Greencaviar Travel

Navigating the Panama Canal: A Journey through Cocoli and Aqua Clara Locks Amidst Drought Concern Transiting the Panama Canal is an experience like no other. Recently, I embarked on a memorable journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic through the Cocoli and Aqua Clara locks. This iconic waterway never fails to astonish with its engineering marvel, but my transit was marked by a backdrop of environmental concerns as news of the Panama Canal limiting cruise lines due to drought dominated headlines. The Journey through Cocoli and Aqua Clara Locks: As our ship approached the Cocoli locks, I was filled with anticipation. I stayed on the bow to watch the whole process. The sheer scale of these locks and their modernity were striking.  Having previously transited from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Gatun and Miraflores locks, I couldn't help but notice the stark differences between the old and new locks, each offering a unique experience. The old locks, while undeniably dramatic, fel...

Cruising is my least preferred way of travel. But in order to have a full transit experience of crossing the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal, I booked myself on a Holland America Cruise. I knew very little about the history of the canal, except that it’s an engineering marvel. I’m sure there are many books written about this subject, but the tagline from a promotional video, “… to create a canal to join the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean…to cut the continent in half and carve a waterway on one of the most astounding and unforgiving terrain on earth ”, pretty much summed up the wonders of Panama Canal for me. Luckily we had a travel guide, Wallis with a PhD in geophysics, on board. She shared a few “Did you know…” questions, and explained the Canal’s history, construction, and the step-by-step process of going through the canal. The scale of Panama Canal is astonishing: The canal runs through Panama North to South, connecting the Caribbean Sea (No...