Panama Day 2

This crane is one of four of the largest floating cranes in the world. It's called the Titan Crane. Howard Hughes used this particular one when he was doing something with his plane the Spruce Goose, but I couldn't hear very well what the tour guide was saying.

One of the many cargo ships that passes through the canal. This one is headed to the Atlantic Ocean.









It's difficult to tell how big this ship is from the picture, but trust me. It is huge.







This is the wonderful couple that took us everywhere while we were in Panama. Soriam and Jennifer were the perfect tour guides. We had a lot of fun visiting with them.

This is how close we are to the wall of the lock.

Entering the lock.

Each lock either drops or raises depending on which direction on is going. The difference is about 30 feet per lock.

Maintenance work on the canal is done on a daily basis. Here they are replacing one of the buoys that are in one of the artificial lakes the ships pass through on the canal.

Just before Mirasflores Lock.

The last gate before getting to the Pacific Ocean.

The only presence of American troops of any kind that are permitted in Panama are the ones that go after the drug runners.

This is the line to cross the canal. It's a 3 day wait. Cruise ships however reserve a slot a year in advance and so they get to go to the front of the line.