The Panama canal is one of those places that is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that, when you are on it, you can see yourself as the little red dot on a map, passing through the isthmus of North and South America.

I had the pleasure of visiting Panama, in December of 2015. This ‘Time Passages’ series takes you from the southern starting point of the canal, at Isla Flamenco, past Isla Naos, and southward through the canal, passing by the Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseo, the Amador Marina, the containers terminals in the port of Panama, and on through the locks to the continental divide just south of Gamboa.