Needing to leave the country because our visas were expiring, we cleared out of Panama in Bocas del Toro on August 16th. Our destination was Cartagena, Columbia.
We decided to pay one last visit to the Bluefield Range before setting off. We spent just under one week in the Bluefields enjoying muddy jungle hikes and friendly locals and Peace Corps volunteers.
On August 23rd, we raised anchor and headed towards Escudo de Veraguas, a beautiful hard to reach island off the coast of Panama. We had been trying all week to get a weather forcast off our SSB (Single Side Band) radio. No one who could transmit was responding to the net controller, during the morning Panama cruisers´ net, so the net controller assumed no one was listening and opted not to give a weather forcast. Since our SSB radio is only a receiver, we were unable to transmit to the net controller to let her know we were there and were eagerly awaiting a weather forcast. We eventually gave up hope on hearing a prediction and decided to get underway and hope for the best. Outside the protected lagoon, we discovered 6 foot swells coming abeam (from the side) with no wind. These are not very pleasant sailing conditions. Since there was no wind, we motored as we rolled about from side to side. We decided to try listening to the SSB Panama cruisers´net one last time. Amazingly, they actually gave a weather forcast, 6-8 foot Northeast swell with little to no wind. The net controller then commented that there was no way she would venture out in such rough seas. We chuckled as we motored past numerous Ngobe indians, who had taken their dug-out canoes off-shore for a day of fishing and turtle hunting.
We anchored at Escudo de Veraguas in the early afternoon and enjoyed a brief walk ashore. We had hoped to spend the following day exploring the island, but after a restless night at the uncomfortable and poorly protected anchorage, we decided to continue on. We planned to follow the Panama coastline to its northern edge near the city of Colón before cutting across to Cartagena. (The coastline of Panama soon beyond this point takes an S curve to the southeast.) Unfortunately the sailing conditions were no better than the day prior. We experienced 8 foot seas from the northeast and only had 5 to 8 knots of wind at our backs. We were wishing for stronger wind and that evening we got it. Unfortunately, the wind we got was right on our nose at 25 to 30 knots. That night we also witnessed an awesome (and yet terrifying) lazer light show from all of the numerous lightning storms surrounding us. The following morning, we decided to pull in to the well protected anchorage south of Isla Naranjo, a small uninhabited mangrove covered island several miles east of Colón. The calm smooth water and good holding mud bottom would provide us with a well needed rest.
That night we awoke to a powerful lightning storm. The lightning was so close there was no time interval between the flashing bolts and the resonous thunder that vibrated the whole boat. We sat inside in silence, our hearts racing, hoping that it would pass without hitting us. After it passed (with no damage), we were deluged with rain. The rain persisted for the next 3 days. We bilged our dinghy and still collected enough water in the dinghy to wash all of our clothes, bedsheets, and towels.
We reaccessed our plan. Perhaps we should continue along the coast of Panama and then up the coast of Columbia to reach Cartagena? This would allow us to sail during the day and then anchor at night. Plus we would get to visit some amazing places, such as Kuna Yala (named the San Blas by Spanish invaders), which is a nation of indigenous Kuna indians inside of Panama. The only problem was that we had cleared out of Panama almost 2 weeks prior and technically were supposed to have left the country. Would the port captain in Cartagena give us trouble if we arrived over 1 month after leaving Panama? We decided to take our chances with the authorities instead of with the weather.
On July 29th, we left Isla Naranjo bound for a region within Kuna Yala known as the East Holandes Cays. We had much better sailing conditions for much of the trip, although at times the wind was very light. We made our approach through the coral reefs the following morning and anchored in an area known as ¨the Swimming Pool¨by the local cruising community.
The Kuna indians originally inhabited the Darién mountains of what is today eastern Panama. During the time of the Spanish invasion, the Kunas moved to the Carribean coast and later to the offshore islands. In 1925, in defense of their land and culture, the Kunas revolted against Panamanian authorities, killing numerous Panamanian policemen, missionaries, and children of mixed blood living in the area. In 1938, Panama declared Kuna Yala its own nation with near autonomous rule. Technically Kuna Yala is still part of Panama, but it has its own government and its own laws.
Today Kuna Yala consists of almost 200 nautical miles of Carribean coastline and hundreds of beautiful islands covered with palm trees and sandy beaches. The Kuna have established their own system of government that stresses communal ownership and discourages socio-economic divisions between citizens. During our visit, we observed no significant economic disparity between Kunas. The typical Kuna is quite poor by western standards, earning on average only $30 per month. We met a store owner on the island of Niadup, who told us he earned $600 per month. What was interesting is that he lives in a small (1-2 room) home made of bamboo walls and thatched roof just like everyone else in the community. He did not flash is wealth. He also told us that even though the Kuna only earned $30 per month, they never went hungry because they were able to harvest all of the food they needed from the surrounding jungle and ocean. They also barter for food and other materials.
A Columbian boat brings in materials to trade with the Kuna for coconuts.
The majority of islands in Kuna Yala, such as those in the East Holandes Cays, are uninhabited. Each island or group of islands is owned by a family. Members of the family take turns (usually spending one month) visiting the island and harvesting coconuts. These coconuts are used as currency and are traded with boats from Columbia bringing fabrics, flour, and other produced goods. A coconut is worth 20 to 25 cents. The Kuna women use the fabrics to sew amazingly elaborate designs called molas, which they then fashion into colorful blouses. They wrap strings of bright beads around their legs and arms arranging them into different patterns and designs. They also wear gold and silver jewelry in their pierced ears and noses. The Kunas are the second smallest peoples in the world (only the pygmies are smaller). While walking through towns and entering stores, we had to stoop down so as not to hit the thatched roofs and doorways. Unfortunately we did not take any photographs of the Kuna people, as photographs are discouraged and are actually forbidden in some communities.
While in Kuna Yala, we saw many albinos. Apparently albinism is quite common in Kuna Yala, as the population is small and the Kuna rarely marry with outsiders. Although the albinos suffer numerous medical problems and suffer from the burning tropical sun, they are respected and treated as equals amongst the Kuna.
We also saw a number of transvestites, and we were happy to learn that homosexuals and transvestites are openly accepted in the community. They are treated as equals and are permitted to have their own families. Often times the Kuna will give away one of their children to a sibling who is gay and unable to have his own child.
We spent over a week in the East Holandes Cays enjoying the crystal clear blue water, snorkeling the beautiful coral reefs and walking on the white sand beaches. We then worked our way eastward, visiting the islands of Narganá, Coco Oeste, Niadup, Yauala, Playón Chico, Mamitupu, Uastupu, Isla Piños, and the town of Carreto on the mainland, as well as some other islands.
Sunset in Kuna Yala
Niadup, also called Ticantiqui, was by far our favorite island. This small village sees very few cruising boats and foreign tourists. The locals are very friendly and as we were walking through town we looked down to discover three little children clutching our hands and staring up at us. This island does not have any electricity. The houses are clustered together as a community and are surrounded by lush breadfruit trees. Early in the morning, the men paddle their dugout canoes (called ulus) to mainland where they harvest bananas, pineapples, and other plants from the jungle, or the men paddle (or sail) out to the reefs where they fish or dive for lobster, crab and turtles. These divers occassionally will free dive 60 feet to catch dinner! Throughout Kuna Yala we enjoyed eating the huge crabs, which had 6 inch bodies and 6 inch long legs on each side. Each crab costs between $1 and $3.
While on Niadup, we were surprised to see several gringos walking through town. We went to meet them and learned they were from Houston, Texas. We had read that the Kunas had driven out all of the missionaries in 1925, so we were surprised to discover that these Texans were Baptist missionaries. They were quite friendly and had very kind intentions, but we were saddened to witness (in our opinion) the harm they were inflicting on the Kuna culture because of their misguided ways. The Baptists had brought all sorts of toys for the children, and the children were swarming outside the Baptist church playing with toy airplanes. It saddened us more to see that they were targeting the children. The Kuna are the most peaceful and happy culture we have so far encountered on the boat. These people do not need to be changed or their culture destroyed by western influences. It is also a catch 22, because as much as we gringos want to visit and witness their beautiful culture, we are also having our own impact by bringing in relative economic disparity with our expensive cruising yachts, electricity, western magazines, and western influences. It is therefore our responsibility not to exploit our relative wealth when we visit.
Our friends on "Fia" enter the anchorage
In Mamitupu, we met a few other cruising boats. David and Judy have been cruising the Carribean for 20 years aboard
Fia, a 40 foot Endeavor. They were also headed to Cartagena and assured us that Columbia would not ask a single question about our having been checked out of Panama for so long. We enjoyed Dave and Judy´s company so much, we explored the rest of Kuna Yala with them.
Scrambling on the rocks with Dave and Judy from s/v "Fia"
One of the highlights of Kuna Yala was the rocky, metamorphic cliffs off of Carreto. WooHoo! Climbing! We found one overhanging wall which offered a number of bouldering problems. We also found a 30 foot clean sheer rock face that dropped straight down into 40 feet of water. We swam out to the rock in our climbing shoes and climbed. If we fell, no problem, we´d fall right down into the water. It was great to climb again for the first time in 6 months.
After Carreto, we set sail for Zapsurro and the Columbian border. We had spent a month and a half in Kuna Yala and hadn´t seen a motorized land vehicle the entire time. We also had only seen 3 cucumbers and no other vegetables during our entire stay. I guess you take the good with the bad, and the serenity of Kuna Yala was definitely worth the compromise.
July and August 2008
