Panama Bay Islands and the Panama Canal
After an amazing journey on the Sea Voyager through the marvelous blue Pacific Ocean where we enjoyed the treasures of the Coiba National Park, we woke up in the Panama Gulf, enclosed by beautiful views of little pieces of land surrounded by water. An early morning yoga class with the perfect complement – a beautiful sunrise – gave the group all the positive energy to begin another incredible day.
Right after a delicious breakfast, our Zodiacs were ready to take us around the islands of Bona and Otoque, two unique places, perfect for the roosting and nesting of some of the most interesting birds that soar above the oceans. We felt so lucky to appreciate the displays of the male magnificent frigatebirds with their inflated red gular pouches to attract the females, and to hear the calling of a lonely blue-footed booby chick waiting for its parents that had gone to get its food. Another unique experience was seeing the brown pelicans performing diving flights right into the water and taking advantage of the “air bags” in their heads to catch their food.
Following lunch we arrived to the entrance of the Panama Canal, where, while we waited for the arrival of our Panama Canal pilot, we got to enjoy a video-documentary of the Canal narrated by the famous historian David McCullough. Subsequently we had a forum about the expansion of the Panama Canal with our Panamanian naturalist Christian Gernez. And right on time, the pilot arrived at 1700 and we started heading into one of the engineering wonders of the world: The Panama Canal. It was amazing to think about all what they had to go through to get this brilliant construction. Our guests had the opportunity to go first under the Bridge of the Americas and crossing the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks; then to transit under the Centennial Bridge followed by the Culebra cut. Finally we reached the area of Gamboa, our anchoring site for the night. Accompanied by the wonderful light of the full moon and the stars we ended our day satisfied and anxious to see what tomorrow would bring.
After an amazing journey on the Sea Voyager through the marvelous blue Pacific Ocean where we enjoyed the treasures of the Coiba National Park, we woke up in the Panama Gulf, enclosed by beautiful views of little pieces of land surrounded by water. An early morning yoga class with the perfect complement – a beautiful sunrise – gave the group all the positive energy to begin another incredible day.
Right after a delicious breakfast, our Zodiacs were ready to take us around the islands of Bona and Otoque, two unique places, perfect for the roosting and nesting of some of the most interesting birds that soar above the oceans. We felt so lucky to appreciate the displays of the male magnificent frigatebirds with their inflated red gular pouches to attract the females, and to hear the calling of a lonely blue-footed booby chick waiting for its parents that had gone to get its food. Another unique experience was seeing the brown pelicans performing diving flights right into the water and taking advantage of the “air bags” in their heads to catch their food.
Following lunch we arrived to the entrance of the Panama Canal, where, while we waited for the arrival of our Panama Canal pilot, we got to enjoy a video-documentary of the Canal narrated by the famous historian David McCullough. Subsequently we had a forum about the expansion of the Panama Canal with our Panamanian naturalist Christian Gernez. And right on time, the pilot arrived at 1700 and we started heading into one of the engineering wonders of the world: The Panama Canal. It was amazing to think about all what they had to go through to get this brilliant construction. Our guests had the opportunity to go first under the Bridge of the Americas and crossing the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks; then to transit under the Centennial Bridge followed by the Culebra cut. Finally we reached the area of Gamboa, our anchoring site for the night. Accompanied by the wonderful light of the full moon and the stars we ended our day satisfied and anxious to see what tomorrow would bring.
