San Blas

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Tue 14 Feb 2012 23:56
We spent a few days at San Blas firstly to recover from our passage around the ''Northern Cape'' as it is known and also to see something of these beautiful islands. They are just sandy mounds with palm trees and surrounded by coral reefs.  The navigation is tricky and we could only move around in full daylight, watching the colour of the water for reefs.
The islands are occupied by the Kuna Indians who are only allowed to marry within their own race and as a result there are some albino children being born. They are small being slightly taller than pygmies. They live a spartan life but are obviously happy although the number of visitors from the Western world is obviously having an impact.
The first island we went to was Porvenir to clear Customs and Immigration. All the paperwork was done on an old typewriter and took for.ever
the runway (left over from World War II) was being extended and stretched the width of the island.
You can fly from Panama and stay in the ''hotel''-----it will take about ten minutes to walk round the whole island!
but you can rest afterwards
We then went to Chichime, two small islands about 4 miles away
We went ashore and bought some molas----- they are squares of cloth reverse appliqued with embroidery.
Helen was shown a large number before clinching the deal
Granny allowed her photograph to be taken ----as long as you gave her a dollar
On the other island there was a camp which looked a bit like a scene from one of the survivor programmes
Then to Lemmon Cays, a group of islands with a tricky entrance which an Italian got wrong on Thanksgiving Day.
The Kunas make their boats out of tree trunks and paddle around, baling out at the same time, selling their molas, lobsters, fish etc
.....and then to the entrance to the Panama Canal. Goodbye to the Caribbean.