All too often people make lists of their dream vacation destinations. They might include places that they have already visited, as well as those still on their list of places to visit. Some people refer to these as bucket lists, it seems rather curious that on the majority of these lists there is a common destination. There are many who plan on indulging in Panama Canal travel at least once.
There are plenty of different trips available, and they are of different durations. So you will be sure to be able to find one that fits in with your busy schedule. Despite its popularity as a destination there will be those who have never heard of it, or will be unaware of what it has to offer for the intrepid tourist.
The ideal place to begin is with an atlas . Look for Central America, that will be the narrow areas of land which unite North and South America. For millions of years it has acted as a land bridge helping with migration routes, and prior to that it was under the sea. Now it also physically separates the Caribbean and North Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean.
Ever since man has explored the world it has been claimed that a short cut connecting the two mighty oceans would be beneficial. Prior to it being built the journey was many thousands of miles longer, and it also meant the dangerous passage through the stormy seas at the bottom of South America. It will come as no surprise that this is still one of the globe's busiest routes for shipping.
It was the French in the 1880's who made the first serious attempt at joining the oceans. The engineer in charge of this project was a man by the name of Ferdinand De Lesseps. His name might sound familiar, and with good cause. He also completed a similar task linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas together.
With this new project the French managed to dig approximately 11 miles of the required 51 miles. They had to abandon the project due to a combination of engineering problems, disease and financial difficulties. The next to pick up the project were the Americans in 1904, who also bought the existing equipment from the French.
It took the Americans thousands of workers and a further 10 years to finally complete this project. It was the American's decision to use a lock based system which finally enabled the completion of the whole project. A complete transit will take approximately nine hours, and will pass through all three sets of these massive locks, a partial transit might only take in one of them.
So if the Americans took over the project in 1904 and it took a further 10 years to complete, the year of completion must have been 1914. Most of you will have worked out that this means that the amazing project celebrates its centenary next year. Surely that will be an ideal time to take in your Panama Canal travel. There are so many different types of tours available, that people often feel spoilt for choice and do a different tour each year. It is small wonder that it was referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
There are plenty of different trips available, and they are of different durations. So you will be sure to be able to find one that fits in with your busy schedule. Despite its popularity as a destination there will be those who have never heard of it, or will be unaware of what it has to offer for the intrepid tourist.
The ideal place to begin is with an atlas . Look for Central America, that will be the narrow areas of land which unite North and South America. For millions of years it has acted as a land bridge helping with migration routes, and prior to that it was under the sea. Now it also physically separates the Caribbean and North Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean.
Ever since man has explored the world it has been claimed that a short cut connecting the two mighty oceans would be beneficial. Prior to it being built the journey was many thousands of miles longer, and it also meant the dangerous passage through the stormy seas at the bottom of South America. It will come as no surprise that this is still one of the globe's busiest routes for shipping.
It was the French in the 1880's who made the first serious attempt at joining the oceans. The engineer in charge of this project was a man by the name of Ferdinand De Lesseps. His name might sound familiar, and with good cause. He also completed a similar task linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas together.
With this new project the French managed to dig approximately 11 miles of the required 51 miles. They had to abandon the project due to a combination of engineering problems, disease and financial difficulties. The next to pick up the project were the Americans in 1904, who also bought the existing equipment from the French.
It took the Americans thousands of workers and a further 10 years to finally complete this project. It was the American's decision to use a lock based system which finally enabled the completion of the whole project. A complete transit will take approximately nine hours, and will pass through all three sets of these massive locks, a partial transit might only take in one of them.
So if the Americans took over the project in 1904 and it took a further 10 years to complete, the year of completion must have been 1914. Most of you will have worked out that this means that the amazing project celebrates its centenary next year. Surely that will be an ideal time to take in your Panama Canal travel. There are so many different types of tours available, that people often feel spoilt for choice and do a different tour each year. It is small wonder that it was referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
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