My Journey - Like It Or Not!

I have found that taking a diversion from the main River to some of it's tributaries is a better way to experience the Amazon basin. There are several options for tourists to venture into the Amazon basin and have a look at nature as it is here in the Amazon River in Brazil.

I just happened to capture this rather large hornet flying by in the sultry humidity of mid-day Amazonia. Glad it wasn't looking for a landing spot (y) It was the size of small bird :oops:
Amazon River5.jpg

The boat I took was typical of what small ferryboats look like in the Amazon basin.
Amazon4.jpg
They even stopped along the way to let people fish for Piranha, which live here in the tributaries running off the Amazon. The pic I got wasn't well focused but you can tell that this little fellow has a major set of choppers on his lower jaw o_O
Amazon River2.jpg

Toward the end of the day cruise I took, the boat stopped at a so called 'authentic' Amazon village. It was clearly a tourist trap! Kids with native animals looking for tips if you took photos of them holding the animals. This little guy has a sloth ..... felt sorry for both of them!
Amazon River6.jpg

Others were dressed in Native outfits - at least that's what they wanted you to believe. I thought it was a bit theatrical myself? But hey, everyone has to make a living somehow.
Amazon River7.jpg
 
I don't know if anyone has any interest in the Panama Canal because I didn't really before traversing it the first time several years ago. Been there twice, both times on a cruise ship. The first time was going from the Caribbean through the first lock of the original lock system into Gatun Lake, which is a man made lake that was created to allow ships to cruise to the actual canal portion of the journey and to locks further up the waterway, closer to the Pacific side.

The original locks were not as long or as wide as the new canal, which was built in close proximity to the original canal system. In the original locks, they employ several 'Mules', which are like train engines sort of. They run on a rail and cables are strung from the ship's bow and stern to the 4 'mules' which run at the front & back of the ship. There's only about 6-12inches between the ship's hull and the wall of the lock so they need the mules & cables to the ship to steady the ship as it moves into the lock.

Here's a few pics of that process:
Pic @1 is a ship sitting near the entrance to the canal, waiting for it's appointment time for getting into the lock. (Ship circled in red).
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Here's a look at the double lock doors in the original canal. If you look closely, you'll see the rail tracks that the Mules use on either side of the lock.
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In this photo you can see the Mules and the cables that run from the mule to the ship. These mules are at the front (bow) of the ship steadying it as it very slowly moves forward. If you look part way down the ship (under the name Liberty) you can see just how tight the fit is between the hull of the ship & the wall of the lock.
Panama Canal.jpg
Here's a view at the back (stern) of the ship as the Mules back there also stead the ship's movement side to side.
Panama Canal 4.jpg
That's about it for the older photos I have from the original lock system that uses the Mules on tracks. I'll post separately for my more recent trip up through the new canal lock system :)
 
I find the canal lock system fascinating .. and quite brilliant. On a much smaller scale, we have the Welland Canal in the Niagara region, also one in the Peterborough area (Trent Canal, I think).
 
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My most recent trip through the whole canal was between the Pacific & Caribbean. The locks in the new canal route are much bigger to handle newer 'super ships'. I didn't even take any photos of the actual locks as they are pretty boring - just a standard lock. No more Mules or any of that.
These photos just show little snippits of the canal journey.

First up was taken on the Pacific side of the canal entrance. This basin area is just offshore from Panama City. You can see the cities skyscrapers from here (not in this photo as it's in the opposite direction). You can see here the ships all waiting offshore for their appointment time to enter the canal. You show up early because if you miss your appointed time, you're SOL! "Sorry, make a new appointment and come back then. Have a nice day!"
Recent Panama.jpg
Our ships appointment time was very early in the morning, around 6:00 AM I think so just at sunrise. You can see the sun rising as we sailed under the Bridge of the Americas, which isjust as you enter the official canal harbour area on the Pacific side.
Recent Panama 1.jpg
Lots of powerful tugboats to keep everyone in the proper line before entry into the first lock!
Recent Panama 2.jpg
You can see just how the constant heat, humidity & excessive rainfall affects the landscape in the central area of the Isthmus of Panama in this next shot. Everything has at least a tinge of green to it! It's like looking out at a nature scene through a cheap pair of sunglasses with green lenses.
Recent Panama 3.jpg
Once out of the narrower canal, ships enter Gatun Lake, a man made lake that eliminated a lot of digging to create a canal in that large geographic area. It's literally like a ship highway. Eastbound ships on one side, westbound ships on the other side :)
Recent Panama 4.jpg
 
I find the canal lock system fascinating .. and quite brilliant. On a much smaller scale, we have the Welland Canal in the Niagara region, also one in the Peterborough area.
I have actually sailed through the Tent Canal system way back when I was a kid. My dad had a cruiser and we sailed from Lake Ontario, near Brighton Ont., up the Trent system to Cooks Bay at the south end of Lake Simcoe. - was a fun time for sure!

Have you ever been to the Welland Canal Museum?
https://www.visitniagaracanada.com/do/st-catharines-museum-and-welland-canals-centre/
It's well worth a visit if you're in the area (y)

For those that don't know, the Welland Canal is how freighters and other boats travel between Lake Erie & Lake Ontario to avoid Niagara Falls.

Boats and the falls are NOT a good combination!
Niagara Falls.gif
 
You can see here the ships all waiting offshore for their appointment time to enter the canal. You show up early because if you miss your appointed time, you're SOL! "Sorry, make a new appointment and come back then. Have a nice day!"
We sailed with Holland America and almost didn’t make it through. One of the engines on the ship failed and they had to delay for a day while they got it repaired. Even then, they had to pay a fine (~$100K) and negotiate for a new time. It would have been a real disappointment. It was 2003, the same year as SARS and when some people became ill with whatever, they cancelled lots of things, including the stop in Mexico. Luckily we got to Nicaragua instead. Lots of problems on that trip, though still excellent.
 
I have actually sailed through the Tent Canal system way back when I was a kid. My dad had a cruiser and we sailed from Lake Ontario, near Brighton Ont., up the Trent system to Cooks Bay at the south end of Lake Simcoe. - was a fun time for sure!

Have you ever been to the Welland Canal Museum?
https://www.visitniagaracanada.com/do/st-catharines-museum-and-welland-canals-centre/
It's well worth a visit if you're in the area (y)

For those that don't know, the Welland Canal is how freighters and other boats travel between Lake Erie & Lake Ontario to avoid Niagara Falls.

Boats and the falls are NOT a good combination!
View attachment 230683
Yes, we've been to the Welland Canal Museum .. we lived in Niagara Falls for several years (late 70's/early 80's). Our daughter was born there.
 


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