Barbara and I are on a repositioning cruise right now on Princess. We transited the Canal three days ago. The following day we docked in Panama City and we took an excursion on Gatún Lake, at a place where we could see jungle beasties close up. We saw howler monkeys, three sloths, and iguanas.
Agree, a huge project that took years to build but has had a huge economic impact. Interestingly, President Eisenhower sold it as a way to enhance the nation’s defense.
I am a huge fan of infrastructure. While I agree that projects like the Hoover and Three Gorges Dam are insanely impressive, one of my favorites is the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project. AKA Big Dig. The Big Dig was one of the most complex and technologically challenging highway projects in the U.S.
The Big Dig was impressive, although it was slightly over budget (about 400%) and initially plagued with problems, including a defect that killed a passenger which closed it for almost a year in 2006. We were visiting Boston shortly after it reopened in 2007. I didn't tell my wife about the problems until after we went through it.
Three Gorges in 2007! There were painted lines on the side of the land indicating how much higher the river would be at the conclusion of the project. Hearing about the displaced farmers to cities was hard to comprehend.
Hi. Thank you for very interesting information about Panama. I'm in Panama right now, in a small beach city Coronado. Are you planing to visit El Valle, the city in the crater of volcano? It is 2,5 hours drive from Panama City.
I have only visited the Canal, & Hoover Dam, but they were both quite impressive to me! Especially the Canal, mostly because I remember more of its construction details. How the French started the project, but lost so many workers. How sad! Dr. Reed’s confirmation that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes led to the Canal being built by the US. Just visited again last year, & finally got to see the third waterway.
3 Gorges Dam! The project was massive. We saw it in 2007 while more villages were closed sending farmers to cities where they had no experience living city life. Sad.
The Three Gorges Dam, especially the locks. We took a cruise on a Chinese river boat in 2017. It went through the locks to Yichang. There are two sets of 5 locks with a total elevation change of 371 feet, one set for each direction of travel. Each lock is 918 feet long and 114 feet wide. I am told that they have limited the locks to freight traffic since 2017.
We built the Interstate system and, unfortunately, have not properly maintained it.
The hundreds of bridges in Norway in the fjords, or between islands. Magnificent architecture, the ascent and descent with the soaring center to allow for ships to pass underneath. Peaceful and awe-inspiring to glide beneath them.
The road at Glacier National Park that goes to the summit/Pass. We were there in June 2001 tight after they had opened the Pass. The road had been built as a WPA Project - without the graders etc. of today. By men and boys with picks & shovels - and not much land between them and the drop to meet their Maker!
In October 2001 my wife and I took a cruise on the Yangtze River, which included a stop at the Three Gorges dam construction site. However it was very foggy and the fog only lifted for a minute, and we saw only a small part of the project.
Barbara and I are on a repositioning cruise right now on Princess. We transited the Canal three days ago. The following day we docked in Panama City and we took an excursion on Gatún Lake, at a place where we could see jungle beasties close up. We saw howler monkeys, three sloths, and iguanas.
The US interstate system.
Agree, a huge project that took years to build but has had a huge economic impact. Interestingly, President Eisenhower sold it as a way to enhance the nation’s defense.
I am a huge fan of infrastructure. While I agree that projects like the Hoover and Three Gorges Dam are insanely impressive, one of my favorites is the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project. AKA Big Dig. The Big Dig was one of the most complex and technologically challenging highway projects in the U.S.
The Big Dig was impressive, although it was slightly over budget (about 400%) and initially plagued with problems, including a defect that killed a passenger which closed it for almost a year in 2006. We were visiting Boston shortly after it reopened in 2007. I didn't tell my wife about the problems until after we went through it.
Macha Pichu
Three Gorges in 2007! There were painted lines on the side of the land indicating how much higher the river would be at the conclusion of the project. Hearing about the displaced farmers to cities was hard to comprehend.
Hi. Thank you for very interesting information about Panama. I'm in Panama right now, in a small beach city Coronado. Are you planing to visit El Valle, the city in the crater of volcano? It is 2,5 hours drive from Panama City.
I have only visited the Canal, & Hoover Dam, but they were both quite impressive to me! Especially the Canal, mostly because I remember more of its construction details. How the French started the project, but lost so many workers. How sad! Dr. Reed’s confirmation that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes led to the Canal being built by the US. Just visited again last year, & finally got to see the third waterway.
3 Gorges Dam! The project was massive. We saw it in 2007 while more villages were closed sending farmers to cities where they had no experience living city life. Sad.
The Three Gorges Dam, especially the locks. We took a cruise on a Chinese river boat in 2017. It went through the locks to Yichang. There are two sets of 5 locks with a total elevation change of 371 feet, one set for each direction of travel. Each lock is 918 feet long and 114 feet wide. I am told that they have limited the locks to freight traffic since 2017.
We built the Interstate system and, unfortunately, have not properly maintained it.
The hundreds of bridges in Norway in the fjords, or between islands. Magnificent architecture, the ascent and descent with the soaring center to allow for ships to pass underneath. Peaceful and awe-inspiring to glide beneath them.
The road at Glacier National Park that goes to the summit/Pass. We were there in June 2001 tight after they had opened the Pass. The road had been built as a WPA Project - without the graders etc. of today. By men and boys with picks & shovels - and not much land between them and the drop to meet their Maker!
Grand Canyon West Skywalk
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Cantilever bridge in Mohave County, Arizona
The Delta works in the Netherlands! Incredibly impressive
In October 2001 my wife and I took a cruise on the Yangtze River, which included a stop at the Three Gorges dam construction site. However it was very foggy and the fog only lifted for a minute, and we saw only a small part of the project.
For us, the Three Gorges Dam under construction.
Tom and Lee Weikert
Pollock Pines, CA
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