Cayos Holandes, San Blas
Jarek
Sun 18 May 2003 20:13
Another day in Paradise. No visitation of any Angels yet, so we keep
praying. In meantime, we moved the boat to an anchorage quite distant from
the cayos so no sand flees, either.
May 17
It looks, like our prayers have been answered. Negatively, though. Well,
there are some good looking fallen angels available in Panama City. On the
positive side, we had three consecutive days with no rain at all!
Indians keep a steady stream of fish and fruit supply at bargain prices, so
our frozen fish bought in Panama City will wait. We even got some fresh Kuna
bread, quite tasty. Almost as good as the one we baked a couple of days ago
of Kuna bread dough purchased in Chichime. It kept well in the fridge. A
top-stove "oven" of my own invention worked all right and was quite
economical propane-wise. (Using an oven in tropics heats the inside of the
boat unbearably.)
The Indians are friendly and easygoing. We are not experiencing any pushy
salesmanship described by some in SSCA Bulletin. "No, gracias" with a smile
ends any unwanted offer. By the way, the Comarca de San Blas, an autonomic
Kuna Indian Community within Republic of Panama, are getting some financial
support from the Government, but they are basically self-supporting.
Considering the beauty of their islands and single digit fees they charge
upon clearance, (one has to clear into Kunas territory even when having a
Panamanian visa) it is only fair to give them some business. Molas make a
nice souvenir at home at a price of a decent bottle. And who does not need
fresh seafood or fruits after several days away from a supermarket. We found
doing our small business with Kuna Indians entertaining and educational. It
gives me a chance to practice my Spanish and to learn something about those
people. We were told, that we should not haggle, as it makes Indians feeling
cheated. That is quite all right with us, as their prices are usually a
bargain. All our encounters with them have been friendly or very friendly so
far.
A mixture of breathing treatment, breathing physical therapy and carefully
selected yoga exercises, diligently applied several hours a day seem to give
results, eventually. My breathing improved a lot without any further use of
systemic steroids. That IS a great success, as my adrenal glands are already
quite lazy. Of course, the clean air of the coral lagoon, a nice change to
the polluted air of Cristobal, must have contributed substantially to the
(semi-) success. Further improvement is needed, though, before I am ready to
transit the Canal. I keep working on it.