Blogs from Kuna Yala, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 6

After Colie left, T-Bag and I lurked around Panama City for a couple of days until we could figure out transportation into Colombia. Unlike the rest of our journey, a dirty bus ride was out of the question. There is no road between the two countries because the Darien National Park. Very near the border, there is a region called the ´Darien Gap´ where drug runners and kidnappers like to hang out. While it would have been cool to pay them a visit and maybe drink a beer or two with them over a round of poker, we chose a different option. The most popular mode of transport is to hire a sailboat to take you from Panama City to the Colombian port town of Cartagena. After days of searching, we finally made contact with a ... read more

We left the Bahamas in late May and headed to Jamaica. We spent a week in Jamaica waiting for good weather for the anticipated crossing to Panama. We eventually got acceptable weather (not really enough wind but at least no BAD weather) and made the 4 day sail to Panama. We arrived in Panama on June 1 in plenty of time for hurricane season. June 1st is technically the beginning of hurricane season but normally no named storms are seen until July. We spent a few days in Shelter Bay Marina which is near Colon and also near an old US military base that is no longer on use. We also spent a night anchored near the Panama Canal itself which made me a bit uneasy. We were only a few yards from the canal and ... read more

I'm officially two months behind schedule. It's a good thing there are no due dates in this project. Although I'm now home and safe and happily going about my normal student life, it is still important to me to finish off this blog and explain the rest of my trip. I want to complete this little project and round out this record. Staying in real time for a moment longer: today my first travel column was published in my university newspaper. I'll be writing a biweekly column this year called "It's a wild world..." about culture and diversity and travel and multiculturalism. I have also written a two-part article about my adventures this summer that has appeared in the same newspaper. I'm really enjoying that forum and have had a lot of positive response, even from ... read more

Nasza przeprawe z Panamy do Kolumbii rozpoczelismy od godzinnego lotu malym samolotem wypelnionym po brzegi miejscowa ludnoscia Kuna Yala. Nim wyladowalismy w Mulatupu, samolot mial 5 miedzyladowan na pobliskich wyspach. Mielismy nieszczescie siedziec zaraz za kabina pilota, ktory szalal niczym kierowca PKSa po dwoch flaszkach. Gdy wreszcie oglosil miejscowosc, do ktorej sie udawalismy, nie bardzo chcialo nam sie wysiadac. Spodziewalismy sie miasta i jakiejkolwiek oznaki cywilizacji. Co zastalismy, widac na zdjeciach... Ku naszemu szczesciu, na lotnisku zainteresowal sie nami niejaki Afranio, miejscowy 'biznesmen'. Wydlubana z drzewa piroga zabral nas do swojego 'Hospedaje', ktory okazal sie byc jego chatka. Z sypialni wygonil dzieci, pozbieral brudne gacie (nie wszystkie) i zadowolony zapytal sie czy wolimy ten pokoj czy inny podobny. Reszte dnia spedzilismy na malej rajskiej wyse... read more

On the truck there was a couple from the US, they dont seem to be too friendly.. We stopped at a checkpoint and we have to show our passport and all. Then we stopped for breakfast, i did not have any, the road got rougher going up mountains to get to the Sna Blas archipelago, the American dude got sick and we have to stop for him to throw up. Arriving at the "port" we have to pay $1 to use it! We paid $25 for the truck to get there already, plus $2 to enter the Kuna Yala area,quite annoying, too many fees. We waited for a long time for a boat that will take us to Isla Robinson, the boat was full, an American couple from NY and 3 older Italians, the boat stopped ... read more