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Published: March 12th 2006
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san blas waiting room
Don't worry about security. It's not like anyone can hide. Picture this.
4:30 AM. I slowly wake from a deep sleep.
A full moon filters in through the window and bamboo walls onto my pallet. I hear the strong rhythmic pulse of waves against our island as a north wind rattles a piece of tin somewhere off in the distance. I watch the shadow of a hammock swaying outside the room. My 6 year old Tevas are silhouetted against the moonlight on the windowsill; I choose to leave them behind and walk barefooted out to the communal toilet.
The flashlight is not on the shared table but I have always loved to walk around in the dark. I open the flimsy door and close it carefully so as not to disturb anyone. The boardwalk shines in the moonlight as I pad past the other rooms. I hear the snores of someone in the next room.
The white toilet shines through the open door and a little blue crab crawls sideways across the floor. I know the drill. Toilet paper goes into the bucket. Dip into the blue barrel with half a coconut shell to flush the toilet . Silently walk back along the boardwalk when OOOO there in front of
fellow traveller
Don\'t worry about security. It\'s not like anyone can hide.
The Kuna women buy the material for their molas in Panama City. So maybe this gal is going SHOPPING!
me is a picture that is burned into my memory. The full moon shines brightly in the western sky and reflects off every wave that seem to stretch out forever across the water. The roar of the wind and ocean seem to have some sort of song going but I can't quite catch the words . I know that sounds just too artsy or something but once in a while there is that kind of moment that I hope I can hold til my dying days in my memory.
I lay back quietly and wait for the generator to come on at 5AM. Nadette moved restlessly so I know she is awake as I dress and gather my few belongings to pack into my small bag. We are flying back to Panama City on a 6:15 AM flight. Fortunately, our host has gotten the message that I need a little something to eat so there was white bread and peanut butter in the dining room. Funny thing, out of the 11 folks flying out this morning almost everybody joined in on the funky fare. The peanut butter comes from India, as pointed out by the young couple from Columbia.
The
loading up at El Porvenor, San Blas
Things are rather casual about boarding. wind continued to blow fiercely as we struggle to put on our rain ponchos and get on the boat for the return trip to the airport. We all would have been soaked from the big waves if we wouldn't have had them on.
Several more boats came in as we disembark. Some have surfboards. A few came up in kayaks but I didn't see them go on the planes. We all had to sign our names, weight, and show our passports which was all done VERY SLOWLY. It goes without saying that there were no vending machines in this waiting room either.
It is a strong crosswind. Apparently the northwind blows almost continuously in this their winter time. That may be why no bugs can live now either.
At 6:46 a plane comes in but it is Air Panama. Apparently there were too many people for Aeropolis so then Air Panama sent in a little eight passenger to pick up the surplus. In the meantime, our plane went ahead and stopped at an island that they normal land at AFTER El Porvinor and dropped off passengers and mail so they could take all of us back. At least that is what I understand happened. I do know that yesterday Air Panama came in after our Aeropolis plane. I guess all that counts is that we did fit, finally.
I watched carefully as we took off again on this short runway. Whew, made it again.
We are battered by high winds most of the way back but the skies clear by the time we reach Panama City.
We are met up by our first guide, Luis--variously known by his nickname Luigi-- who takes us to breakfast at a cafeteria named Nikos. Great place. Chris and I did make one wrong choice tho. We picked what looked like beef stew but actually was some kind of a strong liver dish. The coffee was great and Kate had a great egg and potato casserole that we helped her eat.
We then head back to pick up our surplus luggage, strap some of it on top and are on the road to the Canal by 8:45.
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