Full Transit of the Panama Canal with Photos

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It's hard to be objective about the Panama Canal.  It was on my bucket list.  But I wanted more than to just visit the canal.  I wanted to go through the original locks and I wanted to do a complete transit.  I never dreamed I would get to do that once the new locks opened.  But here I am in the old locks doing a complete transit through the canal!  Here are a few of our favorite photos of the Panama Canal experience.

 

This was taken on deck 5 of our ship.  As you can see, there is not a lot of room for error.  We just fit.

 

 

 

This photo was taken as we were leaving one of the locks on the Pacific side of the canal headed towards the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

By daming a river and flooding the middle section the canal actually forms a lake.  The result is this stunning landscape.  It's part jungle, part lake,  and part swamp.  The humidity was so high it actually makes everything look foggy.  It is a beautiful place with such an interesting history. 

 

 

Another photo of the lake section.

 

 

We entered through the Caribbean side of the canal.  This was the first look at the locks.  If you look closely, you can see the gates for all three locks.  This is an amazing sight to see.  All powered by gravity and water.  Amazing.