Farewell

May 3 was Panama Canal Day. The history of the canal was reviewed on ship in a lecture presentation and a television documentary. The need for a canal was recognized in the 16th century when Balboa realized there was such a short distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The project was not completed until the 20th century. Three failed attempts were costly in terms of lives and money. Ferdinand de Lesseps was the engineer for the Suez Canal, a sea level canal that opened in 1869. He was asked to work on the Panama Canal in 1880. He expected to build another sea level canal but that could not work because he had to dig too deep through the mountains and could not keep the sides from collapsing into the canal. Further, mosquitoes brought malaria and yellow fever to the project, killing thousands of workers. It was not until the engineering and the medical issues were both worked out together that a canal would succeed. Steps used to stop the spread of disease by mosquitoes were the use of quinine by workers, netting on sleeping quarters and water treatment, including spreading oil on top of standing water to thwart the insects. The engineering issues were resolved by the plan to build not a canal but a bridge of water. The rain forest looked like it would be a problem but is actually what makes the canal work by providing the water for transport. As you may know, you cross the stretch by going up 3 locks and then crossing the very large manmade Gatun Lake then going down three locks and out to the Atlantic. The whole 80 kilometer length takes nine hours to cross. Operators still make the canal work by hand from the control tower. Our ship paid $125,000 to cross. The least ever paid was $.36 by swimmer Richard Halliburton in the 1920s. 13,000+ ships cross every year.
In 1903 Panama claimed its independence from Spain and became a US protectorate. The Canal opened on August 15, 1914. After an historic struggle the canal now belongs fully to Panama as of Dec. 31, 1999. The US claims the right to protect and defend Panama permanently. The Canal has been widened twice. Plans for a new canal are under consideration now.
On the night of the crossing we celebrated at the Ambassadors’ Ball. This was our one formal event for the whole community. The fact that the male to female ratio is so skewed did not deter anyone from dressing up. Many students and staff had clothing made in Vietnam and Thailand. Ladies had lovely fitted dresses of all styles with high heels. Many males took advantage of the opportunity to buy quality tailored suits for their future careers and wore them to the ball. A few went for the ugliest suit award! Dinner was in two seatings with before and after parties all over the ship. Dancing in the union was crowded but fun.
The final days of the voyage were dedicated to departure and packing. Convocation was held on May 4. Seniors graduated; 4.0 students were recognized as were student leaders. The best speaker at convocation was the ship’s captain. The voyage staff also scheduled reentry preparation. The point of this was to prepare students (and us) for issues of going home. Many people have grown and changed and what they think is apparent and enormous may not be recognized and appreciated by others at home. Further, who has time to look at our thousands of pictures and to hear all of the stories? Students were encouraged to keep in touch with each other after the return home as a way to hold on to the experience. The final days saw extended cocktail hours for all, though the students were still forced to drink undercover. Photos were taken constantly as we all tried to get one last moment with favorite new friends and to catch the final sunset.
The ship arrived in Ft. Lauderdale right on time on May 6. Groups were released one by one so that we were not all in the terminal at the same time. After sending a large box by UPS we got a cab to the airport and headed out for the last leg to Philadelphia.
Being home is a treat and a bit strange. There is no currency exchange and I can easily purchase a lime without having to sneak it onto the ship. Our cabin steward has not shown up to make our bed and bring fresh ice. We have made wonderful friends and seen a good part of the world. It was a great experience. Thank you for sharing it with us through the blog. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Guatemala

Guatemala is my new favorite port! The most recent port is always the best. It was also our last port. I definitely recommend a trip to Guatemala for a not-too-far-away vacation. Guatemala is the size of Louisiana with a population of 13.7 million. There is 1 police officer per 1400 people; NYC has 1 per 400 people. Because of the considerable poverty we were advised to be especially on guard to protect ourselves & our belongings. Guatemalans rely on tourism for income &tourism with tourism down violence is up. The current president who was elected by the indigenous population is working on decreasing poverty. One thing they are doing is paying families to send their children to school. Children are expected to work so sending them to school reduces family income. This model has led to some success in increasing school attendance.
In the 1950’s Arbenz was the President. He moved to nationalize the land. This was during the Cold War and smacked of Communism to the US. Further an American company, the United Fruit Company owed 70-80% of the land there. In 1954, Eisenhower wanted Arbenz out of office. The US bombed Guatemala and killed 20,000 people. A dictatorship remained in place for the next 20 years. From the mid-80s to the mid-90s Guatemala went through its own civil war. We saw a church where people took refuge during that time & also artwork commemorating the violence & suffering of those years.
We had only three days in Guatemala & managed to make the most of them. Two of us planned the trip for seven people. We had drivers to take us on all legs of the trip which was easy to arrange & clearly the best way to travel. It took us 3½ hours to get from Puerto Quetzal to Panajachel, a village in the highlands. We stayed at the lovely little Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan. Three volcanoes surround the lake, Atitlan, San Pedro & Toliman. We enjoyed lunch on the open patio, did some walking, strolling the beautiful gardens, swimming in the pool, using the hot infinity tub & finally margaritas. Dinner was in town at Casablanca, owned by German expats. The night continued with cards and bourbon & then to bed.
Day 2 started with huevos rellenos on the patio & then we walked only 5 minutes down the drive to the Atitlan Nature Reserve where we adventured on the zip-line, Cables X-tremos. We hiked up to the first station & then zipped across the reserve from the eight stations. The longest run was 320 m & lasted 45 seconds. We loved the views of the land & the lake, the height & the speed. Great time! After that we hired an outboard to boat about 30 minutes across the lake to 2 different villages, Santiago & Santa Catalina. Our driver walked us through Santiago & recommended Restaurante El Pescadores for lunch. We saw the local church that I mentioned above. We went into a back alley Mayan church where one man was praying while kneeling & smoking to a mannequin icon of their god, who was also smoking, or at least holding a lit cigarette. The man in prayer had an intermediary who was helping him to express himself in the proper manner. Other people were in the room, some eating, some collecting donations from viewers & photographers. It seemed a bit of a tourist set up; we thought they were already conducting their worship there but did not object to raising some funds from spectators. See the photo of this unique experience.
Our group split up late in the afternoon Hóg & the ship doctor & her husband went back to Puerto Quetzal. Hóg was going on a one day trip to Antigua on day 3 & the doctor was scheduled to be on call that day. The other 4 of us went to Chichicastenango, an hour farther into the highlands. A couple in the group had spent time in Panama & Guatemala in the 70’s & wanted to see some of their former favorite places. We checked into Hotel Santo Tomas & then walked through town. We had a drink at the Mayan Inn where they had stayed years ago but they were disappointed that it was not as active & attractive as they remembered it. However, the same bartender was still working there! We went back to our hotel for wine & dinner and finished the night with more cards & bourbon. Chichicastenango is known for its huge market that draws people from 60 area villages. The market area bordered our hotel. After breakfast on day 3 we spent the morning hours in the market. Very few westerners were there; the market was filled with indigenous people in local garb. Bargaining is second nature to us now but sometimes you have to stop yourself when you are trying to get down 1 more dollar (8 quetzales) with someone who is relying on this small income for handmade work. A large part of the market area was filled with vendors selling local handicrafts. Some areas featured vegetables, meats & live chickens for sale. I could not resist a few more purchases in our last port. The trip back to the ship took us through many agricultural areas where all work was still done by hand.
While Lisa was gallivanting about the countryside, I was hard at work trying to graduate on time. On day 3, I went on a Mayan Calendar Divinatory Workshop, an SAS trip that was the culmination of my class on calendars, their math, history & culture. The lecturer, Vincent Stanzione, has written several books on the subject & Mayan culture. He speaks Spanish & several of the local languages including Mayan, Nahuatl & Yucatecan. The Mayan calendar is their genesis story & when you understand their calendar you are close to understanding their culture & their way of thinking. He explained the significance of human sacrifice & cannibalism in their culture. We talked some of the significance of your birthdate & how it effects what you will be in life. I find this fascinating stuff. Later we had some free time to wander Antigua, a charming city that once was the capital. Apparently it is fine during the day but several students were crime victims while out at night. Boo-hoo! Our last port is now history.
As we move on to the Panama Canal we are wondering about the growing swine flu pandemic, locally known as la grippa porcina.