28 January, 2018 Sunday...

Yesterday was the transit of the Panama Canal. Although this was our sixth time through the canal, there is always something different to see. I'm always impressed that the gates or doors of the locks are the original locks used when the Canal opened in 1914. Three years before my mother was born, and the gates are still functioning perfectly. They have had new hardware, and certainly maintenance, but they are essentially the same. Once real mules were tethered to ships to assure they kept a straight path and did not hit the sides of the Canal. Now little train engines, still called mules, do the same job. Unchanged is the rowboat with two men who row out to the ships and tie on the lines. Scars line the sides of the Canal, with different colored paint streaks and splintered wood left by ships that veered a little too close to the sides. We bumped a few times, unsurprising, because there was barely 12 inches on either side of the Queen Elizabeth.

Perhaps even more interesting is the story of the struggle to build the canal. Initially, it was begun by the French in 1880, but diseases and financial difficulties put France out of the running to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Panama gained its independence in 1903 and negotiated an agreement with the US to build the canal and manage it until 1999. At noon on December 31, 1999, Panama took over full operation, administration and maintenance of the Canal. It is easy to imagine the difficulties faced by the men who cut through the jungle to prepare the land for the Canal. The dense jungle is still evident on the islands in the lakes that the ships pass through on their way to the locks.

Surprisingly, there seem to be less ships lined up for passage that I recall from other visits. We did see the new post Pana-Max Canal as it ran along side the existing Canal. It is placed up a high slope with walls around it. Gates will now roll to the sides, rather than pivoting like the existing Canal gates, and no mules are used. Instead, the ships will be guided by tugboats. The huge cruise ships that are now in operation will be able to pass through the expansion canal.

We also learned that Nicaragua is also considering building a canal. If they succeed and if Northwest Passage shipping becomes routine, traffic will significantly reduce.

Captain Hashmi reminded us that our passage through the Panama Canal would be $500,000. Can you imagine him handing his credit card to the toll booth before we pass through the first lock?

We have gotten into a pattern now that we have been on board for a week. We usually are ready for breakfast in time to go to the Britannia Dining Room, if not, we head up to the Lido. There is a definite British influence to the offerings at breakfast, with baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and grilled tomatoes always available. The offerings from the waiters are first “Tea?” and then “Coffee?” After breakfast, it's lectures and a game of Hand and Foot, a chance to read a book (Luxury! I've read two in a week!) and then lunch with new friends. After lunch, we try to increase our laps on deck from the previous day. The Queen Elizabeth has a continuous circle of the deck available on Deck 3. The only activity that we have consistently participated in this segment is Trivia. I am proud to announce that our team, “A Wing and a Prayer,” came in first yesterday out of over 40 teams! Next segment, I will get more involved and hope to join the World Cruise Choir (I have just learned from my new friend, Andy, that they do not audition you. Phew!) and also do the art classes.

We have had three cocktail party invitations this week, and one already for next week. If we don't have a party, we go to a lounge for a drink before dinner. Our favorite venue is the Commodore Club, forward on Deck 10. It is an extremely comfortable room that runs across the entire bow of the Deck 10. The lighting is warm, the tables far apart and the chairs comfortable, and it offers a panoramic view forward. I will try and take a photo of the drinks menu, because they do have some unusual ones. Both hot and cold nibbles arrive unbidden, and small bowls of chips and nuts appear. If the seas are rough, I am not inclined to enjoy the motion that far forward and high up.

Our table mates are great fun, and we are usually one of the last to leave the dining room. There are two other Americans, Peggy and Pam, mother and daughter who have sailed Cunard over 2400 days. There are two other British gentlemen, one of whom has done over 10 World Cruises on Cunard and is creeping up on the same number of days as Peggy and Pam. We have become friendly with Bryan and Lynn, from the north of England. They and another man make up our Trivia team. It turns out that we have friends in common through mutual friends. It truly is a small world!

One of the interesting sights on the ship is the dancing in the Queen's Room. Sequential Dancing is a popular dance style in the UK, with all the dancers doing the same, complicated dance steps. We love watching them to the Mayfair Quick Step and others, but are observers for this type of dancing only.

Although dinner is late seating, at 8:30, we are hard-pressed to make it out of the dining room in time for the 10:30 show, because we are laughing and talking. Those of you who sail Crystal will recognize the name Tom Courtenay, who performed one evening.

A coveted invitation to an officer's table has been received, and we are to dine at the Chief Engineer's table on 30 January. We had a chance to speak to Captain Hashmi last evening at the cocktail party, and I find him charming and warm. He mentioned a future invitation to dine with him.

Tomorrow we arrive in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We haven't planned any shore excursions, but will pop off to walk around.

More tomorrow...

Just a note: Panama hats are not made in Panama!