We started with a great breakfast and lots of anticipation of travelling through the canal.

Afterwards Hope and I headed up to Deck 7 to watch our huge ship transfer through.

This was a long, long, long process. The deck was soooooo crowded, people were standing on top of people.

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km (51 mi) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the PacificOcean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. Canal Locks are at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 m (85 ft) above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. The original locks are 34 m (110 ft) wide. A third, wider lane of the locks was constructed between September 2007 and May 2016. The expanded canal began commercial operation on June 26, 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger, neo-Panamax ships, capable of handling more cargo.

France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate. The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan and the even less popular route through the Arctic Archipelago and the Bering Strait.

Colombia, France, and later the United States controlled the territory surrounding the canal during construction. The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties provided for handover to Panama. After a period of joint American-Panamanian control, in 1999, the canal was taken over by the Panamanian government. It is now managed and operated by the government-owned Panama Canal Authority.

Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in 1914, when the canal opened, to 14,702 vessels in 2008, for a total of 333.7 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons. By 2012, more than 815,000 vessels had passed through the canal. It takes 11.38 hours to pass through the Panama Canal. The American Society of Civil Engineers has ranked the Panama Canal one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The Panama Canal has closed the 2019 fiscal year (FY19) with a record tonnage of 469 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), a 6.2 percent increase compared to FY2018. With this figure, the waterway exceeds the 450.7 million PC/UMS tons projection for FY2019, as well as the record tonnage of 442 million PC/UMS tons registered in the previous fiscal year.

These record-setting results reflect the Canal workforce's commitment to efficiency and ongoing investments in infrastructure, which will allow the waterway to meet the growing demand and offer a reliable and safe service to customers.

Out tour group was to meet in the Stardust Lounge at 10:15 A.M.. This disembarking of the ship seemed so uncoordinated.

We all waited patiently until our group was called and we headed out to our tender.

Our guide was named Marissa.

Our first stop was Aqua Clara.

Located on the Atlantic side, near Colon City, the Agua Clara Visitor Center is a place where the Panama Canal has made it clear that both its legacy and its grandeur will continue to bear fruit for the world.

With an unparalleled view, this place is waiting for you and all those who want to enjoy a pleasant experience enriched with interesting facts, but especially by being part of the history of the route that unites the world.
The center offers a breathtaking panoramic view that contrasts two particular scenarios that generate mixed feelings. On one side you will find the famous Gatun Lake, where cargo ships or other vessels transit every day, while on the other side, but from a different perspective, you will be amazed by the view of the expansion works. Beyond its surprising technology or colossal machinery, you will be astonished by the work of thousands of people, who with discipline and determination head towards the same goal to make Panama stronger and Panamá worthy of admiration.

After the impressive viewpoint, pamper yourself and be captivated by all those things that the Agua Clara visitor center has to offer. At the projection room you can learn about the history and efforts of thousands of men and women that have marked the Canal's first century and, of course, plans in the near and distant future. Throughout your visit, watch for the walls and exhibits with interesting information that will amaze you.
Walk through the ecological path, with a variety of plants and species that makes the trail an adventure with great scenery and breathtaking views; identify the different species gathered thereindigenous of the area of the Canal watershed.

I strolled around the property and took a few photos. I really wan't interested in watching the movie. I kinda thought I'd actually fall asleep. I strolled into the gift shop which was pretty scarce with product.

I headed down the path to see if I come see a few live animals, but no luck, just a newt of some sort. Gunny had went on into the woods and Tuwana went to find him. I headed back to the bus because it had started to sprinkle. The trash cans really needed to be emptied as bees were everywhere. I headed out and knocked on the bus door and I think I awakened the driver, but he came out and around and let me onto the bus.

After everyone began boarding, Marissa passed out boxed lunches. They were just turkey sandwiches on challah and were pretty dry, but when you're hungry, they taste like my favorite Subway sandwich. Mine had some type of muffin in it, but I didn't eat it.

We then headed over to the Melia Panama. Marissa gave us some history of the resort and then we headed out back to board our boat to tour the lake.

There was lots of wildlife, including monkeys. The lake was pretty calm and we got lots of great photos.

We were then led to a small village where the Embera live.

The Embera and Wounan are people of the same genetic stock, although they have developed two distinct languages. They live over a wide area from Panama, into Columbia and even into Ecuador. Because they are a jungle people, who live in small communities, sometimes deep in the jungle, it is hard to get an accurate count of the numbers in Panama, since many live up into the otherwise impenetrable Darien jungle.

Because several groups of these people have lived in the area which is now the Chagres National Park and are within a couple of hours of Panama city, via car or bus and dug out canoe, they are often visited by tour groups from hotels and cruise ships.

They are an agricultural people who traditionally subsisted by growing their own crops, fishing, and hunting. They travel by foot and canoes or piraguas dug out from large tree trunks. They are a monogamous people, traditionally with arranged marriages, although that is changing. There are estimated to be between 35,000 to 80,000 Embera living within Panama.

Rarely will you see these folks in Panama City since they know they will only end up with low-end jobs. There is a big commitment to the extended family, the village, and preserving traditional Embera culture.

In Central Panama you will find Embera and Wounan villages which have more "adapted" to local agricultural traditions and dress. Sometimes you will find Embera/Wounan villages in which three languages are spoken: Embera, Wounan and Spanish.

During the Canal Zone days they were called Chocoes and we very much looked down on, because of their traditional lifestyles and dress. People who grew up in the Canal Zone, Zonians, have told me that when they were children they were told never to leave the Canal Zone because there were cannibals out there who would eat them! Indians are second class citizens in Panama. Most Panamanians have never visited or even thought of visiting an Embera Indian village. Interestingly, as the tourist value of the Embera is being discovered, and their images appear on tourist flyers and posters, suddenly ordinary Panamanians are starting to appreciate the value of these Indigenous groups and the value of preserving their cultures.

When we arrived, the villagers were playing a tribal song with tribal instruments.

We grabbed our seats on benches covered with colorful colths as other tourists, from other ships arrived.

The narrator interpreted for the Embera, prior to a demonstration. They passed around tree bark, wood and some type of nut, prior to a tribal dance. It was quite interesting. After the dances, we were invited to make purchases of woven baskets, handmade jewlery. Hope and Sabrina purchased earrings and necklaces. Sabrina and I also got tattoos that were supposed to last at least a week and mine did.

Afterwards we walked around the small village, admiring the huts, babies, dogs, wild chickens and th greenery.

After purchases, Marissa led us back to the boats for our trip back to the resort.

After bathroom breaks we loaded up on the buses to head back to the port.

There were small shops around the port for shopping. I kind of concluded that the only T-Shirts I was going to get, on this trip, were polos. Every stop, so far, only sold embroidered polos with the city, printed on them.

We headed on back to the tender, which took us back to the ship. The ship pulled out at 7:30 P.M.

We were also, all hungry. Splashed some water on our faces and headed up to the Garden Cafe, for some dinner.

Buenas Noches!