A couple more stops before Colon

Again we must be patient and have to wait an additional day before leaving Porvenir for Isla Linton.

As we head into Isla Linton we are pleasantly surprized to hear IMSIM and TARA hailing us,welcoming us into the anchorage inviting us over for Sundowners.

Shelley and Drew (Rapid Transit) came by offering us fresh Tuna.

The next day Erno shows us the way to Panamarina, through a channel in the mangroves. Finally wifi after almost six weeks. Plus the restaurant was quite nice.

Isla Linton is reknowned for its monkeys. Every afternoon a few come down to a dock waiting for crackers or bananas. We had been told they are very aggressive so we decide to enjoy them while we sit in the dinghy.

We did stop in Portabello before heading to Colon . The country side was beautiful.

Full of history. However, after two nights it was time for us to move on to Colon as we need to haul out High States...So for now Adios to our friends.

San Blas--Part IV

We're really enjoying the short hops to all these beautiful Islands. Within two hours we've reached Green Island and are anchoring in 27 feet of water when a French boat comes in right beside us; I mean we could almost jump into each others boat….Not impressed. There's lots of spots to choose from and proper etiquette is we were here first so they should move.The next day we in fact move to have some privacy.

After barely having our anchor down a local Kuna arrives with barrels filled with molas. Venancio is a master mola maker and his molas are beautiful---price however is anywhere from $15 to $50 each.

I think Green Island, (Kanlidup) has to be on of our favorite spots to date. It is not only a very picturesque island covered with high coconut palms

but the snorkelling is some of the best since we left Bonaire.

Not so much in having an abundance of beautiful fish,

but the corals and sponges are absolutely gorgeous.

Plus of course it just feels so good to get into refreshing clear clean turquoise water again.

While snorkelling in very shallow water we saw our first shark!!! Approximately five feet long he was “resting” with eyes open under a shallow reef. Sorry, no picture as we not only made a quick exit but decided it was best not to get it excited.

We have been meeting many new cruisers and were surprised meeting Jan and Gordy from Victoria. They spend the winters on their boat Island Dreams. What a small world.

After a few days we decide to head out to West Coco Banderas Cays. Anchoring off uninhabited Orduptarboat we have our own bit of paradise. Well, until 1300hours when a group of six kayaks arrive for a short three hour visit. Orduptarboat is beautiful and offers good protection however very rolly. The snorkelling was good on the reef behind our stern.

Fabulous Ray.

Primarily due to the rolling swell making for an unrestful sleep we decide to go back to Green Island for a couple of days.. Plus the weather again is deteriorating. Does this not look like the West Coast of B.C.? (Well, except for the palm treed island in the foreground.

Prepared for the next rain storm----with our water catcher.

On our way into the Cambombia anchorage High States motor starts overheating. As soon as we anchor Randy looks for our problem. Turns out to be the impeller and water strainer. Luckily we had a spare impeller and Randy repaired the water strainer by “darning” it with my sail thread. We decide one night here is enough and head on to W. Naguargandup Cays where we anchor off Salardup.

”Auto” is on so we can enjoy the scenery from the bow.

At a number of the anchorages ULU's come by selling fruits and vegetables.

Checking in at Porvenir was excellent. No questions about why it took us so long to get here from Cartagena. Secondly,looking at my passport, the Immigration Officer asked how did I check in already. I explained due to a medical emergency I had gone to Panama City a few weeks earlier. No problem he says and re-stamps my passport to match Randy’s and the boats Cruising Permit as he says: WELCOME!!! We now have a three month Immigration stamp and three month Cruising permit.

The winds are really picking up so we move out to Chichime. This is our neighbour.

One of our favourite books Nine Years on the Seven Seas has a chapter on meeting a wonderful man Braulio and his family at Chichime. We are hoping to meet them here and show them their pictures in the book.

Finally we asked a Kuna that came by in one of the ULU’s if they knew the Braulio family….Yes, he states, however they now unfortunately for us live in Carti.

Out exploring we found this boat stuck on one of the reefs.

The following day a storm rolled in bringing 35 knot winds. By midnight we decide we’re too close to the reef on our stern so we moved out 60 feet and reset the anchor. It takes a couple more days for the swells to settle down so we can head back to Porvenir where we must check out before setting off for Colon. Even with San Blas being part of Panama we must check in and out before heading to Colon where we will again have to check in to Panama…

As we’re sitting off Porvenir this cruise ship arrives. It has turned nasty again. One moment we see the ship…

The next it is obliterated----Time for us to catch more water. It will take an extra day before we can head to Isla Linton. We've had to check out of San Blas as technically we will then be out of San Blas (Yala Kuna) and will have to check in to Colon.

San Blas- Part III

SAN BLAS—PART III
Tara left while I was away so now after two weeks in Ustupu for High States we too are on our way with a small semi-okay weather window travelling with IMSIM. We continue to not have much sunshine. We’ve got a real choppy swell with a lot of vegetative debris in the water---Something??? hit us so now we are both on duty watching the seas for more potential threats.

By 01145 the sea is looking a lot more turquoise but not clear enough for swimming. We decide to stop and anchor off Ailigandi. We say good-bye to IMSIM who have headed further west. There is one other boat here…Andrea &Andreas on board AKKA come by to say hello. They are from Germany. We have seen their boat off and on since Cartagena but had not officially met.

Ailigandi is our first rolly anchorage in quite some time. Going ashore to explore and check in we come across one restaurant. We make plans to meet AKKA for lunch; the menu today is fries, fried chicken and salad. Total cost including drinks 9.50.

This is the first island we have seen Kuna women drinking beer….and not just one.

We met Joseph digging out two canoes. A sign of the times; if we want a picture we have to pay.

We learnt out of a population of 1400 people only 20 actively continue to farm on the main land. The church minister said to AKKA the island is plagued with drugs; an easier way of life for the Kuna to earn a living.

Plus the locals have approximately 500 family members working on the mainland sending back money. To-day we saw a Colombian boat arrive to the dock and then surprisingly did not stop; just turned around and left… We must admit this has not been one of our favorite Islands. That's the beauty of cruising...If we don't feel comfortable we just move on.

Having decided to head for Mono Island we are fortunate to have a long narrow reef on our starboard helping a bit to protect us from the high seas that are hitting us mid-ship and of course the wind is on our nose. We have only a bit of head sail out and the motor is running at 2200rpm….

One and a half hours later we are already anchored with 9.7 feet under the keel two miles SW of Tupile. We had a nice surprise with AKKA arriving shortly after us. It looks like we have a good half knot current running into the anchorage. We are somewhat concerned with two unfriendly signs stuck in one of the reefs. Basically telling us for our visit we must use a Kuna guide and if we disrespect these rules our goods may be confiscated???? This mangrove lined anchorage is not inhabited. Sure enough around 1500 hours an ULU arrives and collects ten dollars from us. We feel there should be no problem staying here now for a couple of days.

Each day we spend time planning potential waypoint co ordinates for stops along our way further west.
One evening we went ashore with Andrea and Andreas to burn garbage. Randy dug a good size hole with our machete.

On our way back to the boats Andrea thought she saw a Caiman so that evening Randy and I sat patiently on the bow of High States watching and waiting. Sure enough we see a long “branch” heading to shore against the current. We can only assume it was a Caiman.

We’ve got a much brighter day today. We decide to wait until 0900hours to let the sun rise higher in the sky for our next journey to either Aridup which is out on a reef or Snug Harbour.

By 1145 we’re off Aridup, a truly beautiful spot if calm conditions. We feel its too rolly so we decide to go into Snug Harbour.. Initially we try one bay that is picture postcard perfect only to find it is too deep.

We move on to a bay to the East, the entrance between two easily visible reefs and anchor in 25.8 feet. Originally I did not want to stop at Snug Harbour as I thought it was going to be so busy. Imagine my surprize to find we are the only boat for a day until AKKA arrives.

An ULU comes by offering lobster so tiny we say “No, come back tomorrow with “Grande” and we will buy”. Later another ULU arrives with lobster and says the other boat will not be by tomorrow as the men are working at the new hotel. This man wants ten dollars for ten lobsters. Again they are way too small. He will also bring us ten loaves of bread tomorrow for one dollar and six mangoes for one dollar. We buy the ten lobsters throwing them back into the sea. We can’t keep doing this as it will cost us a small fortune. Tomorrow we will be stern and just say NO!!! Before this gentleman leaves he asks for a magazine; then a hat; we give him both….Kuna definitely are not shy….

Snug harbour is a gorgeous well protected anchorage. We anchored off Apaidup.
We dinghy down to Playon Chico to ask about burning garbage. The surrounding shoreline water is full of garbage. We were led to the church where the pastor spoke English. In fact he was from California and as luck would have it the Village elders were also here. After a lengthy discussion between the elders we were told we could burn anywhere we pleased.
Here again the children kept asking for their pictures to be taken. Of course we oblige and they excitedly look at themselves. One pulled on my arm..$1.00…I was surprised to say the least and gave a firm NO. Reading the cruising guides we understood the adults do not like their picture taken and that is why unless they ask us to take their picture or we ask first and receive their permission we respect their wishes. But the children; they constantly follow us around asking to have their picture taken so they can see themselves on the screen.

Heading back to High States we came across a Hotel " Sapibenga” perched over the waters edge on the small island of Usoup. We stopped to see if they were open for lunch. They said yes and of course our next question always is: Cuanto cuesta (how much). Lunch is 10.00 each with beer and wine an extra $1.They will serve chicken, beef or fish. We explain $10. is too much, what about $8. Plus AKKA arrived this morning so there may be four customers instead of two. We agree on the $8, confirm with AKKA that they would come along then dinghy back to confirm we will want lunch for four. The setting is absolutely gorgeous, the food okay. The meal even included fresh fruit for desert.

We decided after four days we were ready to move on. Saying adios to AKKA we’re on our way to Nargana. We in fact have worked out three options depending on weather conditions.

Feb. 9 By 0820 we’ve got the jib out with a good breeze. We’re in four to seven foot swells travelling 6-7.4 knots. We’ve had a few squalls along the way and while anchoring at Nargana it is pouring with rain. High States had a good wash through the squalls so we start to collect water. An hour later the two boats in front of us pick up anchors so we move up.

Nargana (Yandup in Kuna) & Corazon de Jesus (Akuanustatupu) are two islands joined by a steel bridge. We did not see many women in traditional dress of molas and their wini beads as the islands have decided on a more Western lifestyle. There now is running water on Nargana so we managed to get 200L for $3.We also bought gasoline at $4.50 a Kuna gallon. The diesel generator plant runs 24 hours a day and is easily heard in the anchorage.

We met Federico who takes garbage for a small donation. He is trying to teach the young Kuna to be more environmentally aware not throwing their garbage in the water. He introduces us to his brother who owns one of the grocery stores. $4 for a litre of wine, not bad, and he had a good assortment of fruits and vegetables.

Then up the Rio Diablo to do laundry, We found the river not nearly as impressive as Sugandi off Ustupu however it was a great spot to do the laundry, literally dragging the sheets behind the dinghy for their rinse. We swam at the local sandbar watching for Caiman.

Entering and leaving Rio Diablo is not only a challenge due to its shallowness but also full of fallen trees. We’ll probably head for Green Island tomorrow, also known as Kanlidup.. Rumour has it, the snorkelling is good.

We met Drew & Shelley (RAPID TRANSIT) from Australia. They graciously went around the anchorage sharing their Macarel.
Pouring rain is beating on us again. No time like the present to collect more water. Within half an hour all the tanks are full again.

One of the many Colombian trading boats.
Unfortunately what fresh fruit and vegetables we do not have much shelf life. On new grapefruit is full of worms...

We managed to trade books with Shelley and Drew before heading into town, one last trip for more fruits and vegetables. Slim-pickens today….Only managed to find watermelon and 2 garlic. By 1045 we’re heading the short few miles to Green Island. See Part IV

Lynn's Unscheduled trip to Panama City

San Blas Part II

Jan. 13th
We are pleasantly surprised when IMSIM arrive at San Blas. To celebrate they share their Wahoo.
Unfortunately Tonny has a jaw infection. Her husband Ton is a Doctor and has been administering antibiotics, but says she needs to get to a hospital. As luck would have it, our water supply pump has stopped working. So, the plan is to see if Tonny and I can get a plane to Panama City.
Erno and Frieda go to find David to see if he can help out with the dilemma. Before we know it they are speeding by in their dinghy to Mulatupu where there is an airport.

A plane will leave within two hours so Tonny and I quickly throw overnight bags together as an ULU arrives to take us the 45 minute ride to Mulatupu.

We must stop first at the Mulatupu Medical Clinic before proceeding to the island of Soskandup Murro (where the airport is), in order for Tonny to see a Doctor who will give Tonny a special form making our trip a medical emergency and our “ticket” on to the plane.
The young children love their pictures taken. These two young girls had me take 10 pictures of them. Finally I had to say “no mas”.

This bridge attaches the mainland where the hospital and school are to the Island of Mulatupu.

What a beautiful parrot. We were amazed at how tame it seemed.

We then were taken to a local family home which we found out was David's girlfriends family home.We were told we were to wait here until the plane arrived. Of course with our poor Spanish we could not understand why we could not wait at the airport.

Her mother Maria is in charge of the large family. The women wear the family’s wealth; gold rings on fingers…many with rings in the nose and ears. David’s girlfriend was in charge of the family finances. We watched the women paint a thin black line on the bridge of their nose….a sign of beauty. Many had on nail polish and wore sandals which were taken off before entering the sleeping quarters.

By now it is noon and for one dollar each they will prepare us a lunch which included fruit, rice, beans and thinly sliced wieners.

We keep asking for the plane and finally at 1600hours we are told the plane has been cancelled for today!!!! So, it’s back in the ULU for the 45 minute trip back to Isla Pinos at a cost of fifty dollars. We are told tomorrow the plane will come a 01000hours. The ULU will come back at 0800hours to pick us up. We tell them only come at 0800 hours if the plane is definitely arriving.

Sure enough the ULU shows up at 0800. We confirm; the plane is coming at 01000hour??? Si, Si… So off we go.

Not exactly a flat calm transit. We again are taken back to Mulatupu…WHY???? We are told we have to wait on the main island and when they get a phone call that the plane has left Panama City then the ULU will take us over to the airport….Again we are welcomed by David’s extended family.

We patiently await the planes arrival now with this new knowledge.

We now know we’re in for more bad news when again we are offered lunch. We ask if we can help with the preparation and immediately are put to work. Tonny on rice duty----and me, well I get to peel and slice the wieners. Two days in a row---YIKES—I can not remember the last time I ate a wiener. We are told the good news is the plane will arrive at 1300 hours.

All of a sudden excitement is brewing….It’s time to leave?, what, the plane is cancelled again? No, no. the plane is coming. We give hugs to our hostesses, jump into the ULU which travels under the bridge in more protected waters. We arrive on SOSKANDUP MURRO with no less than one hundred other people. We wait, wait and wait…..By 1600 hours another group of KUNA arrives for a plane. This is not a good sign. Now there’s approximately three hundred of us all waiting and we are told not only has the 1300 hour plane been cancelled, but that the plane that is supposed to be arriving will only have room for 9 passengers. Of course we assume we should be on this plane. How silly of us. Everyone is shouting, It is bedlam. We are told emergency or not we have not got a ticket so we will not be on the plane. We say of course we have a ticket, the one from the Doctor. No…this is not good enough.

The plane arrives and before it comes to a full stop, hordes of people run out to it. There is absolute chaos. The man who seems to be the decision maker on who gets on the plane starts literally throwing people into the plane. The plane is dangerously overloaded. One very large male get up in the cockpit and tries to sit in between the plot and co-pilot where of course there is no seat.. He is finally taken off the plane. I said to Tonny: we do not want to be on that plane Tonny….There is way too many people.

So, of course you know what happens; back in the ULU, back to Mulatupu where we are asked if we want to stay the night. We say no thank you, we want to go home. We are so upset; we just can’t get over how dis-organized the whole situation has been. By the time we leave MULATUPU we’re in eight to twelve foot seas and it is getting dark.. The ULU runs like a charm. We paid another fifty dollars for the rides and are asked: Tomorrow?? We say no, enough is enough. We arrive at IMSIM to find everyone there celebrating as they saw the plane take off and assumed we were on board.

Jan17) Next morning we touch base with IMSIM and TARA and all decide to head for USTUPU, nine miles away. USTUPU is not only the largest village in San Blas but we have read they have a busy airport useful for medical emergencies. Why did we not read this before???? GADS!!!
We arrive at Ustupu by o1000hours. Tonny and Ton have already been ashore and we can get a plane within half an hour.

Instant replay; throw things in a knapsack and zoom over to the airport. Good news, the plane arrives on time; the bad news…..no room for us. We must return at 1400 hours. Back to the boat where Randy and I immediately jump in the water for a very necessary bath. I repack the knapsack as I was sure I had originally forgotten items.

We all head back to the airport with TARA’S support and wait and wait….We along with one young boy are the only ones waiting…Not again???

Thankfully by 1600hours a plane does arrive and we cannot believe it is empty. There is more staff than passengers. Two more stops and we’re finally on our way to Panama City.

Arriving in Panama City of course had its own challenges as we had not yet checked into Panama. Unfortunately the Immigration officers did not speak English. We are told first to stand in the line up to pay for our flight and book our return flight. One hour later we’re at the wicket and told we cannot get a return flight for ten days!!! At this point a wonderful customer service” woman comes to our aid and helped us through Immigration. I being from Canada was to pay five dollars, Tonny being Dutch no cost. The kind woman lead me away to pay the fee and sure enough the office was closed.. She said don’t worry. .By the time we got back to Immigration I was taken directly into any office, completed basic forms and we were on our way.
By the time we got to Patilla Hospital it was 2000hours. Tonny dealt with emergency and I started looking in the yellow pages for a hotel. I met a very nice local lady in the waiting room and explained our dilemma in not being able to return to Ustupu quickly. She said we may be able to hire a rugged 4x4, a friend of her husband to take us to the coast. As it turned out we needed the full ten days.

A dental surgeon arrived and took us to his office across the street. Tonny got excellent care and I managed to find a hotel close by albeit very expensive.. The dentist, Dr. Toledano kindly drove us to the hotel. We had to go back to his office the next day. We asked if he could recommend a more reasonable hotel. He was shocked at what we were having to pay. So the short story is: he contacted his mother who had a friend with a spare bedroom/private bathroom who would take us in. People really are wonderful!

Ruth is a wonderful lady. She took us under her wing. Originally from Holland she has lived and worked in Panama for many years. Ruth was so helpful; making phone calls then driving us for marine supplies.

One day Ruth took us to the Panama Miraflores locks which were fabulous.

Ruth and Tonny.

RUTH, Thank you for your incredible hospitality. You made our first stay in Panama City such a positive experience.

After ten days we’re definitely ready to head back to our men! Our flight is to leave at 0600hours. We decide we best call the airlines the night before just to confirm our flight will leave on time….IT HAS BEEN CANCELLED…..Are we to be surprised???? We are told the flight will in fact leave at 1400hours. We have heard that before---so we ask are we scheduled to be on the flight? Si, Si…

Looking down on Panama City

One of the many small Kuna Islands and airstrips.

Back on the boat we have unexpected but pleasant company. Turns out I owe five dollars airport tax.

Ustupu is a great island. Randy introduces me to Tom who he has befriended while I was away. Tom is very worldly having travelled years in Europe. He enjoys the magazines Randy has given him. Ustupu is the largest village in San Blas.

Ustupu has a number of strong current streams running through from the Caribbean sea making bridges necessary.

School is out until March

Randy found this gorgeous river while I was away

Besides the beautiful oasis we have a task in mind…Fill our jerry cans with fresh water. A bit of a challenge I must say and then we had wonderful showers.

A sacred burial ground…the potent fragrance from the flowers surrounded us.

We passed many ULU’s along the river, all welcoming us

We had one last lunch at Anayka’s family restaurant. We sure will miss her friendly smile and dynamic sense of humour….she trying to teach us Kuna…we teaching her English.

Good-bye Ustupu