Panama Canal Transit Part 3

By order of the Panamanian government, no one was allowed off the ship anywhere along the Panama Canal except at one place along Gatun Lake, and that was only for passengers who paid for a shore excursion through a rain forest ($200 per person, so we didn't do that one). A small boatload of touristy souvenir items was brought aboard ship, though, so that passengers could buy their souvenirs of Panama. We declined. I have no clue why the government would not allow anyone but those on a shore excursion to disembark. Maybe because it's a very busy working canal and they can't be bothered with tourists getting lost in a rain forest. Or maybe the government could not guarantee our safety since their neighbor to the south is Columbia....drug lords, crime, anti-American sentiments, etc.
Gatun Lake provides water for the operation of the locks, for raising the water level in the lock chambers. The Panama Canal Authority is concerned about deforestation on the hills surrounding the lake as that leads to erosion and the soil not holding the water. If the volume of water in Gatun Lake decreases too much, it will impair the working of the lock system.
A dredging boat ready to work on the canal. Dredging goes on 365 days a year there.
Maersk is a Danish shipping line and they are the number one user of the Panama Canal. We saw dozens of Maersk Line ships.
A bucket dredge, constantly dredging the canal and Gatun Lake
Jerry after speed-walking 4 miles on the Promenade deck.
Here I am sweating, too, after walking 4 miles in one hour around the Promenade deck.
You can see better what is behind me in this shot of the canal.
One of the many official buildings of the Panama Canal Authority. That's the Panamanian flag flying in the foreground.
Heading on out of one of the lock chambers on our way back to the Pacific...
...and the locks open wider..

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see Part 4 of the transit!

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