BERNIE KATCHOR’s Web Site

The Panama Canal The freshwater Lake Gaton feeds the canal locks. Water pours into the lock and the ships rise up to the next of the three locks moving forward as each lock fills. The Maxi ships have only a foot either side of the lock and are held in position by being tied to the heavy electric cars as shown. The ships traverse the lake to be lowered into the ocean by going down 3 more locks.

We hiked the jungle in many parts of Panama enjoying the continuous green sparked witho occasional brilliant flowers and of coarse the birds. Birdwatching is our passion and we were rewarded well. (See Bird fotos) Note Yvonne is walking up a creek after we lost the trail and you can imagine what the sure footed Indian children thought when she fell off the log bridge into the mud. At one stage the tiny waif on the left came out of the forest holding out her bowl for food. We gave her our sandwiches.

Yvonne teaching the excited Indian children about our marsupials.

A Turtle being butchered and sold piece by piece on the spot

Near Bocas del Toro on the mainland we watched many cowboys competing at lasooing calves.

One way of moving a breeding bull from Island to Island

In the 1600’s the Spanish built many forts in this region to defend their wealth. This one is at the mouth of the Rio ? Which is dammed to form Lake Gaton.

In the Second World War gun batteries were built to protect the canal The jungle is reclaiming these

This tiny red frog is endemic to Panama. Frogs and iguanas abound

In Bluefield bay we met a 21 year old cripple, Tony, He badly wanted to see our boat so we use the bosun’s chair to lift him from the dinghy over the rail and down the main hatch. His tears of joy moved us immensely

Panama: The Canal, the jungle and the flora and fauna...