Six months amongst the Kuna
When my sister-in-law, Brig, thought that we had been kidnapped because our website has remained unchanged for six months, I knew it was time to break out of my lethargy and put down in words what we have experienced amongst the Kuna Indians. To sum it all up, it has been extraordinary. Just skip to the photo album to see for yourself how magical the place is... or read on.Flying
We are flying on the small Air Panama aircraft, and down below us are the beautiful mangroves of Bocas, then the fantastic reefs around Zapatilla Cays, the lagoon of Bluefields. Next we see the gem of an island Escudo de Veraguas, the Carribean coast of Panama with its tribuatries and rivers, including the Chagres River. Then the ships anchored outside the entrance to the Panama Canal, waiting for admission into the ismuth which will transport them from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Even the locks on the canal, and Gatun Lake are recognizable, the Bridge of the Americas, and finally, the booming skyline of rapidly growing Panama City. All this in less than an hour, and our plane touches down at the Albrook Airport, where all national flights arrive. We relish the sights, as we now know them all, and have memories to treasure in all these places. It is this small review from a place high in the sky that makes me realize that in order to write about the last six months, or any experience for that matter, for me requires a certain amount of distance to gain the perspective necessary to relate it as a meaningful thing. Perhaps that, rather than a profound laziness, is the reason I haven't been able to put into words the most extraordinary time yet on our sailing adventure.
New Years Day
It all needs telling, and where best to start than on the first day of 2011??At 0600 on New Years morning we got a knock on our hull. Not that it mattered that we were jolted out of our sleep while gently swinging at our anchor in front of the small island village of Ailigandi, as we had gone to bed just like any other night, around 2100, with nothing much to do in such a remote place. In the village, which we had visited on New Years Eve, there was nothing but darkness, and we had to find our ways through the narrow alleys with our own flashlights. In the Congresso Hall (where the village meets with its chiefs, aka "Sailas" every night) there was still an ongoing vigil. The corpse of a legendary Kuna Indian chief lay underneath the thatched roof in his hammock, while Kuna women in their beautiful traditional clothes, and the elders of the village performed ceremonies to help the deceased transition into the world beyond this one. In the village square a few teenagers played basketball in their bare feet under a few light bulbs that ran with the help of the hospital's generator. Otherwise all was quiet, and so eventually we went "home" and slept into the new year, until the aforementioned knock on our hull.
We rushed to put on some clothes and climbed out the companionway to see who wanted us at this early hour. A highly agitated Kuna sat in his "ulu" ( (canoe) and in a barrage of rapid Spanish we were informed that our friends on "Aspara" (the only other boat there) had managed to snag the water pipe that provides the village with fresh drinking water on their anchor, and that the chiefs and police, and half the village were assembled on the dock to see if the PVC pipe would be damaged. If so, we were informed, there would be a $10,000 charge or the boat would be impounded! Now that got our attention, as we know that Russell, like most of us, is out there cruising on a very modest budget. He was already diving on his anchor trying to dig his anchor out from under the water pipe.
Without a moment to waste, we jumped in our dingy and went to assist our friends. Luckily my Spanish is very good (thanks to growing up in Tenerife), so the communication gap was easily resolved. Our Kuna friend held a rather antagonisitc stance until he realized that we would fully cooperate, and meant no damage or harm. He went back to the village to pick up some divers he was convinced we needed, but came back alone. They were all suffering a hangover, we were told. Which really suited us, as we felt we could take matters in our own hands.
The water in front of the village is so murky you can't see a few inches in front of your mask. In part this is due to the river that flows into the
ocean at exactly this point. The other is that the village outhouses are right there too. The river entrance was also where we had encountered
our reptilian friend, the crocodile who almost attacked us. These were the circumstances under which we had the pleasure to help our friends out
of a nasty situation. To get down to the anchor, we had to hand over fist our way down his anchor chain until we felt the mucky bottom. Then grope
around for the anchor and PVC pipe and start digging out the disgusting slimy mud around the anchor. When our breath ran out, we had to surface
again, and start all over. Our Kuna friend had never been in the water with snorkeling mask before and was keen to give us a hand. Dave loaned
him his mask, and he went down exactly once before he gave up. Our efforts immediately went up a few notches in his esteem, and this proved to
be most helpful, as now he really cheered us on. It took hours, but eventually we managed to dig a big hole around the anchor and then pull it out
away from the old PVC pipe after dropping a second anchor, and using that as a lever from which the men pulled from the two dingies. Finally the
anchor was free, the PVC pipe intact, and the village jubilant??? Well, we aren't really sure - we think they might have rather had the money!
We invited our new Kuna friend over to breakfast, and when I asked him how many eggs he wanted, he was quite surprised. "One of course", he said, with which we again realized how very modestly the Kunas live. When we go into town and buy three dozen eggs it must seem horrendous to them. I have seen them buy $1 worth of chicken, or one 15 cent slice of cheese.
That same new years day also happened to be the day of the burial of the great Kuna chief. We had all been invited to attend by his granddaughter, but both Dave and I felt we had already aggravated the village with the mornings events, so we stayed behind, and just watched as the Kunas took the coffin up the river to their cementary. It looks like a village of the dead - each family has its own little plot which is covered by a thatched roof in order to keep the deceased out of the rain. The men went in red outfits that they wore during the Kuna revolution which gained it indepedence from Panama, and shot their rifles in the air to mark the occasion. The women wore their traditional mola shirts and wraps, adorned in their beads and golden jewels. Jeannie, Russel's girlfriend, could not resist going with them, and we saw her paddle upriver behind them in her kayak. Later we would hear all about the ceremony from her, which involved some local brew. As the Kuna's don't usually drink, the ceremony sounded a bit like an Irish wake, if you know what I mean!
Back to Western San Blas
Eventually the weather was such that we sailed back to the more western islands of San Blas. These are bit less remote, and most sailors hang out here as there are great anchorages and wonderful clear water. The trades finally kicked in, and suddenly we had great weather. The record rainfalls finally ceased, and we experienced, for the first time, weeks and weeks of pleasant blue skies, with our windgenerator whirring constantly creating ample electricity for us! We explored all the lovely anchorages, and when we liked it somewhere, we stayed for a while. Some days we had entire bays and lagoons all to ourselves, other times we found ourselves surrounded by other cruising boats, and made wonderful friends. People from all over the world either stay or travel through the San Blas Islands, many of them on their way to the Panama Canal and on to the Pacific. Amongst the many lovely people we met were Silvia and Heinz on the catamaran "Mambo". We first met them when we were outside the San Blas in Linton for some provisioning. Silvia was hobbling around with a huge cast, and told us that she had broken her leg on their boat some weeks earlier. From the San Blas Islands she had to find a way to Panama City to a hospital, where she was to undergo surgery. Poor Silvia was already on the operating table when the administration of the hospital showed up and said that they couldn't operate as they weren't sure her Austrian insurance would pay for the procedure!! So instead, she had to be flown back to Austria and by that time it was too late to put a pin in her tibia, as the healing process had already begun! We took such a liking to them, that we often ran in to them, and I was able to help Silvia recover from her ordeal with some acupuncture and massage. We had many lovely evenings with them playing cards or just telling stories, which seems to be all cruiser's favorite passtime! They too were headed for a Pacific crossing, so eventually we had to say goodbye to them, but not before they asked us to be their "line-handlers" for their canal transit. Of course we were delighted to accept, and we looked forward to their transit date in March, when we would see them one more time.
Visitors
In February my parents flew all the way from Tenerife to Panama and on to the tiny airport at Corazon de Jesus. I was thrilled that they made all that effort to come and stay with us on our tiny boat! It was great fun to have them and show them all the beautiful anchorages, beaches and reefs that we had come to know well. Although it was a bit of a squeeze for them, having to sleep in the salon and share our very small bathroom, we had a lovely time together. The only bad part was that both of them came down with a very nasty gastrointestinal issue, which finalized with us having to take my mother to the local hospital. Our "Mr. Organizer", Federico in Nargana, helped us find our way to the hospital in the village. We tied our dingy up to their "outhouse" (the hospital's only toilet) and helped my poor Mum into the small facility. An attractive, young, Cuban trained doctor examined her, ordered some blood work done, and immediately placed her on an IV drip to rehydrate her and quell her nausea and stomach ache. Within a few hours my mother started smiling again, and a few hours later we were able to leave the hospital with a bag of medications for her. Total bill -$56! Mind you, the hospital looked like something out of a Florence Nightingale era, with rusty beds and IV poles, but the care and treatment were excellent. After hearing how well my Mum had been treated, we took my father there too, so he too had the pleasure to be examined by the good looking doctor, and receive some medicines to restabilize his GI tract. After ten days we bid them farewell, and off they went to a visit to the Panamanian highlands, Boquete and Volcan, where we were delighted to hear that they met up with our friends Roy and Michelle, with whom we had sailed to Panama from the Bahamas. They cooked them dinner in their new home in Boquete, and had a lovely time together! I doubt they will ever realize how precious that time was for me, and how much I appreciated the huge effort they made to come and to be with us in our small space. Of all people we know, they have fully understood and supported our dream of cruising - what a blessing! My Dad made a wonderful film of their journey here, and edited it with much skill and love. It will always serve me as a great visual memory of one of the best times of my life! So thank you both, Mum and Dad!
Around this time we began experiencing a water shortage, and just to illustrate how absolutely frustrating and difficult it is to get the things we usually take for granted, let me share with you
the trials of filling up our tanks. The Kunas live primarily on tiny islands that are very close to the mainland, so that they can obtain fresh water from the local rivers. Some villages
have built underwater PVC pipes to these fresh water sources, as you already know from our New Years Day ordeal. Two of these islands provide small docks to which one can pull up, and for about $10 you can fill your tanks up. In our case that is 100 gallons, which usually lasts
us about 3-4 weeks. The first time we did this, it all went seamlessly, and so we were quite surprised when the second time it took seven attempts! Either there were boats ahead of us (and seeing
as only one boat fits at the dock at a time, and each one is there for hours, this becomes rather difficult), or they were out of water or the PVC pipe was broken! Well, we had
to make do on as little water as possible, washing only with sea water, and saving all the fresh stuff for drinking and cooking. During the dry season rain falls very infrequently and cannot be
relied upon to fill up your tanks! It may not sound like much, but sailing around for days not knowing when you will get water is not too pleasant. But, as they say, if it doesn't break you it
makes you stronger!
Laundry was another trial to us. Doing it by hand becomes a bit old, especially when you have to conserve water like we do. Many people resort to taking their dinghies up rivers, and doing it there, but after our crocodile "attack" (see previous update) we weren't so keen on that option. We finally found the one and only washing machine in Kuna Yala - that of our entrepeneurial friend "Federico". His entire family lives in a traditional thatched hut by the water in the village of Nargana, and outside hangs his shingle that says "Laundry". He also takes your garbage for a fee, or organizes just about anything he can think of to make money off a cruiser! We gifted him an old oil extraction kit once, and later heard that he was trying to figure out what it was and how he could use it to create a new business! In any case, his wife will wash and air dry your clothes for $5 a load, and you will get it back somewhat folded and smelling a bit like smoked coconut husks (which is how they keep the bugs away at night!). Nevertheless, to us it beat trying to wash sheets and towels in a small bucket! Federico and his family became regular stops for us on our way around, and no problem was ever a problem to him! He even managed to find the spear my parents had brought for us, and had forgotten at the airport when they arrived!
Our next visitors were Laurie and David from San Diego. They arrived by airplane in Porvenir about a week after my parents had left. Preferring to sleep off the boat we had found them the best accomodation we could, which amounted, I am afraid to say, to nothing more than a kuna shack on a small island. We had worried how they would take to the lack of amenities, but we needn't have! What they lacked in luxuries was made up for by the simple and genuine friendliness of Betty and her husband Tony who run this tiny "Kuna Hotel". Anam Cara was anchored as closely as we dared approach the island, and every morning Tony ran Laurie and David out to us through the extensive fringing reefs to spend the day together. Sailing, snorkeling and playing games and cooking together made a lovely week for the four of us. It was so wonderful to have my dear friend near me again, and to be able to catch up on the many things that we had missed out on with each other. In addition, they both got a good taste for what it is like in Kuna Yala, and what life is like for us on the boat. We eventually found another small Kuna hotel for them which allowed us to anchor a bit closer to them, so we could spend the evenings together too before dingying them back ashore. From here we had a day excursion together, with two Kuna guides, who took us up a river, and a lovely hike led us to some spectacular waterfalls where we cooled ourselves by jumping into the crystal clear pools of fresh water. Our walk back down the river had to take place in torrential rains! When we arrived back at the mouth of the river, our guide's telephone had ceased to work, as he had wisely gone swimming with it in his pocket. Luckily I had our phone with us, and we managed to make one phone call prior to the battery running out for a boat to pick us up. Otherwise we might have waited on a sandfly and probably crocodile infested swampy beach until the cows come home. Sadly the week was over far too soon, and we had to bid Laurie and David goodbye!
Panama Canal Transit and Costa Rica
In March our six month Panamanian visa was due to expire, which meant leaving the country. Our favored choice was to head to Costa Rica via land. That is, we first had to get out of Kuna Yala, which we bravely did in a small Kuna motorized launch. We had seen these crazy folks before from our boat, bopping about out at sea in these open boats. Now it was our turn to experience it first hand. A washing machine must be a joyride compared to this! We were pounded and drenched from head to toe for an hour and a half, before we finally made it to Miramar, a small fishing village, where they dropped us off. We counted our blessings to have made it there in one piece, and went to find a bathroom to change out of our soggy clothes. The only one we found was in a small restaurant, where we ended up staying for lunch and to wait for the bus to take us into Colon. A young couple arrived there shortly, also soaked, and we recognized them from the boat. When we asked them if they knew when the bus would be arriving, they invited us to share their "taxi" (they owned a taxi company in Panama City) with them to Sabanitas, from where we could then jump on a bus. Little did we know then what we were in for! Six of us squeezed into the small taxi - the driver, the young couple, us and their...dog. This puppy was the apple of this couple's eye, so when it commenced with a long series of putrid farts, all they could say was "Oh, she farted again! Isn't she cute?". Cute, my ...! My window went up and down like a yoyo in an effort to keep my nostrils from shutting down, and I cursed the moment we accepted their offer for a ride! To top it all off, it was carnival, which meant the streets were clogged up with dressed up folks, making our journey slow and seemingly endless. A few hours of the farting dog after our washing machine ride which left me with an aching back ... all I can say is I will never forget it!
Finally in Colon, we met up with Silvia and Heinz on "Mambo" and together with Gisbert, an East German sailor, we transited the canal with them. What an exciting and wonderful time! From their anchorage at Club Nautico we motored to "The Flats" where we waited until an advisor was dropped off on Mambo. These advisors are essential, as they give the captain and crew orders on when and how to proceed. It was already dark when we approached the first lock, and due to a heart attack of one of the workers ashore, we ended up having to circle for hours before being allowed into the lock. Next to us was another sailing vessel, and in front of us a huge ship. Once inside the lock, monkey fists attached to long lines were thrown down to us to which we tied Mambo's lines. The men on the locks then walked us into the middle of the lock, which then shut its sluice gates behind us, and huge quantities of water were pumped into the lock. Swirling eddies appeared everywhere - God help you if you fall in here! The boats rose many feet in each of the several locks we transited, and suddenly we were in Lake Gatun! Here you tie to a big mooring ball and go to sleep. It was well past midnight by the time we got there, and everyone was exhausted. Six in the morning the next advisor comes aboard, and it is time to transit the Lake. A peaceful trip! On the way into the Pacific, three locks take the boat back "down" to sealevel, and then, like in an epic movie, you are on your way to the Pacific. The excitement we all felt was palpable. Heinz was literally bursting with enthusiasm to sail off across the wide expanses of this huge ocean!
Once in Panama City, we said farewell to Silvia and Heinz at our favorite dim sum restaurant, and then headed off for the long bus ride to David. Our dear friends Roy and Michelle, now settled into their new house in Boquete, picked us up at the bus station. We were to spend some time in their lovely new house, spoiled rotten with hot showers, lovely meals, movies and great company! They also decided to come with us on our "visa run" to Costa Rica, where we spent three wonderfully relaxing days at Playa Zancudo. Based on the advice of a friend of theirs, we booked into small beach cabanas at "Sol y Mar" on the Pacific side. Situated on a six mile beach, we enjoyed a totally different atmosphere, and the great food at the small hotel. The highlight of it all was a kayaking expedition we did together, which started in the ocean and ended up back up in a river, where we found ourselves helplessly lost for hours (or so it seemed!). Upon our return, Roy and Michelle took us sightseeing up in the mountains. We visited the beautiful fertile valley above "Volcan", an area known as "Cerro Punta" which is truly a small Shangri La, and seems to be the vegetable growing' region of Panama. Rejuvinated and full of new impressions and memories, we came back to Anam Cara, which we had left on a mooring ball in the West Lemmons of Kuna Yala.
Days in Paradise
We were graced with one more set of visitors - Tom and Laurel, our friends from the boat yard in Jacksonville, Florida. They arrived in April, and gave us a good excuse to delay our departure. Wanting to go cruising themselves in the future, I think their time in these beautiful places were inspiring them to get going as soon as they can! We showed them all our favorite spots in the four days they spent with us, and had a grand time!After all our visitors had left, we started working up a plan on what next... our biggest challenge on the boat - making decisions! We anchored in one of our favorite places, "the Swimming Pool", and just had a grand time. New friends were made on two catamarans next to us, Sony and Blake on "Slow Mocean" and Sharda and Dave on "Morgan". Together with Sony and Sharda I started doing yoga classes every morning on a small patch of grass on "Isla Tortuga". The lovely Kuna family that owns the place graciously allowed us to do so, and the young women even joined us. One delightful two year old boy caused me to stop my class as I couldn't help laughing when he came over in his birthday suit with dive mask on his forehead and snorkel in his mouth, and attempted to do all the yoga poses. We also made friends with John and his Thai girlfriend Nat, on "Millenium", and had some wonderful dinners with all of them. Nat is an excellent cook, and taught me some new Thai dishes. Sony, originally from Korea, and Sharda, from Trinidad of Indian descent, also fed us delicacies from korean spring rolls to indian veggie samosas! Dave took spear fishing lessons from "Morgan" Dave, and on their first expedition came back with a Jewfish that weighed about 80lbs, and could easily have fed over 100 people. These were days of incredible enjoyment, having friends as neighbours, and truly enjoying the lovely meals and potlucks we had together. We also met Jeff and Jose, a British vet with his dutch wife on a trimaran they had just fixed up. Jeff had lost a leg in his twenties, and decided to go cruising before he "ended up in a wheel chair" as he put it. Then, for 36 years he sailed all over the world, and met Jose in the Seychelles. After working and living in Portugal for fifteen years they are off again on their second boat, and are now sailing across the Pacific. One of my favorite things about this experience is meeting so many different people from so many walks of life who have decided to live "outside the box" if you will, and offer inspiration to all of us!
Goodbye Friends
All good things must end, as they say, and so eventually we had to leave this splendid place. The decision to sail back to the States already was too hard to make, so we decided to sail back to western Panama, and leave Anam Cara for another trip to visit our families, as it had been almost a whole year since we had been back. In almost windless conditions we made our way westward, stopping at two magical places along the way. The first stop: the Rio Chagres. This river flows out of Lake Gatun, which is part of the Panama Canal. It is a remote, wild place, with deep water so you can take a boat up the river for miles. It's entrance is beautified by the old Fort San Lorenzo, as well as a beach on which we saw the remains of a sailing boat we had heard had been destroyed here some months back during inclement weather. We found ourselves all alone anchored in here, on a full moon night. I will never forget the symphony of birds, insects, bats and howler monkeys. It was like being in the middle of your own jungle symphony. The moon rose, the sun set, and we were in the middle of magic. It is all I can say about it! The windless heat of the day, however, drove us out of there after one day, and onward to another unexpected paradise - "Escudo de Veraguas".When we arrived here early in the morning, we could barely believe our eyes. This remote island seemed like every childhood fantasy realized. Jungle, sandstone cliffs, remote beaches, small vegetated islets full of birds, water the color of teal, and coral reefs full of fish! One other boat there, and a handful of Ngobe Indians fishing off the reefs. Otherwise, complete solitude! What wonder! In addition, the only other sailboat there turned out to be "Alaeris" - with Alex and Iris aboard, who we had met previously in the Bahamas. We invited them over to a lobster and crab dinner (one dollar per enormous crab leg!) and instantly hit it off! Alex, originally German, and Iris, originally Belgian, had met in New York City where they lived many years until they decided to sell up and go cruising. We had many wonderful nights on their lovely boat or on ours, feasting ourselves to wonderful food (Iris is a great cook!) and wonderful company. Following their advice, we took our dingy right around the entire island, which led us to one lagoon more exquisite than the last. Clear water, reefs, beaches, blooming trees at water's edge - words cannot describe the wonder of it all. I felt like a child again, having arrived in one of my childhood "Robinson Crusoe" fantasies! The weather stayed calm, which is essential for this anchorage due to the lack of protection otherwise, and we stayed for as long as we could.
Back to Bocas
Bocas del Toro, a familiar harbor, welcomed us back. There is something comforting about coming back to a place you already know. We provisioned, visited with old friends, and enjoyed the cool fresh pinneapple juices that we had missed from here! Alex and Iris were on the same schedule as we were, also intending to leave their boat at a marina to go back to Europe and to their house in Costa Rica. So again, we were blessed, amidst a lot of work to get Anam Cara ready to be left alone, to have friends nearby that we could relax with in the evenings and share our experiences with. We made airline reservations, and before we knew it, it was time to get into the big beasts that fly across the oceans to take us back to the world of technology and wearing shoes. But were looking forward to visiting our families and friends...