I wasn't sure that the Miraflorez Canal would be more than a tourist-have-to for me but I actually really enjoyed our time there. And so did the kid.
It started with a typical entrepreneurial cabby who charged us $8 when we got there. He asked for $10 and from what I’ve read it should cost $5. We paid it without a fuss though. Then we declined his offer to stick around and wait for us for a cool 25 bucks. He tried to scare us by claiming that there would be no cabs waiting for us when we came out. It was somewhat believable since it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. But we took our chances. In fact there was a very kind and helpful driver there when we were done. And he only charged us $4 to get home!
Firtst we took in the canal museum which was pretty cool. It even had stuff to interest Spud, like fish and turtles in the aquariums.
Next we enjoyed lunch at the Canal restaurant and it was delicious. It's on the second level of the Tourist Building and overlooks the canal. We were told later that we were very lucky to see a big ship go through the lock, and we saw two while chilling on the restaurant's deck! The first boat we saw had to pay $80,000 to get through the whole canal. It’s based on weight and type of vessel. We also saw a couple of sailboats and a few tugs too. The weather was perfect. Warm, with a nice breeze. Of course, still muggy, but that’s a given. Anyway, the whole day was relaxing and charming and cute.