San Blas Islands

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We're having a great time here in the San Blas. Lots of nice anchorages. There's a large reef about a mile out from us which makes for very protected waters. But you can hear and see the surf breaking against it at all times. We've hiked around a couple islands. Two days ago, we went to a palapa which had happy hour from 6 - 7 pm. Cans of beer are $.75 and rum and coke $1.25, no other choices. Prices double after happy hour. This was on a 2-3 acre island. They even had internet for $3 per hour.



We bought a 15 lb fish from a Kuna right out of his canoe. He started at $20, but we got it for $12. Yesterday another canoe came by offering a lobster and a crab (huge claws) for $20. We didn't negotiate because, sadly, we don't have a large enough pot in which to cook them.



Sailing to the San Blas, we sailed straight into the wind and seas. The wind blew 20k plus and the seas were up to 15' and steep. It took two days. Not so pleasant, but if all goes as it is supposed to, the next 5,000 miles will all be downwind!



Just got back from snorkeling at a coral reef. Lots of fish and many kinds of coral. Last night we anchored in 10' of water and you could see individual grains of sand. Last night the moon reflected off the sandy bottom and it looked like water reflecting on the bottom of a swimming pool. There was even a shadow cast on the bottom from the dinghy.



The San Blas islands are still quite similar to my last trip 18 years ago. Yesterday we stopped at the island group I was at last time and had a Kuna Indian show us around. Now instead of just TVs in the grass huts, there are people on laptops and cell phones. But the grass huts are still made of sugar cane walls with palm frond roofs, the people still sleep in hammocks, the cooking is still done on fires outside, and the toilets are still in small grass huts on stilts out over the water.



The man who showed us around had a second story on his home which had a wood planked ceiling forming a floor above.

Small, very small, rooms were partitioned off and it is run as a "hotel". He sells it on the internet! One German couple had just arrived. They paid $450 for a three day stay which included transportation from Panama City (car and boat), accommodations (I would be very worried about the beds and their cleanliness), three meals per day (probably fish, plantains and rice each meal), and a boat tour to other islands each day. It would be an experience, but not for anyone fussy about their accommodations.



I bought an obligatory mola today and a mola hot pad for the boat. The molas are not much more than 18 years ago, but the beer and fish are about 3 times as much. Interesting economics.



Today we're leaving during the night to return to Colon by morning so we can provision, shower, swim in the

wonderful fresh water pool at the marina, and generally get ready for the canal transit starting at noon on Wednesday.

The plan as of now is to spend the night on Lake Gatun, then arrive in Balboa Thursday. If time permits, we will do

more provisioning and purchase some boat parts, then leave for the Galapagos on Friday. But we will probably not leave

until Saturday. It should be about a 6 day trip if there is decent wind. Jeff's not afraid to use the motor if there

isn't enough wind to move right along.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

We can't wait to hear more about your travels.
We would love to visit the San Blas Islands. Hope you will include some photos.