We slept most of the way on the red-eye flight to Panama City. We crossed the equator back into the northern hemisphere some time before landing. As we approached Panama we, could see ships probably waiting for their turn to cross the canal.
After landing we freshened up and went through immigration at Terminal 2. We were entering the country on the basis of our B1/B2 visa for USA. The officer asked us when we would be flying out and I showed her our flight on Turkish Airlines later that evening. She confirmed that we were in transit and stamped our passports and then asked us to wait by another door. No one answered when she knocked, so she took our passports and went around. Another immigration office walked over with another passenger and she waited behind us. After a while, our immigration officer returned with a photocopy of our passports and visas. She slipped it under the door and then asked us to leave.
The rental car counters were all at Terminal 1. We followed the signs to the shuttle bus and took the short ride to Terminal 1. We located the counter for AutoMarket and bought full insurance coverage and the cost of tolls for USD 44. We were given the keys and were asked to walk out of the building into the parking where their staff would help us. The person there took the keys from me and brought our car to us. We loaded our bags and were off.
Our first stop was the Miraflores Locks. These are the first set of locks entering the canal from the Pacific side. When we reached, there was a huge line for the tickets. We just about got a place to park and got in line for the tickets. There was an option to buy the tickets online, but even after multiple attempts we were not successful. So we just waited in line. The ticket to the visitors center costs USD 17.22 for the observation terrace and IMAX theater. By the time we reached there, there was no active crossing and the next crossing would only be in the afternoon. We first saw the “PANAMA CANAL 3D: A LAND DIVIDED A WORLD UNITED” which was in IMAX 3D. By the time we got there, only seats in the front were available, but it was still nice to watch. After that we walked over the observation terrace. The existing building was undergoing renovation so there was another observation deck was put up next to it. Since there was no active crossing at that time, there wasn’t much to see.
After spending some time there we decided to head to the other side of the country and see the Aqua Clara locks on the Atlantic side. The drive took about an hour and a half and the road conditions were good. We also saw the Puente Atlántico and driving over it and back was fun.
When we reached the Aqua Clara locks, we found out that there was indeed going to be a crossing in some time, so we waited around. It was amazing to see the gates in action and the tugboats steering a huge vessel through the locks.
It was getting late so we didn’t wait around to see the ship pass all three locks. We started our drive back and headed to Panama City to see if we could take in some sights before heading to the airport. It was almost impossible to find parking on the waterfront because the road were tricky and confusing. Finally we did manage to find a spot. It was cloudy but not raining. The waterfront had nice views of the ocean and the backdrop of the tall skyscrapers.
We didn’t have enough time to visit the Panama Canal museum or monument and headed back to the airport with a quick fuel stop on the way. We returned the car and completed the formalities and headed to the Turkish Airlines check-in counters, which to my total surprise were empty. Maybe all the other passengers had checked in before us already? Our bags were tagged through to Mumbai and we were given the boarding passes.
We completed immigration and security check and spent some time the Copa Lounge. We were able to relax and eat something here before our flight.
The Turkish Airlines flight was long. We had the last set of seats at the back so that was good. Dinner was served after take-off from Panama City and breakfast before landing.
At Istanbul Airport we visited the IGA Lounge which was nice but we didn’t really have a lot of time there. There was a long line to get in. The food options were good. But nothing compared to the Turkish Airlines Lounges at Istanbul.
The second flight to Mumbai was also good. We had the last set of seats at the back again. There was a dinner service after take-off and landed in Mumbai on time and then had a car pick us up and bring us home to Pune. This concluded our trip to South America.
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