Bald Eagle,
Actually, the canal itself is owned by the Panamanian govt. They have no plans on privatizing it since it is such a lucrative cash cow.
What the Chinese corporations are buying are some of the port facilities, such as Balboa (and I believe part of Colon' and its free trade zone).
And yes, when I was last down there in '97, extensive work was underway cleaning up all of the old blow up, rusting railcars (left from Operation "Just Because").
And one day, Nicaraqua may actually get its canal or high speed transport system for shipping trade between the ponds.
Btw, if you ever make it down there and want an incredible view of the canal by moonlight, head down to this little "dive" club known as the Yacht Club. It's located in Amador, right on the canal and in the shadow of the Bridge of the Americas. I spent many a night there sipping margaritas and Tequila Sunrises, trying to chase off the San Miguelito gals who were constantly claiming they were thirsty... "buy me drink, Joe,.. I be your girl tonight" ... nudge, nudge... wink, wink... :0)
Btw, I want to reiterate some of the claims I'm seeing about how the Canal won't be Y2K compliant. That's such a load of all-out CRAP. The canal has operated using the same valving controls for filling and emptying the locks as they used when it was orginally built.... long before computers, embedded systems, or the acronym "Y2K".
The automated traffic control system is the ONLY thing that could possibly be vulnerable and that would only result in congestion in the approaches to the canal, not the operation of the canal itself.
If people don't believe me, go down there and take a look for yourselves and see this monument to Mankinds ingenuity, perseverance, and sacrifice.
Regards,
Ron |
