Visiting the Panama Canal
Visiting the Panama Canal is an interesting experience. The canal is internationally known. Panama because of the historical significance that comes with it. Plan to spend about two hours to get the full experience of the Panama Canal. The best time to go is between 12pm and 2pm. You are more likely to see ships passing through. Depending on where you are in Panama city, a cab ride to the Panama Canal can fall between $5-$8. When you get to the Panama Canal, you have to pay an entree fee. Locals and foreigners pay separate prices. They also have student discounts if you show your identification. The price for students is $3, general admission for observation only is $5, and for full access to the 3D theater, aquarium, and the university, its $8. They give you a ticket with a bar code that permits you access to different areas of the visitor center. Only the full access pass allows you to go beyond the observation area. The best time to go is mid day, because they have more ships coming through the Panama Canal southbound or northbound. You will notice visitors from all parts of the world. They have multiple restaurants and a café for you to sit down and enjoy the sight. Once you're done viewing the exhibits, instead of taking the cabs that are right out front, walk to the main entrance of Panama Canal to get a taxi. It will cost you less money. The taxi drivers outside of the exhibit will try to charge you between $15-$25 if you're a tourist. You can usually get them down to $10-$12 if they are willing to negotiate. But on the main road, you can a more reasonable offer to get back to your destination.
Growing up in the USA, we read a lot about the Panama Canal and the struggles that the people went through to build it. It's really a marvelous site if you think about the hard work that went into it. The people who thought this through are really innovative. Being there and seeing the ships pass through was a worthwhile experience. To me it was reality meets the history books. To some people its just an area that ships pass through. But sometimes you have to look at the little parts of this Panama Canal that make it into the big picture that you see to put it in perspective. The Panama Canal was build decades ago and is still in existence. Now that I've seen the Panama Canal, I feel that my trip is complete.
Growing up in the USA, we read a lot about the Panama Canal and the struggles that the people went through to build it. It's really a marvelous site if you think about the hard work that went into it. The people who thought this through are really innovative. Being there and seeing the ships pass through was a worthwhile experience. To me it was reality meets the history books. To some people its just an area that ships pass through. But sometimes you have to look at the little parts of this Panama Canal that make it into the big picture that you see to put it in perspective. The Panama Canal was build decades ago and is still in existence. Now that I've seen the Panama Canal, I feel that my trip is complete.
