Heading towards San Francisco

Blog 4:: Tuesday 21st January 2014 - Heading towards San Francisco via the Pacific Ocean - Ship's time is presently 6 hours behind GMT (7 hours tomorrow):

Looking back at the last few days there have been many contrasts, differences in geography, history, economics, people and their cultures.

In my last blog I introduced our impending visit to the Panama Canal and I quote my original text extract from that blog (but now with pictures added) : -

I am very exited about the Panama Canal. It is 100 years old this year so it's a special visit. The canal is 45 miles long and consists of five sets of locks, required because the middle land section of Panama is some 26 meters above sea level. The Beam (width) of the Aurora is 32 meters and fits into the locks with 2 feet to spare on either side. Being over 200 metres long, we have indeed a very large canal narrow boat!

(PIC) - Entering the canal 

  (PIC) - the working 'mules' 

The canal cuts the journey time of a ship travelling from San Francisco to New York by 6000 miles avoiding the need to travel south via Cape Horn and the Falkland Isles. It will take 8 hours to navigate the canal. We are pulled through the lock sections by 'electric mules' and a ship can only traverse the whole canal during day light hours.

The original canal when built cost the lives of 28,000 workers, mainly due to disease. Health and Safety has come a long way in 100 years. There is a parallel canal with new locks being constructed which will allow even larger ships through. This will be completed in 2015. 

(PIC image) - Thousands built the canal....

The Panama Canal is a marvel in human enterprise, in triumph over adversity and the use of modern thinking over a 'stuck in the past' mentality. I recommend that if you would like to know why there is nothing quite as formidable as the human race you must read the story of the making of the canal, the story of the lives involved in changing for ever the geographical face of the world and the consequences on its economy and communication. Suffice to say I was most impressed, in fact blown away by the whole experience.

Some canal facts and trivia: -

•  It was Christopher Columbus on one of his many sea faring travels in the area who had the original idea to make an opening across this narrow isthmus in South Central America.

(PIC) - Typical canal rain forest habitat....

• It would take 4 to 5 years to refill the canal if it ever ran dry due to drought conditions. It is therefore imperative for the rains to fall, sustaining the rain forests and ecological cycle around Panama if this 100 year old wonder of engineering is to be maintained.

• The indigenous crocodiles have developed special glands to have their home in the surrounds of the man made created fresh water lake that makes up the central stretch of the transit from ocean to ocean.

• On average it takes 9hrs for a cruise ship to transit the whole canal and that is only if the liner pays an extra surcharge to gain priority of transit over cargo vessels. $350,000 US dollars one way is the liner charge - no wonder our ticket price was a small mortgage.  To be fair however it works out at approximately $25 per passenger on the Aurora which is not too bad at all for the experience of visiting a location well known as being the 8th wonder of the world!

• In the first construction attempt by the French during the mid 19th Century thousands died of accidents and disease - there are no official and complete records but it is reckoned that the mostly West Indian workers had a working life of under one week before they either died of disease or were involved in serious accidents. A recent research figure stated 28000 deaths but it is reckoned to be three to four times that in reality.

(PIC insert) - spraying...

• In 1904 when the Americans took over the project from the French, the priority became the huge problem of malaria and yellow fever. The French thought that disease was spread by poor sanitation but a very bright forward thinking Doctor of the age proved that it was the mosquito which was to blame. He persuaded the USA Government to give him resources and so successful was that eradication policy that from around 2008 till the present time, locally in the canal zone there are no reported cases per year of yellow fever or malaria.

(PIC) - Panama City.....

I have been talking to some passengers who have been returning to the canal many times such is the pulling power of this one day of amazing sights and experiences. Our cabin neighbours are on their 42nd cruise and fifth round the world trip through the canal. Panama City reflects the wealth that has been created through employment and income from the canal now that the canal has been handed back to Panama from the USA. Skyscrapers stand proud in the background like spikes of glittering gold and silver rising from the land that once was simply rain forest and a river basin just over 100 years ago.

There is still a local indigenous indian population of some 50000 which sticks to the traditions of living they have known for generations which makes the Panama region a whole character of past, present and a future. A future because there is a new canal being built alongside the original. This will be able to take even larger shipping from 2015 bringing more change, prosperity but will not hopefully change the uniqueness of this most definite wonder of the world we live in.

Nicaragua is at the other end of the scale, in miles not too far north of Panama, a country the size of Switzerland or Greenland but so very noticeably missed out on the resources that Panama has now amassed in respect of wealth through tourism and the canal. Its ironic that almost right up to the building of the Panama Canal there were still influential Politicians and Engineers who felt that the landmass of Nicaragua was a much easier challenge to build a seaway crossing between the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans. The fact that Panama was chosen for political reasons is seen today in the differing economies and lifestyles of both Countries.

(PIC) - San Juan del Sur....

(PIC) - The market in Massaya.....

Our day on shore in Nicaragua (Sunday) was spent looking at sights and cultures of this very different Country, from the fishing port of San Juan del Sur to visiting a still active volcano in the Pacific plate's 'ring of fire', then onto the traditional folklore village of Massaya and it's lovely market selling locally made goods including its famous hammock range (we bought one!) and at the end of a busy morning we had a brief but enjoyable stop for lunch. In the afternoon we went on to the city of Granada.  We would like to have seen Lake Nicaragua , the largest in Latin America, but time on these one day excursions are limited.

(PIC) - Granada carriage awaits....

Granada was a city devastated by different armies and pirates. The last scoundrel(a friendly Scot called William Walker) burned the place to the ground 150 years ago but they rebuilt it and it is a beautiful place full of colour and interesting museums, walks and horse drawn carriage rides.

(PIC) - The St Juan river....

Our Tour Guide was genuinely welcoming and gave us a fantastic brief of the country, its trials and tribulations, the much publicised civil war and almost non stop external interference in its affairs by major super powers, especially the USA. We were shown the now narrow and overgrown St Juan River which was going to be the route of the original canal across the isthmus, a river which Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake and Lord Nelson have sailed through; history indeed.

The cruel 30 year dictatorship of Somoza although over some 35 years ago has left this beautiful natural country still struggling to come to terms with the modern world. Corruption and unemployment are still high and beggars are plentiful in the streets but times are changing and this nation's peoples are survivors. Along with Vietnam this country did not bow down to American influence after occupation. It is a country with determination to be a full and important part of the seven nation independent Central America.

(PIC image) - The Pacific Parakeet 

(PIC) - A Howler Monkey....

The Lonely Planet guide book is now listing this Country as the third most recommended tourist destination in the world, behind Italy and Greece, and I can see why.
From its fine fruits we maybe have not even heard of like nispero and zapote, to fruits we have like the large papaya. Add dramatic flora and fauna and wild life including the Howler Monkeys with their dominant grunting noises (reminds me of, and looks like, my great mate Gordon!) and the Pacific Parakeets which have adapted to living inside the volcano interior, feeding on mineral deposits. The list is endless in this central american haven of diversity and nature.

(PIC) - up close to the volcano....

The further bonus of beautiful scenery, river valleys, volcanic craters and trails, add museums and architecture showing its dramatic history, add further the friendly welcome, then this is a recipe for success for those who are going to see it through the years to full recovery, I am sure of it. The people will not let what happened to them through natural disasters or revolution drag them into oblivion.  There is industry - cigar making, sugar crops exporting to Chile and Venezuela , an interesting variety of local and thriving coffee plantations, The main lake itself can produce in time the whole fresh water supply for Latin America. I liked the place so much I even bought a t-shirt!

Now we're sailing north west to San Francisco where we will arrive on Saturday. I will be in an internet cafe and can add some photos (now added) to break up the history and geography lessons!

Blog 5 to follow

You can still track the Aurora on www. pocruises.com/cruise-ships/aurora/webcam/

God bless you all for the kind remarks and feedback on my blogs to date. Sorry I can't always reply, but internet connection is very slow and expensive on the ship.

DKT