Well it's our first day back from a wonderful two week cruise. Crossing the Panama Canal was truly exciting. The canal was created to allow ships to save 1800 miles by lifting the ships in locks (a water filled elevator) to the height of inland rivers and lakes in Panama, thus affording a great shortcut. The history is colorful as is the lush countryside and jungles we passed through. There are a series of 3 locks, all of differing lengths, spaced a way apart. Although the distance is only 50 land miles, it takes about 6 hours to complete the task.
