Panama Paradise - Day 4

Our* excursion for the day was a trip on the Panama City Passenger Train and required that we get up at 5 am (3 am for Allyn on California time and 4 am for Dad on Utah time). It was worth the trip as we saw the Panama Canal from a different perspective. 

The Panama Canal Railway Company  is a railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama. It is jointly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railroad and Mi-Jack Products. The route stretches 47.6 miles across the Isthmus of Panama from Panama City to Colon (by way of Gatun Lake, Bujio, Barbacoas, Matachin, and Summit).

The infrastructure of this still-functioning railroad was of vital importance for construction of the Panama Canal over a parallel route half a century later. The principal incentive for the building of the rail line was the vast increase in traffic to  California owing to the 1849 California Gold Rush. Construction on the Panama Railroad began in 1850 and the first revenue train ran over the full length on January 28, 1855. This picture is of dome car 102 that we rode in.

 The interior of the dome car was quite nice
and we were able to have a snack as we
enjoyed watching the scenery go by.

Some of the interesting things we saw were . . . 

The Miraflores Locks with a large cargo ship going through.

A ship moving down the canal.

Lake Gatun, a large lake that feeds the Panama Canal.

Colon Station, the end of the line, with
 many different containers being stored.

After our ride on the Panama City Passenger Train we returned to our hotel room, packed our bags, and moved to the Radisson Summit Hotel and Golf Resort in Paraiso, which is in the rain forest area just outside of Panama City. Our room is spacious with a beautifully tiled bathroom.

From our balcony we have views of both 

the golf course and the rain forest. 

The hallways in the hotel are covered with brightly
colored carpet and there was an unusual grouping
of solid wood chairs which were carved by hand.

The hotel has a beautiful pool on the grounds and

Allyn had it all to himself when he went swimming this afternoon.

This is a panoramic photograph of the view from our balcony.

Tomorrow we look forward to taking a ride on the Panama Canal and going through 2 or 3 of the locks.

* Allyn and Dad as told to Debby