Panama Day 4

Today we went to the Panama Canal. We boarded a double decker boat at 9am and spent the day traveling through the canal. We actually went to go through the Miraflores locks of the Canal, which was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
The canal was completed in 1914 and was in the control of the US until 1999 when it was handed over to Panama. Currently, 14,000 ships travel through the Panama Canal each year. The canal is so huge it takes about 8 hours for a ship to travel completely from one side to another. They are in the process of expanding the canal in order to build 2 more lock systems. This will increase efficiency and will be completed hopefully by 2014.
After hearing so much about the Panama Canal, it was exciting to see it all in person. Everyone had a great time relaxing, eating, taking pictures, and tanning on the boat.
Once we got off the boat, we went to the Miraflores Visitors Center where we were able to view the Canal from above and watch the ships go through.
Today was a great experience which we´re sure we will all remember. We´re really looking forward to going to the Seafood and Artisans market tomorrow.

-Allie Viau and Paige Stewart