PANAMA TO GUATEMALA 

PANAMA CANAL:  Ferdinand de Lessops was a French diplomat who successfully organized the building of the Suez Canal.  For this achievement he became a French national hero.  When he decided to attempt to repeat his success by building a canal across Panama (then part of Colombia) 100’s of thousands of investors put up millions. 

De Lessops’ project ultimately became a disaster.  During the eight years of construction 22,000 Frenchmen died, mostly from yellow fever and malaria.  Following banruptcy in 1889 construction ceased and de Lessops was charged, convicted of fraud (but he did not serve time), and he spent the last years of his life in disgrace. 

De Lessops had three problems.  First, he was not an engineer, and he refused to listen to the engineers who told him that a sea level canal could not be built; that only a canal with locks would work.  Secondly, the financing was very problematic, and 800,000 lost their savings in what today would be called a Ponzi scheme.  Third, it was not known at the time that mosquitos carried yellow fever and malaria.  Rather it was believed that these diseases were caused by “vapors.” 

In the last decade of the 19th century the Spanish-American War and the California gold rush convinced Teddy Roosevelt that it was necessary to build a canal to carry American warships from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

In 1903 Panama declared its independence from Colombia.   Three days later, following some gunboat diplomacy, the new country of Panama signed over the land for a canal to the U.S. 

Roosevelt was much wiser than de Lessops in that he listened to his engineers, particularly a man named John Wallace Stevens, and decided to create a large artificial lake (Gatun Lake) allowing ships to cross most of the isthmus.  Three locks were built at each end of the crossing, lifting ships 85 feet to lake level.  Secondly, Roosevelt allowed Stevens to spend the first two years of construction, draining swamps, spraying insecticide, and pouring oil on any water that would breed mosquitos.  Still, 5,000 died during construction, mostly from explosions and other accidents.  Most were not Americans but Blacks from the Caribbean who came for the high wages. 

The Panama Canal opened in 1914.  In 2016 new and larger locks were completed.  The old locks are still in use, and which locks are used depends on ship size.  Incidentally a cruise ship pays between $250,000 and $500,000 in order use the canal.  The largest container ship that can cross (there are ships too large for even the new locks) can pay up to $1,170,000 for one crossing.  Incidentally the U.S. gave the canal to Panama around 2,000. 

Although this was the second time that we sailed through the canal, the 7-hour crossing was very pleasant.  We spent most of the day sitting on our balcony taking in the sights of ships passing through the locks with only inches to spare on either side. 

GASTRO-INTESTINAL INFECTION:  A passenger who boarded our ship in Lima was infected with a bug picked up in Machu Picchu (notorious for poor sanitation).  The bug has now spread to about 30 others and the ship has instituted many changes to the ordinary routine.  

In the morning I usually start the day by picking up coffees at a self-service machine not far from our stateroom.  Now a crew member stands by the machine, pressing the buttons and then handing over the coffee.  One cannot enter any dining room without having been observed sanitizing one’s hands.  The laundromats and the library have been closed, but the prices have been dropped for sending out one’s laundry.  In another day or so I may be reduced to reading one of Betty’s chick novels.  Card players must discard the decks at the end of each game.  In the restaurants, the leatherette menus have been replaced with disposable paper ones and salt and pepper shakers have been removed from the tables.  When a stateroom attendant enters the room of anyone suspected of being sick the attendant must immediately return to their quarters, shower and change their uniforms before continuing their duties.  To encourage guests to report any symptoms, visits to the ship’s doctor have been made complimentary. 

PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA:  Perhaps I should have expected rain upon entering a rain forest.  We had a half-day tour involving going up river in a boat to observe wildlife and then taking a train ride through miles of banana plantations.  Somehow it all seemed slightly less exotic in a continuous downpour. 

One interesting thing I learned from our guide is that a 6-lane highway is being built across Costa Rica.  This will be used primarily to truck containers from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in competition with the Panama Canal.  The highway will be called the “dry canal.”  It perhaps comes as no surprise that the highway is being built by the Chinese. 

SANTO TOMAS, GUATEMALA:   A map of Central America indicates that the shortest way to ship goods from the Atlantic to El Salvador is through Honduras.  However, relations between these two countries is sufficiently bad that all goods are shipped through Guatemala.  Thus, the port of Santo Tomas, where we docked, is huge. 

Relations between El Salvador and Honduras deteriorated in the 1960’s when illegal Salvadorians living in Honduras were treated badly.  In 1969 the two countries met in a FIFA World Cup qualification match.  After each of the three games fights and riots broke out among the fans.  During the third game El Salvador broke off relations and invaded Honduras.  First,however,  El Salvador took out the main Honduras airport by dropping bombs from civilian airplanes.  Then the Salvadorian army invaded.  Although this “Soccer War” only lasted 4 days, 900 civilian and military Salvadorians were killed, and 2250 Hondurans also died.

   

Guatemala is quintessentially a banana republic, albeit a pleasant enough looking place.  We left the ship and took a trolley through the city of Santo Tomas to the neighbouring town of Puerto Barrios.  Other than the one passenger upchucking halfway through the tour we had a very pleasant ride (we, however,  were each restricted to 3 free beers along the way). 

After returning to Santo Tomas we did yet a little more shopping.  I am trying (unsuccessfully) to convince Betty that for the rest of the trip she should only buy feathers.  This is in the hope that our luggage will somehow meet weight restrictions.

PICTURES FROM AROUND THE SHIP:  The particular bar is one that we do not frequent, but we were told that it is interesting because only Picassos appear on the walls.  Sure enough there are 7 Picassos to admire.