Lahto viivastyy vuorokaudella, syy navakka tulli merella

Mearra Nieida
Pekka Salonoja
Wed 20 Jan 2016 23:28
Keskiviikko 20.1
Sijaintimme edelleen Santa Martan Marina, 11:14.5N 74:13.1W
 
Aikataulun mukaan meidan pitaisi olla nyt jo lahtovalmiina merella, mutta kovan tuulen takia lahto myohastyy. Ja viimeisimman tiedon mukaan paasemme lahtemaan vasta huomenna aamulla klo 8. Eli nyt on aika ns HPK:n. Merimieshuumoria. Tuuliennuste on 35 solmua eli 17 metria sekunnissa ja aallot yli 3 metrisia, joten merelle ei ole asiaa, sanoi satamakapteeni.
Mutta lahtoa odotellessa ajattelimme hiukan kertoa minne tasta matkaamme seuraavaksi.
Seuraava etappimme on San Blas Islands Panamassa. San Blas saaret sijaitsevat Kolumbian ja Panaman valilla Karibian merrella. San Blas koostuu 378 saaresta joista alle 50 on asuttuja. Saarilla osuu alkuperaiskansa Kuna intiaanit. Heilla on saarilla omat autonomiansa eika saarilla asu juuri muita kuin Kuna intiaaneja. Heilla on oma kieli, talous, tavat ja kulttuuri. He elavat hyvin eristaytyneina muusta maailmasta ja Panaman hallitus antaa heidan rauhassa saarilla elaa omilla ehdoillaan. Yhdella saarista on pienkonekentta, mutta kaikkinensa saarella eletaan hyvin omavaraista ja perinteista elamaa. Odotamme mielenkiinnolla. Taalta Santa Martasta on 2 paivan purjehdus San Blasille. San Blasilla ei ole vierasvenesatamia joten ankkuroidumme luonnonsatamiin. Saarille ei passaa saapua yolla, koska kartat ovat epatarkkoja ja saarelle pitaa saapua kasipelilla ja tahystellen jotta emme tormaile koralliriuttoihin. Saarilla tuskin on myoskaan netti tai kannykkayhteyksia. Ja muutenkin meininki lienee kuten ennen vanhaa menneessa maailmassa. Odotamme mielenkiinnolla. Tarkoitus on kruisailla saarilla kolmisen paivaa ja sitten matka jatkuu kohti  Colon – kaupunkia Panamassa. Colon sijaitsee Panaman kanavan talla puolella eli Karibian merella. Arvioiden mukaan saavumme Coloniin keskiviikkona 27.1. Siella alkaa sitten odottelu ja valmistautuminen Panaman kanavan lapimenoon. Alustavan aikataulun mukaan Mearra Nieida seilaa kanavan lapi  31.1 ja siina menee kaksi paivaa.
Eli tassa vahan tietoa tulevasta.
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Hi you all, and sorry for the brief intermission in our broadcast, we were just so excited to see land and civilization, that reporting on our whereabouts fell behind. We are now all back at Mearra Nieida, currently sitting in the beautiful harbor of Santa Marta, waiting for the officials to give clearance for the start of the next leg. We had some pretty strong winds creep up last night, and hence the start has been postponed, but we are expecting to be off to the races later today or tomorrow morning.

 

Let’s do a short recap of what we all have been up to over the past several days:

We arrived here in Santa Marta on Thursday, and many of us decided to upgrade our immediate quality of life, and checked into a super nice, small hotel a few blocks from the Marina. Capt. Pekka and Tero stayed behind guarding the ship, the rest of us rushed off to enjoy amenities like air conditioning and a bed that stays put.

The Marina of Santa Marta is very nice, only a few years old, and it has all the facilities one would expect like toilets, showers, laundry service, internet, mini market (for your emergency can of cold beer) etc. There are still a number of new buildings coming up in the neighborhood, in addition to the nice strip mall with different small restaurants, which we utilized extensively – Santa Marta is really investing to make this top notch coastal destination in the Gulf of Mexico! On both sides of the Marina they have long, nice beaches, actually the beach stretches as far as the entire city, and we all have enjoyed it in different ways, Tero having continued his routine of morning swims.

We were told that Santa Marta is the oldest city in South America, established by the Spaniards in 1525. An even older community has recently been found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains above Santa Marta, called Ciudad Perdida (Lost City, what a surprising name…), which we did not get to visit, as it takes 1-2 days to hike there - no roads. These ruins are comparable to the better known Machu Pichu in Argentina. We did however explore some other areas close by, Pekka, Tero and Hanna took a bus ride to Cartagena, which they were very impressed with. Meanwhile Jukka, Jaana, Kicka and Michel ventured off into the Sierra Nevada, namely the small village Minca, which is known for its excellent organic coffee and a number of things like water falls, organic farms and eco-tourism. We found a local cabby that had spent 10 years learning his profession in NYC, and he was a wonderful guide and driver for us. Pekka and Tero wondered off on one tour to an historic indian village called Taironas, just to find out that it was really meant to be a tour for kids. After having floated down the river in inner tubes, they silently withdrew from other activities, after having found a few idle hammocks.

We all have been very positively surprised by how nice and safe the city of Santa Marta is!! We have eaten in both “fancy” restaurants and in “hole in the wall” joints, and I do not recall that any of us would even ones have not been very satisfied – tasty, good quality and excellent price/performance. All-in-all Santa Marta is a really nice destination, until our western tourist culture ultimately will harmonize it with Torremolinos, Izmir and Kaanapali Beach…

 

The Mearra Nieida is now replenished with food, water and a enthusiastic crew, but we were just informed that the start has been postponed until Thursday morning 0800 local time. Unfortunate, as the entire fleet is eager to continue west ward, but on other hand, we get one more day to sample some great food ;-)

 

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