Panama Canal - An Engineering Feat
- Lorraine Gibson, Carlson Wagonlit Travel -
The Panama Canal is a particular place that I had always wanted to experience, and I think this is true for many people. The Panama Canal is one of the great engineering feats of the 20th Century, costing over $387 million dollars at the time of construction; involving creating the largest earth dam of its time. I have ventured through the canal over a dozen times, but each transit is still fascinating. Over one million ships have passed through the Panama Canal. The gates are massive structures, 7 feet thick, the largest gates ever swung. Three sets of locks: Gatun Locks, Miraflores Locks and the San Pedro Locks, raise and lower the ships 85 feet.
The construction of the Panama is fascinating but so too is the lush vegetation, landscape and culture. While in Panama take time to go on a tour. I would recommend a bus tour to Ft. San Lorenzo, along the way the tour guide will stop to give you a chance to view monkeys and sloths. Ft. San Lorenzo is a well preserved ruin on a high point of land overlooking where the Chargres River meets the sea. It was once a colonial fortress to help protect Panama from pirates.
Colon (Cristobal), situated on the Atlantic Coast at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal was made a duty-free port in 1953. It is the world's largest free trade zone outside Hong Kong.
The Panama Canal was a dream that begun in 1513 with the Spanish Conquistador Balboa. Construction commenced in 1880 by the French Canal Company, and the U.S. took over construction in 1904. It then took 10 more years to construct and was completed in 1914. Seeing the Panama Canal, for some, is a dream come true. The best way to experience the Panama Canal is by taking a one way cruise from the Atlantic to the Pacific or from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
This article was written by Lorraine Gibson, Custom Travel Designer for Carlson Wagonlit Travel. She only recommends places that she has actually visited herself. You can contact Lorraine at 250-495-4227 or visit her web site at www.cruisetoyou.com |
