Panama!

The next stop on our cruise put us in Panama in Central America. I had booked a tour with an independent agency before the cruise. We met up with our group early that morning and headed out to discover what treasures this country had in store for us! First, we headed to the rainforest to seek out some monkeys and other creatures. On the way we stopped at an old US Army living quarters for the troops that ran the Panama Canal. Each house had a view of the beach.

After we left there we headed deep into the rainforest where we saw sloths and howler monkeys. I'm proud to say that Justin actually spotted the first monkey of the excursion!

Next, we stopped at San Lorenzo, an old fort, that was built during the late 16th century. It was located where the Chagres meets the Gulf of Mexico. This stop was probably one of my favorites of the tour. It was so amazing to be able to walk through this old abandoned fort. Nothing was roped off, nothing off limits. You could go anywhere and touch anything. It might have just been an old pile of concrete to some, but I could clearly see these people defending their home and firing these cannons that have stood the test of time. It was awesome to think about the history that had happened in this place. And the location was beautiful as well, one side looks toward the shimmering Gulf and the other faces the mighty river. It was just wonderful!

Finally, we headed to the big attraction for this country, the Panama Canal. What an engineering feat! My sister (the engineer) would love it! It was a unique experience to see this marvel at work. Ships are built to exacting measurements to be able maximize their cargo while still fitting through the Canal. They literally leave inches on either side of the ship. The Canal is actually a series of canals throughout the country that take a ship about 8 hours to pass through. We enjoyed being about to see this man-made wonder.

Panama was more than we ever expected and we were glad to have visited, if only for a short time!