We were able to see Portobelo because the Canal de Panama Commission gave us a late afternoon time to enter the canal.
Portobelo was founded in 1597 by Francisco Velarde y Mercado. It was an important port on the route of the Spanish ships taking silver and gold from the New World to Spain. The city was taken peacefully by Sir Henry Morgan.
The ruins of the forts were declared a World Heritage Site in 1980. The Spanish government paid to have them restored. Since the forts were originally made with coral reef (due to light weight and hardness/strength) this became controversial.
The area around Portobelo is renowned for biodiversity and we saw several backpackers exploring.
The town recently experienced huge rain storms, floods and landslide and we saw evidence of this. Houses and people were washed out to sea.
The cathedral is home to El Cristo Negro - the Black Christ. One legend is that a ship leaving the port had a religious article packed in a large crate. As the ship left a terrible storm drove the vessel back to harbor. This happened 5 more times. During the final attempt, in order to save their lives and lightened the load, the crew threw the crate overboard. It floated. The fishermen were astonished by the lack of respect by the sailors and carried the image to their church to give it a place of honor. There are other legends you can find on line. There is a festival held each year where people come from all over and dress up in costumes.
Near the Church of the Black Christ is a small church which houses vestments, beautiful garments with embroidery kept in excellent condition.
Panama Canal Transit Pilot Arrives |
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Back on the ship, naturalist Marcos Soto gave a lecture on "Trans-Isthmian Routes & Piracy".
Our ship then joined numerous others waiting to enter the Panama Canal. Our Panama Canal Pilot arrived by small boat and boarded the boat via a rope ladder. We were also joined by Panama Canal Interpreter Anayansi Castillo who explained the sites as we passed and provided history and facts.
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| Waiting our turn to enter the canal |
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| Original French "Cut" on the Atlantic/Caribbean end |
The Panama Canal Pilot takes over and guides the crew in the ship's transit through the canal. The Canal is 50 miles long.
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| A crocodile watches all the ship traffic |
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| A ship leaves the Gatun locks, heading to the Atlantic |
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| Gatun Locks |
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| On our way into the canal! |
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| The mule (locomotive) helps guide the ship into the next chamber. |
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| Celebrating our entry into the canal. |
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| Gatun lock opens to the Gatun lake after the ship has been raised 85 ft. |
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| Passing thru the Pedro Miguel Lock lowered by 31 ft. |
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| Entering Miraflores Locks |
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| Back at the Miraflores Locks ready to exit the Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean after being lowered 54 ft. |
We were able to see Portobelo because the Canal de Panama Commission gave us a late afternoon time to enter the canal.
The cathedral is home to El Cristo Negro - the Black Christ. One legend is that a ship leaving the port had a religious article packed in a large crate. As the ship left a terrible storm drove the vessel back to harbor. This happened 5 more times. During the final attempt, in order to save their lives and lightened the load, the crew threw the crate overboard. It floated. The fishermen were astonished by the lack of respect by the sailors and carried the image to their church to give it a place of honor. There are other legends you can find on line. There is a festival held each year where people come from all over and dress up in costumes.
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