the lock walls. A seriously snug margin. I was lucky enough to tag onto a couple from Colombia on holiday and we set off, in their hire car, to also check out the Gatun dam, San Lorenzo Fort (in a driving tropical thunderstorm) and the Sheltered Cove Marina, where I had a half-arsed attempt to hitch a ride to Cartegena, Colombia. I failed.Elsewhere, Panama City is a curious mix of a fully developed world trading city (as much like a Hong Kong or Singapore, as anywhere else in Central America) and a run-down colonial old town, with signs of renewal that could make it spectacular. All in all, an odd place to end one part of my travels and build up excitement for a continental shift. South American here I come.
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