The Tale of Two Cities, Two Oceans and oh One Canal

Reluctantly we hauled ourselves away from the San Blas and hopped the fifty miles to Shelter Bay in Panama to await our Canal transit.
As a condition of the Galapagos, Meteorite had her bottom cleaned, so we nipped to Cartegena, city one.  A wonderful, chaotic, vibrant place; street traders, entertainers, super food, beautiful buildings, a lived in and loved old town, great place for Debbie's birthday.
Back to Shelter Bay or unsheltered as the wind just blew.  It was a former jungle training centre for the US army so lots of old buildings deep in the jungle where you hear howler monkey's that make your heart stop.
We took a classic train ride to city two, Panama, for a few days.  Also an old town very much on the up, also with some spectacular colonial buildings, bars and restaurants, but it sits next to a huge financially driven modern city, which allowed for some serious retail therapy catch up, even Andy shopped, well sort of.
Then the day came 18th March and we left ocean one to transit the Panama Canal, opened in 1914 a true wonder of the world.  We joined the five other larger Oysters and rafted up in threes to enter the first of the three locks that would fill up and take us up to the lake.  Awe inspiring, massive, and just incredible as you rise hundreds of feet as thousands of gallons of water rush in.  We and our two crew mates Mike and Robbie from Oysters that had already transited, passed long ropes to the handlers and made ourselves fast like a cats cradle, pulling the ropes in as went up. 
Then into lake Gatun for a much needed beer, spending a super peaceful evening at anchor.  But awake to drama, the other five boats motor off to do the 30 miles to the down locks but our pilot doesn't turn up, we are left behind !!!
Three agonising hours later, a pilot arrives, we are off but too late to meet our mates, so we have to go through alone.  We were told to more up against the lock side, as a super large tanker slides in behind us.  Then we literally slipped down the side of the three locks and popped out, under the Bridge of Americas, into ocean two The Pacific.  A new world and it feels like it, satisfaction, relief and expectation all rolled together and a little tearful, well the girls and of course Hugh, as a long held dream for all of us came true in the most wonderful way.