Panama Canal!
We got up early to take a trip through the canal with Patricia. It was really cool. I was fascinated watchng a huge ship being unloaded and loaded at the same time. It was too big to go through the canal, so the cargo was being taken off to be loaded onto a canal-sized ship later. Meanwhile, other cargo that had been transported through the canal was being loaded onto it. We assumed that it was going to China or Japan or something. It was amazing how efficient the whole process is.
The canal has to be doubled in size in order to accommodate ships that are as big as the one we watched being loaded/unloaded. There is construction alongside the Canal to accomplish this. Meanwhile, we took the canal as far as Gamboa (Lake Gatun.) We had been lifted 85 feet by that time! Our tour boat was teeny compared to the big ship that we shared the locks with. Then we took the bus back to the city.
The canal trip is truly a memorable experience. Thanks to Patricia for planning such a wonderful week for us!