Surprises on the Panama Canal: A Travel Journal
At first, I wasn't even sure I was on the right bus. But here I was, sitting on a Panama City bus with the word "Gamboa" printed on the front, heading through the snarled streets and between grimy buildings. I had just one day in the city, and I was determined to see the famous Panama Canal. For 35 cents.
No package tours, cruises or even a cab for this independent traveler. Just bus fare. I was going to Miraflores Locks, about 5 miles from the city, to see this man-made wonder in action. The guidebook said I'd have to hoof it a little to get there, but that it wasn't far from the road. Well at least that was my first plan. But as they cliché goes - the best-laid plans ...
Before long on the bumpy bus, I met a friendly Panamanian named Walter. This fresh-faced young man was sitting in the seat behind me, and struck up a conversation with me in English. As it turns out, he and I were exactly the same age. He worked as a local radio DJ and had lived in the Canal Zone all his life. His English was impeccable. We got to talking and he said he admired my courage to travel without friends to a new country. I shared that I had been in Panama less than 8 hours. Before long, Walter suggested a better Canal-viewing alternative to Miraflores Locks.
Who better to know than a local?, I thought. So I stayed on the bus past Miraflores Locks, heading deeper into the Canal Zone where the jungle creeps right up to the edge of the water. We were still less than 30 minutes from central Panama City, but worlds away in every other aspect.
We hopped off the bus at the turnoff (just a narrow road) to Gamboa Resort. We had just crossed a wooden bridge over the Chagres River, a bridge so old only one vehicle at a time can cross it. As I stepped up off the bus and up to the edge of the Canal, a giant freighter approached - as if on cue. A small boat on one side helped guide it through. One of the interesting facts about the Panama Canal is that it is the only place in the world where ship captains must completely give up their navigational control. A Panamanian captain comes aboard and tells the captain how to navigate the narrow passageway, while Panamanian guide boats maneuver along side the larger vessel.
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