Hi everyone,
Our group has finally split up, with some people going home and some people travelling to other destinations. Now I Alana and myself have to write this blog by our selves. We will try to keep it short and sweet.
Northern Columbia was the place for goodbyes. After months of traveling together it was time to part ways and so we hugged and cried as the sun set on our last moments together. See you guys some time in the future and thanks for all the great memories) From ten people down to three, it was just myself, Alana and Frances left. However, on the wind you could hear the faint cries of Jess and Chris calling 'meet us in Costa Rica on the 26th' and we knew that our wolf pack would soon be stronger.
For those of you who don't know, it is nearly impossible to pass over land from Columbia to Panama so most tourists either fly or take a yacht, sailing down through the San Blas Islands and into Panama. The obvious choice for us was sailing,
but with a range of horror stories floating through the backpacker community, we needed to make some important choices (Horror stories included: drunk captains, over crowded boats, flooding toilets, eggs for every meal of every day and the occassional double murder). After days of researching we finally found the yacht (a 41ft Catamaran called 'Nacar' found at www.sailingkoala.com) we wanted and booked a five night / six day sailing trip.
After a breif yet reasuring meeting with our Columbian Captain and the other 11 travellers , it was time to organise our bags, buy some supplies and say our final goodbyes to South America. We turned up at the docks with our packpacks on, a surfboard slung over my shoulder and a bottle of rum in hand. With our gear loaded, we threw away our shoes, pulled anchor and set sail, gliding through the water and straight out the mouth of the river, leaving the highrises of Cartagena behind us. As we watched the land slowly slip away, I could not help but reflect on the amazing places, people and adventures that South America had shown us. It was a happy thought but kind
of sad in a way. It was not long before we were sailing in the blue expanse of the open sea. I lay on the net at the front of the boat and watched the sail fill with wind and could hear the splashing of the waves as the twin hulls sliced through the water. In that moment I realised that while one great adventure had ended another one was just begining.The yacht was great and Alana and I were given a private cabin with a man hole above our bed where we could climb up and onto the front hull. The captain Fabian was amazing and answered all my pesky questions about sailing (Look out Alana, i'm going to buy a yacht). His daughter Cristina, cooked and entertained us while on board. It was the yachts first voyage to the islands and we were blessed with calm seas and good breeze. The third member of the crew was Edwin and he was one of the most happiest and helpful deck hands that I have ever met. The twin hulls of the Cat made moving around easy and we found many places on deck to
lay down, relax and read books.After sorting out our cabin and having dinner, I took on a night watch shift from 10.00pm until midnight. While everyone was asleep I sat on the captains chair and looked out across the horizon, searching for the lights of other yachts and ships. With no light pollution to effect the sky, the stars presented me with a light show and one could even be so imaginitive to believe that a giant had scattered diamonds across the night sky just for me (Hungry Kids of Hungary pun ha ha ha Deano ha ha ha).
We sailed for forty hours through open seas and finally made it to the San Blas Islands at 5.00am on the third day. We past through the outer reef and saw the remains of other yachts that had crashed due to the rash actions of their captains. We had full confidence in Fabian. We went snorkelling around the reefs and found a range of marine creatures amongst the coral. The list included, crayfish, wrasses, butterfly fish, damsel fish, moray ells, parrot fish, baracodas, lion fish, christmas tree worms and in
a strange encounter, a crocodile (A very strange story). While sailing through the islands at 6.00am we saw a log at the front of the boat. It was about 5 meters from the side of the boat as we passed. We soon realised it was a 2.5 meter croc. With a flick of its tail it shot down under water and for the rest of the trip the other captains refused to believe us. Some saying that they had sailed these waters for years and had never seen a croc. Thanks to the quick actions of 'Johny the salty irish sea dog' a small video of the pre-historic reptile was captured (Good camera work Johny) and what would have turned into a 'travelers myth' was now a legitimate sighting.The next few days were spent snorkelling and exploring the Islands of San Blas. We walked down deserted beaches and met the local 'Kuna' people who sold us Crayfish and Crabs from their dug out canoes. Our experience was excellent and it was great to bond with the other tourists on our yacht. They included a Swiss couple, a Dutch couple, two Canadian girls, a German guy,
a Dutch guy and an Irish/Kiwi couple. Niko was kind enough to share his chef skills and he fried us up some gormet seafood dishes (Entree> Crab and Lobster tartare with an apple ginger chutney and a Main Meal> lime/ginger/peppered bararacuda on a bed of coconut rice with a red cabbage salad, tossed with nuts and lime). On the final night, Alana and I slept out on the front net and fell asleep while watching the stars.
After six days on the yacht, we said our farewells, loaded our bags and took a boat and then a jeep ride all the way to Panama City (about 3hrs). The girls devoured the shopping centers on the first two days and I even treated myself to some new shorts (I was told that the state of
my old ones were nearly inappropriate). The highlight for me was a trip out to Panama Canal where we watched some container ships squeeze through the canal and float up through the locks. A really amazing sight. Construction finished in 1914 and we were told that alot of the 'shipping ships' around the world are built to the measurements/specifications of Panama Canal. (These Canal photos will show up in our next blog).
The final leg of our 'Round the World' trip has started off in real fashion and in nearly 24 hrs Jess and Chris will join the crew for more misfit adventures. Until next time, you stay classy!!
Judy Huntress
non-member comment
Really Jealous!!
Dear Paul and Alana, This last blog sounds so relaxed- what a lovely interlude before you have the next hectic part of your adventures with Chris and Jess. I am so glad you did your research and went with the yacht chosen- those horror stories are definitely frightening!! I also loved the picture of Artagena- reminds me of the old pirate movies!! Love Mum