We put our clocks back another hour so it was no problem waking up at 7am to see us enter the Panama Canal. It was 9.30am before we got to the Gatun Locks, the first of the 3 locks. During most of the afternoon we sailed through the Gatun Lake. The Panama Canal is 77.1 Kms long connecting the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The locks lift the ships 26 meters up to the Gatun Lake and down again. The building was started by the French in 1880 and finished by the USA in 1914. During the construction more than 30,000 died mostly from disease.
The best place to experience the ship going through the locks is definitely out on the open decks. As we where through here 4 years ago we were happy with the view from our balcony. After breakfast we did walk around deck 12 but it was very hot and the rails were already well populated. Some people did not take the proper precautions for the heat and some had to be treated for over exposure. Yesterday there was an opportunity to make signs to hang from your balcony during the transit and the ships photographers went ashore to take pictures as we went through the locks. They even had a helicopter flying round the ship with photographers on board. It was all very exciting.
For entertainment tonight we went to the Vista Lounge to hear Don Friesen a comedian. He was very funny.
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