Panama Canal
We spent Sunday, January 10, transiting the Panama Canal, a true wonder of 20th century engineering. We had done this once before, almost exactly 4 years ago during our 2012 South American cruise, which is memorialized in this posting:
https://baderjournal.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/panama-canal-2/
We had to get up early in the morning because we were set to approach the first set of locks at Gatun about 7:30 AM. The bow of the ship was opened for this transit (it is usually inaccessible to passengers) so we went there to watch. The crew dispensed coffee there, along with “Panama Rolls,” tasty sweet rolls with a sort of peach filling that we were told derive from a Filipino delicacy. As we approached the first lock we saw another Holland America ship, the Zuiderdam, already inside the first lock in the other lane to our right.
The lock doors are massive. They swing open from the center & are flush with the side wall when fully open. A handrail across the top for pedestrians folds down when the doors open. Like much of the equipment here, they were manufactured in the United States (Pittsburgh) more than 100 years ago. We were told that 90% of the original equipment is still in use after more than a century!
Several kinds of birds flew around the ship as we entered the canal, alighting on posts & taking off again. We are told that crocodiles also live there and are sometimes sighted from the ships. The Captain announced a sighting of one just before we entered, but we did not get to see it.
Along the top of the walls of the locks are railroad tracks for the “mules,” vehicles resembling small railroad engines that have no trouble climbing the steep walls as they rise from one level to the next. They are attached by cable to the ship, one on each side in front and another pair in back. The ship powers itself through the lock and the function of the mules is just to assist in keeping the ship aligned in the center without rubbing against the walls. Not easy, since there is very little leeway between the ship & the wall of the lock. The current mules are the third generation; we passed one of the first mules preserved on display.
It takes a long time to get through the three levels of the Gatun locks, so we went to the restaurant for breakfast. We had a great view through the aft windows of the La Fontaine as we passed out of the Gatun locks & headed into Gatun Lake.
The old map of the Panama Canal below shows that after traversing the Gatun locks on the left you sail across the large Gatun Lake. This lake was created by damming the Chagres River, which is now the source of the water pumped into the locks to lift the ships. When a lock is emptied to receive the next ship the water flows into the sea, so an immense amount of fresh water is needed to keep the locks working 24 hours a day.
We spent most of the long sail across the lake sitting on deck chairs. This is a rain forest & the shores of the lake & the large island in the middle are lush with vegetation.
After the lake comes the Culebra Cut. This was the toughest part of the canal to build, since it involved digging through rock hills, which were unstable enough that debris kept collapsing into the channel from the hillsides. Much of the hillside along the Cut is terraced to help stabilize it & in some places there are braces driven into the walls. One of the hills was known as the Gold Hill because it was promoted in France in the 19th century during the unsuccessful French attempt to build a canal as containing a very rich source of gold. A lot of Frenchmen lost their pants investing in this fraudulent promotion, for there wasn’t a trace of gold there.
As you approach the Pacific end of the canal there are two bridges and two sets of locks to lower the ship back down to ocean level. The first bridge is called the Centennial Bridge, which is just before you reach the Pedro Miguel locks. This bridge is not very old, but we were told that it will have to be torn down & rebuilt because it is too low to accommodate the much larger ships that will begin coming through when the new locks (discussed below) are completed.
At the Pedro Miguel locks we saw a container train pass by. There has been a railway here since long before the canal was built (although it was upgraded during the canal work). In 1849 the Panama Railway was an important route for adventurers from the eastern United States headed to California for the gold rush. And many of them died here of disease after they ran out of money and were unable to book passage to California. Depending on the cargo, some shippers today find it less expensive to unload containers onto the train and reload them onto a ship at the other end than to pay the cost of traversing the canal. This can go up to almost $500,000 for a ship, payable in advance in cash. The toll is calculated mostly based on the size of the ship. The smallest ever was about 35 cents for Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 10 days in the 1930’s.
Not far from Pedro Miguel is the final set of locks at Miraflores that lowers the ship to the level of the Pacific Ocean. There is an observatory building here where folks can come and watch the ships pass through the locks. It has viewing verandas on four levels and, since it was a nice Sunday afternoon when most people were off from work, it was packed with people waving and taking pictures of us as we took pictures of them. Meanwhile, on the front deck we spotted evidence that there is no age limit for the use of selfie sticks.
Just after leaving the locks we got our firsts glimpse of Panama City on the other side of the hills on our left. In the distance on the right is the construction site of the new locks being built to accommodate larger modern ships that can’t fit through the current locks. Several ports on the East coast of the United States are enlarging their harbors in anticipation of these larger ships coming from Asia. The new locks were supposed to be opened for the canal’s 100th birthday in 2014; now they are saying they will open this Spring, but it doesn’t look ready from where we were. On our left we also passed some old army barracks built during American control of what was then known as the Canal Zone, and some people boating along the shore.
Just around the bend after Miraflores locks we came to the Bridge of the Americas. This is part of the Pan American Highway, which extends from Alaska (I think) all the way to Patagonia at the tip of South America. The canal’s two bridges are now all that connect North and South America, since the canal broke the continuity of the land bridge through Central America.
We now had to sail down to the ocean and around some islands to our anchorage for the night off Panama City. We were told that the islands we sailed around at the mouth of the canal, connected to the mainland by a long causeway, are entirely man-made from debris removed from the canal when it was built. The causeway, about 3 miles long, was designed to prevent the ocean currents in this area from silting up the mouth of the canal. The dramatic clouds over Panama City when we arrived soon let loose a downpour, but it was over before sunset lit up the city, a lovely end to a long and interesting day.
Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
On the morning of Saturday, January 9, we docked in the harbor of Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a beautiful country which has abolished its military to free up funds for social welfare and education. The Afro-Costa Rican population, most of whom live in or near Puerto Limon, were not considered citizens until the mid 20th century. This is a fairly ramshackle little town, located in a spot where Christopher Columbus stopped to repair one of his ships in 1502. Although the town was actually founded in the mid-19th century, we saw signs indicating it dates itself from 1502. Puerto Limon is Costa Rica’s major port on the Caribbean side and it has a brisk traffic in containers. Bananas & coffee are the major exports, although it has a reputation as a drug trading center & a very tough and dangerous town.
Most travellers come here for eco-tourism, of which Costa Rica is a leader. We had seen the wildlife & rainforest on a previous visit & we have quite a few excursions scheduled on this trip, so we decided just to walk around town. It was a hot & sunny day and really there is little here that is of interest for the visitor. There is a museum that is supposed to be interesting, but it was closed the day we were there. So we set out to find the public library (for newcomers, we do that a lot). We found it, a nice looking little green library with painted stone benches & wall murals in the courtyard. But it was abandoned and locked up behind a wire gate; we hope it has been relocated rather than eliminated.
Strolling along the streets, unsuccessfully looking for the museum, we passed shops, houses & the baseball stadium. We also passed the Post Office, which had an interesting stucco decoration over the doors and windows.
The tallest building in town is the modern cathedral, which was clearly visible from the ship. It has an old and a new bell tower, an attractive wood slat ceiling & colorful stained glass windows. A very tall Christmas tree (not a real tree) was still standing outside the front façade & colorful flowers lined the street outside. The modern design indicates that it was rebuilt after the town suffered a severe earthquake in 1991.
Last but not least we walked over to the Parque Vargas, not far from the port. This is a very pleasant small park bordering the sea, with very tall trees including palms, some laden with bright yellow coconuts. We also saw large stone sculptures and a bandstand in the center. A lot of construction is in progress, so you have to watch your step
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The wildlife includes interesting birds unafraid of people & some sloths high in the trees. We never would have seen them, since they look like shadows in the branches to the uninitiated. But a local guy pointed them out to us – a baby & an adult – and woke one of them up by banging the bottom of the tree with something loud. They are cute in a homely sort of way.
By now we were tired from the heat & humidity so we headed back to the ship. In the afternoon we sailed away toward Panama & there was a sailaway party on the aft deck.
So that’s it for Costa Rica. All that is left are a couple of towel animals to end this episode.
At Sea On Amsterdam, Part 2
In addition to the main shows in the Queen’s Lounge, the Amsterdam has a number of musical groups performing in various bars & lounges. A 3 man group called “The Neptunes” plays for dancing nightly in the Ocean bar, versatile singer-pianist-saxophonist Debbie Bacon performs nightly at the piano bar in the Rembrandt Lounge and a really talented violin-piano duo called “Adagio” plays in the Explorer’s Lounge. The Adagios, Hungarians David & Attila, play light classics, show tunes & jazz (they are excellent improvisers). We have listened to their 45 minute set almost every night before dinner. The Explorer’s Lounge (there is one on every HAL ship) is a very elegant venue for interesting music. Update: On January 14 there was a “Jazz Night” in the Ocean Bar, in which the Neptunes really broke out & showed they were capable of first rate jazz improvisation. This was a (pleasant) surprise to us since we had heard nothing like that when they were playing for dancing. We listened happily for an hour and a half to the Neptunes playing by themselves and with guests including clarinetist Pete Neighbor, who performed later on stage in the Queen’s Lounge, and David & Attila from Adagio
The names of these groups are kind of a joke: most, if not all, HAL ships have a “Neptunes” & an “Adagio” duo. On our first HAL cruise in 2012 we were entertained by the Rosario Strings (a piano-violin trio), but HAL has cut back to a duo instead of a trio on each ship (we are told it was once a quartet) and they are now required to be named “Adagio” on every ship, so that on our second HAL cruise the same pianist & violinist were now called “Adagio.” This enforced uniformity seems pretty silly to us, but obviously we aren’t making the rules.
The Amsterdam has two florists on staff & a refrigerated room to store flowers (which, we are told, doubles as a morgue when necessary . . . as it was one day in the South Pacific). So the ship is full of flowers all the time. From orchids on many of the tables in the Lido buffet to elaborate arrangements in most of the public spaces, to a small vase of flowers on the tray when you order room service, you are never far from some lovely flowers.
Last but far from least is the food, which has been consistently delicious on this trip. It has been great from breakfast (wonderful French Toast) to the gourmet dinners every night. Open seating is available for the first time on a Grand Voyage, but we prefer the regular set seating with the same waiters & the same group of dinner companions every night at 8:00. Luckily, our group has turned out to be interesting & compatible, as has happened so often before (as some of the folks reading this know from personal experience). We were told that most passengers have opted for fixed dining. We are seated on the upper floor of the La Fontaine dining room (again, there is one on every ship), which on this ship has a striking colored glass ceiling. The pictures below show the La Fontaine decorated for “Black & Silver Ball” night. On gala nights Adagio plays at the top of the staircase during dinner.
At lunch and often at breakfast we eat in the Lido buffet restaurant on Deck 8. We always walk the 5 flights of stairs up to deck 8 to offset some of the (often excessive) calorie intake. There is a wide variety of food available, from Asian to pizza to pasta to sandwiches & salads, to name a few. Amsterdam has new coffee machines in the Lido (rectangular rather than round) & the coffee is much improved. Not Starbucks, but quite a bit better than in the past. The pizza is also much better than we have seen on other ships in the past. Hopefully these are fleetwide improvements and not unique to Amsterdam. Every lunchtime there is a carving station with a different kind of meat each day, & I (Rick) usually make a sandwich from that with a couple of slices of homemade bread. There is also a sushi bar, with delicious tuna sashimi every day. Then later in the afternoon we usually stop back for coffee & ice cream or a cookie. No one ever starves on a cruise ship!
There is also an upscale restaurant called The Pinnacle (you guessed it, one on every ship) where you have to pay extra to dine. Happily, we have achieved sufficient seniority with HAL that we are charged only half price to eat there. The food in The Pinnacle has always been a step above, and we have made reservations to eat there several times on this cruise. Update: Our first visit to the Pinnacle confirmed what is said above. After consuming our crabcake appetizers, Ceasar salads prepared at the table, steaks (Rick’s a 23 oz Porterhouse) & Chocolate & Grand Marnier Volcano Cake for desert, it felt like we would not have to eat again on this cruise!
So, enough about touring the ship, what do we do all day on a sea day? There are a whole lot of activities on the ship but most don’t really appeal to us (such as trivia contests, lessons in dance, computers or bridge, various competitions). We spend a lot of time reading (and one of us knitting) in the deck chairs. Although Amsterdam has a pretty good library, we have e-readers so we can carry a library in a pocket all the time. We also attend some of the lectures & port or excursion presentations (Barbara, the travel guide on Amsterdam, who was also on the Vikings cruise with us, is particularly good). We walk around the deck every day (unless it is raining). A mile is 3.5 times around the ship & we started at 4 laps a day & are increasing that gradually. Then we walk up the 5 flights of steps to the Lido for lunch. We tend to do quite a lot of walking in ports so we need to stay in shape for that (in addition to trying to avoid growing out of our clothes before trip is over). From the deck we have seen a number of interesting birds, sometimes soaring at about the same speed as the ship so they seem to be suspended in air. One day there was a huge rainbow with a broad spectrum of colors.
There are 14 “gala” nights on this cruise (formerly called “formal” nights) when most folks dress up & most men wear jacket & tie and many wear tuxes). On the first gala night there was a champagne reception in the Queen’s Lounge where Captain Mercer introduced the senior staff (and the employee of the month). Captain Mercer has his own blog, which is unusual because it includes his photos from the bridge of the ship and an explanation of the navigation challenges of each port, complete with charts.
Bringing this lengthy post to an end are some of the things we have found in our room after dinner. Our room stewards Catur & Melpha are quite adept at making towel animals, which will be featured periodically on this blog. And our travel agents, Cruise Specialists, gave us each a jacket & a tote bag with their special logo for this voyage, which we actually like better than HAL’s, along with a bottle of champaigne. The next episode will (finally) be our first port.
At Sea on Amsterdam, Part 1
We sailed from Ft Lauderdale at about 11:00 PM on January 5, as advertised. You will see no pictures of that because we were in bed. Since it was dark out there probably wouldn’t have been any pictures even if we had been on deck. We had three full sea days before reaching our first port, Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. So we explored the ship, which was new to us, and settled in to life on board. We have been very impressed with everything about this ship so far – the ambience, the friendly & helpful staff, the management, the really excellent food and much more. On our last cruise on a different ship much of this was decidedly less satisfactory, so we have come to the conclusion that Holland America (“HAL”) saves its best for the Grand Voyages, its longest cruises. The difference is quite noticeable. So welcome aboard! 
Here are some of the ship highlights, beginning with our cabin. We chose this cabin because of its location, near the center of the ship (more stable in high seas), with an unobstructed window, on Deck 3, the Lower Promenade deck, which is the one with an outside deck going all the way around the ship. We are right next to a hallway opening onto the deck on both sides of the ship, & a stairway (and elevators, which we rarely use) leading to all the other decks.
Deck 8 is the Lido deck, which houses the buffet restaurant, the swimming pool & a large open air aft deck (meaning in the back of the ship for you landlubbers), which is a great place to be when we sail away from ports. There is a bar & a hamburger grill (the “Dive In”) by the pool, which has a retractable roof so it can be used during bad weather. With tables & lounge chairs it is a nice place to eat or read. There is also a stage that sometimes houses entertainment.
The “Queen’s Lounge” is the main entertainment state. In addition to performers, there are lectures here during the day, along with presentations about the places we are visiting & a variety of other activities. The seating here is more comfortable than on the other Holland America ships we have experienced and it’s decoration is pretty over-the-top, with huge caryatids holding up the wall sconces. The 5 piece Amsterdam Orchestra accompanies all entertainers, playing very diverse musical styles with little preparation, and they seem to be quite good. So far we have seen a song & dance show by the resident singers & dancers, a singer with 2 platinum records we had not heard of, & the Finkel family. The latter put on an excellent show: 93 year old Fyvish Finkel (who you may have seen on Boston Public or Picket Fences) sang & told jokes while the music centered on his virtuoso grey-haired sons Elliott (piano) & Ian (xylophone).
There is a wide variety of artwork throughout the ship. Just around the corner from our cabin, next to the stairs, is a 19th century “Bust Of A Roman Woman,” whom we call Livia (if you have seen or read “I Claudius,” you know who we are talking about). There are a number of paintings of old Holland America ships on the stairway landings, and other works of art too numerous to mention. So this is just a tiny sample:
Perhaps the most distinctive artwork on the ship, however, is the Planeto Astrolabium,” a fascinating contraption filling the the three story Atrium in the center of the ship. It doesn’t have a regular clock face, but it has so many other things: an astrolabe on one side (showing the current star positions), a planetarium showing (presumably) the positions of the planets, a mechanical earth & moon orbiting a sun at the top, and a white face with the names of all the world’s major cities that rotates to show the current time in each (at least it does that when it is working, which it isn’t so far on this cruise). We have seen it chime a few times, when all the gears in the top & in the floor rotate to pull strings that ring a set of bells at the top of the lowest stage of the gizmo. No one can miss this amazing creation since it is so big & situated where everyone passes by.
Well, this episode has already gotten pretty long and there is a lot yet to show you, so I will stop here & continue in a second posting.
Please Stand By; We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties
It’s been a long time & we don’t want anyone to get the idea we have abandoned this blog or jumped ship or shipwrecked by a cyclone. We are continuing to sail through the beautiful South Pacific seas, taking lots of pictures & composing blog posts. Unfortunately, so far the internet connection has been woefully inadequate to upload postings with lots of pictures (which means lots of data). We can still receive email intermittently (my email works better than Mary’s) & we will still receive by email any comments that are posted on the blog. But blog postings just haven’t worked.
We will continue to try and hopefully will eventually be able to start posting actual voyage episodes to the blog. We don’t know when, but hopefully not too long. Rest assured that eventually all of the voyage will be posted. Meanwhile, for all of you currently buried under tons of snow (and particularly the one of you buried under that snow on our front yard), here is a teaser to keep you from changing to another channel. Those of you who have been here will recognize it; the rest will just have to tune in later to learn where this particular South Seas paradise is.
BADER JOURNAL 