Our ship began the transit of the Panama Canal system when we entered Gatun Lake early morning. I'd barfed twice during the night (cause undetermined), so started my day late and in a slow, sluggish state. Janet and I went topside at 2:30 PM to watch the progress of our ship's canal transit, and I spotted a huge ship transiting the newer canal adjacent to us.

"Are we turning into wimps?" I wondered. Prim8 liked the idea, however. I concluded that the stretchy bandage worked to reduce my left knee pain, and that hiking uphill might better suit my body.

And, while staying at the lodge, we were treated two "Game Drives" daily, several hours each morning and each evening. And, we started living an African wild-game National Geographic documentary, rather than watching one on TV! Riding in specially adapted jeeps during our six Game Drives, we witnessed a multitude of animals.

During the first day of our journey, Janet and I settled into a somewhat evenly paced routine of over-eating at every meal, over-indulging in drinking, and attending available lectures. Daily lecturers and port talks while at sea provided cultural enrichment on varied topics. (I've introduced interesting tidbits in this blog, which are numbered and sprinkled throughout.)