Back in 2010 when Clinton and I first met, it was aboard the Sea Lion, a US flagged ship with Lindblad Expeditions that sails from Colon, Panama to Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica. Clinton was working at the time as a Lead Steward with the Hotel Department, and I was working as a Deckhand with the Deck Department. Simply put, we had control of the ship! Ha, I kid. Working on a ship is filled with long hours, compacted days (no. days. off!) but lots of adventure and travel packed into multiple months working onboard a place where you also live. It was definitely an experience and led to not just great travel experiences, but amazing friendships that I still enjoy today!
One of those amazing experiences was traversing across the Panama Canal. This fifty-mile stretch of the Panama isthmus was built in 1904 and through a signed treaty, was transferred to the United States in 1914. It would be my first time working on board a ship as a deckhand going through a canal! The bummer, for me, was that the Panamanians were the actual line handlers – I was tasked with assisting them if they needed any help – but being able to take a step back and watch the process was fascinating. The electronic ‘mules’ that move the boat through the lock, watching the gates lift, and slowing rising or falling with the boat…I cannot give a true explanation! It is worth the experience going through the canal. Funny enough, for us, we ended up taking HOURS to get through the canal. It is HUGE!!
After making our way through the canal, we had made it to the Pacific Ocean! What a cool way to get from one ocean to the other! I had actually flown into Panama City, taken a taxi to Colon to join the boat, to come back to Panama City for a night! Panama is a beautiful country that lives within the local landscape. While Panama City is a larger city, towns found on Isla Coiba and other coastal towns were smaller and had a more intimate feel with nature. Food may not be presented in a manner we are use to back in the US, but it is delicious and absolutely worth trying. Take a stroll, meet some locals at a bar, and sample some of the local food. You will not be disappointed!
Isla Coiba was a cute island that we stopped off for the day. My shift had started overnight, so I was exhausted when 7 a.m. rolled around after starting work the night before at 7 p.m.! I was able to go out on a zodiac (inflatable boat with engine) and go to a remote part of the island and sit there for a couple hours to relax. It was nice looking back at the boat and Panama from the ocean!
The clients on board this trip loved every minute – from the personalized food options on board to the amazing excursions offered in Panama and Costa Rice – booking an adventure cruise is worth the extra expense! These boats are much smaller as well, which allows them to get closer to shore and to other areas where the larger boats simply cannot go! More importantly, it lets you learn more about new countries, customs, and cultures.
The rest of the cruise traveled into the neighboring country of Costa Rica – so make sure to follow me here to read more about Costa Rica and the remainder of this amazing cruise trip!
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