The Panama Canal was completed in 1913 at a cost of – you don’t really care, do you? I thought not.

My advice get there after a few strong coffees, before lunch and the busloads of tour plebs, and get very enthused about the excellent museum at Miraflores Lock (about 12 km from Panama City) to digest all the factual info and archive photos then get a seat / position on the viewing decks above to watch ships pass you by, up and down, they go, thru the locks, huge monster ships on route to Asia … Amazing.

All this while the tour plebs come and go within an hour while you drink scores of cold, overpriced beer – amid the heat of the tropical day – from squashy plastic cups @$4 each. Highly recommended.

Just sit and watch.

It did this … for 8 hours … and yes, I did indeed see a good dozen huge ships – right there, yes right there, in my face!