Panama Canal & Night of Jazz (june 10-11)

I had my first trip to the Panama Canal yesterday. It was a lot of fun. We left work around 2:30 p.m. as a group because there was a US navy hospital ship going through the canal. Many Embassy employees went out there to wave lil American flags at the ship and take pictues when it went through. The ship was called the Comfort and it used to be an battleship (i think the announcer said that) but was transformed into a hospital ship. The Comfort was making its rounds around Central America to provide out-patient type of services. It was very interesting to see the boats coming into the Canal at one height, then dropping through the locks down to the 54 feet below. The part of the Canal I was at is called the Miraflores Locks. This is the Pacific Ocean side. The process takes awhile but it was still something worth going to see. During the 1.5 hrs I was there, I actually was able to see four huge ships traverse the canal. The first one that went through paid $150,000. Yes, the fees to go through the canal are quite hefty. The Comfort paid $91,000. Can you imagine being the accountant for the Panama Canal? The ships must pay their full fees at least 48 hours before their transit begins. In one of my former pics, you can see the boats lined up by the Amador Causeway waiting to enter the canal the next day. Some random facts I learned about the Panama Canal: (1) the entire process is electronically controlled by the click of a button, (2) the locomotives that guide/control the ships cost $2.1 million, (3) when the largest ships go through (called PanaMax) they have only 2 ft of space on either side of the boat & the wall, (4) gates controlling the water weigh 730 tons (1 ton=2000 lbs), (5) the Miraflores Locks raises/lowers the boat in 2 steps, transferring it 54 feet, (6) the current gates are the original ones from the Canal's opening in 1914. Actually, I'm good on the Canal now. Yolanda and I had planned on doing a 1/2 transit of the canal which is where you get on this ferry boat and they take you from one end of the canal to the middle point and then bring you back. You eat on the boat and can take pictures and just relax. However it costs $100 and though it was something I wanted to do - it's not necessary.

Wednesday night Yolanda and I went to Casco Viejo (old Panama) and listened to some jazz music. It was held in this old building and was very simple. There were chairs & tables and easy lighting. No food or anything was served unless you brought your own. The band performing last night was a 3-person group playing an electric guitar, a guitar and a harp. I wasn't quite sure how they would sound at the beginning but it turned out to be enjoyable music. The electric harp produced sounds much like a piano with all white keys. When the musician strummed 2 strings at once or moved up/down the same string he was able to create the sharp & flat tones of a note. The event only lasted an hour but it was still a nice time. I would like to go every week and I think I've convinced Yolanda to do the same. It's not as though we have much else to be doing. Moreover, it's a different band performing each week. Oh there's also artwork in the gallery leading into the music room. The artist was very talented and I enjoyed her artwork. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me but Yolanda did so once I obtain the pics from her camera I will upload them onto this blog.