Panama Canal, Miraflores, Panama, October 2019

The Panama Canal is perhaps the country's most recognisable and famous landmark. Yesterday, I finally had a chance to visit it. It was a very interesting experience, and was certainly worth a trip. When visiting the Miraflores Locks (the principal site for the tourists wanting to visit the canal), one has a chance to learn how the passage of the ships between the Pacific and the Atlantic happens. Then of course, there is a bit of an excitement, knowing that you are in a place which a lot of people consider as a border separating the North America from the South America. But, by far, the most interesting was the canal's museum: a nicely prepared interactive presentation showing the history of its construction (it was a sober realisation, how many enslaved people died when building it), and a great deal of information on how the canal works from a technological point of view. There is also a nice presentation on Panama's maritime life (fauna and flora) and on work that is undertaken to protect the environment. Definitely enjoyed the visit!

After a fun day at the Canal, I tried to do some extra work on my Spanish today. To make it more fun, I started reading my first ever book in Spanish language. A nice lady in a local bookstore advised me that I should go for Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, titled La Máscara de La Muerte Roja y Otros Relatos (translated from English by Benjamin Briggent). She suggested that I should be able to understand most of the language, and that I should enjoy the tales. I am now on a third story, and certainly excited to be reading classics in Spanish. They are poetic, spooky, enchanting and most of all, fun to read! The bookstore keeper was right, I do not find it difficult to understand what I read, which makes me motivated to read more!