After Aruba, we spent a day touring Cartagena, Columbia. Highlights were touring an old Spanish fortress and the former home of St. Pedro Claver, who fought for the rights of the African slaves in the 17th century. He baptized over 300,00 slaves in his lifetime. Adjacent to the house was a chapel built in his honor where we could view his remains.
Then we ran back to our cab as quickly as we could so we wouldn't miss the ship (they don't wait for anyone) - we were the last group on. Phew!
Next we were able to witness the workings of the Panama Canal. Our cruise ship is the only one narrow enough to fit through the canal. It was really interesting to see how the locks worked. Basically, the ship needs to go from sea level up 85 feet to the elevation of Gatun Lake so it can pass through to the other side, where it is then lowered. We went through 3 locks, where the ship is enclosed and then gradually raised with water until it is high enough to move onto the next lock. It's hard to describe here, but here are a couple of pictures of the neighboring ship before and after the water in the last lock has been raised. (You'll notice that our ship is also higher in the 2nd picture)
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