There is not much to say about the Panama Canal, as everyone knows about it. After all, this is what the country of Panama is well known for.
The Canal is what brings the big money to the country and thanks to it, Panama can afford to attract foreign investments with no tax added, and in this way bring more employment to their people. There are a lot of tax benefits in this country in order to attract foreign investment.
The best place to watch the ships go through the canal is the Miraflores Locks. You can get there by taxi (about $10 from the city-one way) or by public bus ($0.85 each way, plus $3.00 for the two “tarjetas”/bus cards). If the latter is your choice you have to get to the Albrook Mall with the city bus and take another bus from there.
The entrance fee is $5.00 if you just sit on the deck watching the ships pass by and listen to the information given trough the speakers in both Spanish and English. If you want to see the museum and watch a video about the canal the entrance fee is $8.00.
Next year, 2014, the old locks will be 100 years old and the new ones in their infancy but much larger. How right is that? The baby bigger than the parent?
Heavy and expensive but small wagons pull the boats trough the locks. Click here to watch the process via a live webcam.
For a visual step by step on how the locks work, see the photos below. Watch the water level and the locks/gates opening, as well as the six small but super heavy wagons pulling the boat. The Panamax (currently the largest ship that can go through the canal) passes through with a total of only one meter clearance (half of a meter clearance on each side):
