Blogs from Kuna Yala, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 7

" Caribbean queen... now we sharing the same thing...and our hearts will beat as one...ooh ooh oohh" Well you know how the rest goes and i know you do but anything to do with the caribbean i was singing it ..to myself but nonetheless it was in my heart as im rocking backward and forward and sidewards on our 50ft sailing boat ' Seaddler' The sea eagle. Im sitting on the bow( i hope thats the front )writing awkwardly hoping the seasickness doesnt rear its ugly head again and im just watching my little hairs poke through my newly tanned legs dangling a metre above this gorgeous deep blue sea. Orianne is lesiurely lying on deck making sure every inch of her body gets a nice tan.(bloody french even when they burn they tan not peel). ... read more

The Kuna are an admirable little bunch in that they are one of the few indigenous peoples in the Americas that managed to resist European domination or, as often was the case, extermination. Their historical tenacity is in sharp contrast to their current peaceful and welcoming nature. But this veneer belies the fact that as recently as 1925 they kicked the Panamanian police of their islands in protest of an attempt to suppress their traditional ways. This act contributed toward the Kuna having a remarkable amount of political autonomy, some claim more than any other indigenous group in all of Latin America. Back in the day (1500’s ish), the Spanish almost did a good job of wiping out the Kuna completely. As was always the case, this was mainly due to imported diseases. Many Kuna were ... read more

Deuxieme essai... J'ai passe une heure a ecrire mon blog l'autre jour, et a la seconde ou je pensais 'oh oh, je n'ai pas encore sauvegarde, faut que je le fasse...', il y a eu un probleme avec la connection et j'ai tout perdu- LA HAINE!!! Enfin, ca m'apprendra je suppose! Je vous ai donc laisses quand je quittais Panama City- ce jour la, j'ai passe des heures (litteralement) a essayer de reserver un hotel pour ma prochaine destination (ca m'apprendra a vouloir reserver a l'avance, jusqu'a maintenant je n'ai jamais reserve et je n'ai pas eu de problemes!). Mais cette fois-ci l'astuce c'est que j'avais prevu d'aller sur l'archipel San Blas, qui est a l'est (ah oui, au fait,quand j'ai dit que Panama City serait l'endroit le plus a l'ouest du pays ou j'allais aller... ... read more

Thought I'd start up the blog because I wish there had been more info on crossing the Darien with a motorcycle so now I post this because I realize that there are some people who read this blog and well, I think it will be useful to future travelers. I will fill in more or less what has ahappened on this trip, going backwards since right now I am in a place where I am happy, Colombia, and that has cheap internet, and I have nothing to do but wait right now. In Panama I set off to sort out a boat. I had some ilussions about crossing the Darien by land, but I heard they won't even let you past the military checkpoints to try. After riding in the jungle a little with a ... read more

The Comarca de Kuna Yala of Panama is a narrow, 226km-long strip on the Caribbean coast. The comarca (autonomous region) is home to the Kuna, an indigenous people who have lived here for approximately 200-400 years (previously lived in the Columbian highlands, but left after devastating attacks from poison dart-wielding tribes). Starting on February 25, 1925, after a violent and deadly uprising against the government and a self-imposed ethnic cleansing within their own people, the Kuna were granted permission to implement their own system of governance and economy while still maintaining their language, representation in the Panamian legislature and full voting rights. The Kuna inhabit the coastal islands, preferring to settle in tightly-packed settlements while leaving entire islands untouched. On the untouched islands, they grow their prized cash crop; the coconut, of which they har... read more