End of the SAS trip...

Again, its been a long time since I last updated my blog (sounds familiar, huh?). I looked over my last few blog posts and realized that I didn't really finalize the Semester at Sea trip. So here is a little recap of the last few days:

After leaving Costa Rica our trip was nearly over, but we still had several days left of sailing before we landed in Miami. We departed from Puntarenas, and the following morning woke up to find our ship already in the locks of the Panama Canal. Most of us had never seen the Canal, let alone sailed through it. When I was in Panama City the following spring (which I hopefully will mention in one of my next posts) I never got around to seeing the Canal, which was kind of a bummer. It would have been cool to see what it was like from land, since I already had the opportunity to go through by ship. Sailing through it was a neat experience, but who knew it would take all day!? I assumed that we would go through a lock or two, followed by a quick trip over the lake and then through a couple more locks to the Atlantic.

Panama Canal locks

This is how it actually went down - first we had to wait in a line of giant ships on the Pacific side, like it was some theme park ride for 1,000+ foot cargo ships. Compared with many of the other boats, the MV Explorer was actually quite small (and I hear they are planning on widening the Canal to make room for the truly large ships, which amazes me to try and imagine just how big those are). Once it was our turn to enter the locks, we had to wait at each step as the water rose up to the level of the next lock, which took a good hour or so (I can't remember exactly, but it was not quick).

Going through the canal on the MV Explorer
Once we cleared the first set of locks, we sailed through a thin strip of the Canal, then made our way across Gatun Lake - which , by the way, was much bigger than I expected (some 20 miles wide). Once we reached the opposite side of the lake, there was another line waiting to enter the locks. After several locks lowering us back down to sea level, we were finally in the Caribbean. Here is a little map and article about the planned expansion for the Canal:

(keep in mind that we were going from the bottom to the top of the map, Pacific to Caribbean)

Once we had reached the Caribbean Sea, it was smooth sailing to Miami, although it took a few days to reach the US. Those last days were relaxing yet odd at the same time, considering we were already done with finals (which we took before Costa Rica). All we had to do was pack, hang out with friends, and reflect on the amazing journey that was coming to an end.

 The morning we reached Miami, kids began chanting "USA" and celebrating - not that the trip was over, but because they were glad to be home and because many eager parents were awaiting their return at the docks. I understood their jubilation (and felt a sense of joy myself), but I also was saddened by the fact that such a wonderful experience was coming to a close. I guess that was a good thing - it showed just how much I had enjoyed the trip.

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