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Grace-e-pops
The kids where beside themselves with excitement
about the arrival of Grace Reid. It was about like waiting for father
Christmas to arrive, I think we were counting down the days for about 2
weeks+ Cosmo started sorting his room out ready to hand it over to
Grace, or rather Grace-e-pops as he renamed her. When she
finally arrived we were all very excited. Days before I had been getting more
and more concerned about the lack of fresh veg, milk and wine, Kuna Yala
had been deemed a dry state after a big Sila meeting at Mamitupu on the 28th
Oct; we had contemplated asking Grace to do a big old shop before she made the
trek through Rain forest on in the communial taxi, along the only road to Kuna
Yala, but when we got to Carti the day before her arrival we found a
bonanza of delicious fresh veg and
fruit, now this was like Christmas
for me.
The excitement of Grace's arrival the morning she
was due was fever pitch, and seeing her arrive in a fast launcha made
her look most regal. She had been up since 5 and had an extremely
slow drive through the jungle, after waiting for other no-show passangers in
Panama City.
But in true Colin
style, soon after her arrival on board we pulled up the anchor and went in
search of fresh water. We found the said village, Soledad Maria, but
unable to dock Grace was set to work filling 26 jerry cans of water whilst
Colin ferried them out to the boat for me to pour into the tanks, Bloody
exhausting work. But Grace was treated to the antics of the village kids
who's particular fortay was 2 person flick flacks, I love the fact each
village child community has it's own special physical trick or sporting
capability.
After this we moved over to Gunboat Island, somewhere
we hadn't been before. After all of Graces work we thought it was time for
a bit of a relaxing snorkel, Not so, visablilty was not great nor
too was the coral reef, but we paddled around, and took a cut out
side of the reef, but I'd not been here before so didn't feel it was prudent to
hang out here so we returned the way we came only for come face to face with my
first shark, OH Bugger! I have been waiting and bracing myself for
weeks now and in a way I have been looking forward to coming face to face with
my first Shark, But being with Grace on her first day in Kuna Yala was
anything but ideal. So my first thoughts were not to alarm Grace and
appear as though I knew what I was doing and hark back to text-book approach to
seeing Sharks. Only once I had announced the fact we were swimming in the
direction of a shark I felt it right to hold on to her hand firmly, telling her
it was ok as it was only a reef shark, I had no bloody idea what it was,
but as the course of action was all the same I felt it best not to scare Grace
anymore than neccessary. My only mistake was that my hand grip
was obviously alittle too tight and this just relayed a message of fear from my
side, opps. The Shark then decided to come a little closer and sit
on the sand next to us this enabled us to have a much better look, but it also
gave us the access to the shore we needed to escape, again
after a wee
while of letting the shark settle we moved off slowly and with our eyes
keeping watch forward and back, not especially easy giving the visablity,
by the time we were nearly at the beach we had our second scared out of your
skin experience. From behind I felt an enormous bang against me only
to discover it was a very joyful Cosmo on a boogie board, within seconds
he did the same to Grace with the same effect on her. God were we relieved
when we were standing on terra firma. I really felt I didn't ever
want to get in the water again but like all scares it's best to embrace the fear
and get back in, which I did, but I also wanted to get back to the
boat , breath easy and try and identify Brucy. Grace returned by
dinghy.
So whilst safe on board our next disaster was the
weather. The heavens decided to open, but maybe that was a
blessing in disguise, as it give any water explorations a rest. That night
I pull out some frozen meat, the stuff we have been holding back for are none
fish eating guest. But this didn't seem to agree with Grace and
maybe ill effects of exhausion and Malaria tablets , and not the effects of
rotting meat she threw up, poor lamb. Quite a bapitsam of fire for one of
her year-out overseas trip.
Thankfully the
rest of Graces trip was hugley uneventful, we saw dolphins and moved
around the western area of the San Blas. Grace was able to meet some of
the weird and wonderful cruisers we hang out with. Learn new games, namely
Set with Gretchin and Frank our spear fishing friends, and really have a good
insight into our lives.
  
On
our last evening in Kuna Yala we were able to have sun downer and cook our
supper on 'one palm island' which made a lovely ending to her
trip
  
The day
sail up to Linton was a little bumpy and Grace and the kid didn't take to it,
but once up in Linton we made a great trip on dingy through the mangrove to a
resturant run by french folk in Panamarina so Grace treated us to the best
meal for a year or at least since starting our trip. What a joy to have
Steak frite in the middle of the rain forest, and with the best steak we
can ever remember eating.
The kids loved having Grace on board and didn't
want her to leave, not ever ever. She was a complete star doing shows on
the trampoline, teaching fractions to Zinnia and reading bookafter book of
Jack Stalwart to Cosmo. We were all very very sad to see her
go.
 
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