I can finally access the Blog editor again! It seemed like a good idea to set up 2-factor authentication, but it started taking hours to get the code, far exceeding the 15 minute time limit for entering it. After many frustrating hours of trying to figure this out I was able to get in a turn of the extra security. Don’t hack me, bro! Also, I finally know how to post pictures, but I have to get them from my phone to the computer. Not as easy as it sounds because my Apple laptop is pretty sure I’m not me and won’t let me sign in.
The canal passage was an all day pleasure. Nothing but gravity and doors, yet still a marvel. The lock gates are still original. There is a second parallel canal for the larger cargo ships. Those were pretty fun to gawk at. We followed a car carrier moving 5000 cars from Japan to Florida.. Took about 10 hours, but there was always something to watch.
Cartagena is a 500 year old Spanish city. We took a walking tour with a local guide. Intense heat and humidity, which appears to be the theme of this voyage! Like all of Latin America that we have seen so far it is colorful, friendly, and generally pretty shabby. Crushing poverty amid extravagant wealth, some of it probably lawfully earned.
Tomorrow we sail to the Cayman Islands where we hope to snorkel around a shipwreck! I promise pictures!