The San Blas, Panama (5)
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After the usual
leisurely breakfast Roger & I decided to err on the side of caution and go
to Porvenir to clear in. We had thought that because we had a Zarpe from
After clearing into
the San Blas (finally) we weighed anchor and set out for the West Lemon
Cays. It was only an hour or so before we were once again ‘tip toeing through the reef’ to get into the anchorage of the West Lemons. I was pleased to see that there were only 2 other boats anchored there.
The anchorage is
between 3 islands, Miriadup, Naguachirdup and We were only
intending to stay for a couple of days before moving on to explore further
east. As is customary, we
were approached by an ulu. It was handled by an old lady who was of course
selling molas. She told me she had 4 children to look after as their mother had
died. Her molas were not particularly good but I bought one anyway.
The next day, she
came back with a small child in her ulu and asked if I would ‘look after him’. I
had no idea whether she meant for an hour or what, so I told her I couldn’t. It
was most bizarre. Roger and I spent the
day snorkelling on the reefs, which were as usual full of marine life. It seems
we see something different each time we snorkel, there is so much
diversity. The anchorage was
filling up as well. There were now several boats in the anchorage, one,
Geisha, anchored so close we could
have chatted without the use of the radio. There was an
interesting mix of nationalities, on one side of us was ‘Philani’, with JB and
Michelle, who were from Each day we saw JB go
out fishing in his dinghy and come back with plenty of fish, as Roger and I
needed some help in the fishing department, Roger went across to ask what bait
JB was using (we had and indeed still have not had, any success in catching any
fish!!!!) He came back with
JB’s fishing bible, to copy. Also JB mentioned that everyone went ashore to the
We dinghied ashore to
join quite a gathering, for sundowners. There was also a lovely Kuna family
living there. You could buy a beer or a coke for $1. We met Georg and Suzi off Geisha and hit it off immediately, Roger and Georg joking about the close proximity of our boats. We also found out
that Naguachirdup was actually owned by Alberto Gonzales and his wife Angelina.
This is quite unusual as Kuna generally do not own any land.
Miriadup is
apparently also for sale, for the princely sum of $1200!!! That is because it
has fresh water on it. But before you all go booking flights to come and buy it,
forget it, foreigners aren’t allowed to buy or even live on Kuna Yala. But this
hasn’t stopped them living in Kuna Yala as there are a few yachties
who sailed her and have never left. Having been her I can
understand why. It feels like you have totally dropped off the grid!
You can get anything
you need from You don’t even have
to go there as Alberto will bring it back for you on one of his many trips
there. You have to renew your cruising permit every 3 months. But as Alexis (the
port captain in Porvenir) had offered us a years permit and he is the authority
there, I think you could even get away without doing that.
Now, as I said
earlier, it had been our intention to stay a couple of days and move on. But it
was so nice in the area, there were plenty of islands that we could explore by
dinghy, we had new friends in Georg, Suzi, JB, Michelle and Alberto and
Angelina, that we decided to stay another day. One of the nicest
things about the anchorage was the visiting ulu’s that would sell fresh fish and
when I say fresh I mean fresh, they were still flapping about in the bottom of
the ulu!! So it was that we
became acquainted with Reuben and his young son, Roberlito. They knocked on our
hull and asked if we wanted fish. We bought 3 big mackerel for $8, nicely
cleaned too. It was only when talking to Georg and Suzi that evening that we
found out that the going rate was about $1 per fish!!
The reason she had no
new molas is because in December it is their eldest daughter, Jacquelines’ ‘hair
cutting’ ceremony. When Kuna girls reach the age of 8 they have their hair cut
(Kuna women all have short hair from the age of 8 onwards) and there is a 5 day
celebration with lots of drinking and dancing and feasting. A shaman will also
read the girls future, telling her whether she will have a long or short life.
Every woman invited to the celebration is given a mola to wear and they are all
identical, so Angelina is busy making molas for that. Once the ceremony is over
she will have plenty to sell. Roger and I can’t make the ceremony but I will ask
Suzi to buy one for me.
We also had many ulu’s offering
lobster and crab which we refused (There are you happy Anneke???) but the
sweetest visit we had was one ulu asking for water, for 2 little puppies they
had. They were only 2
weeks old, their mother had died, so I thought that they would need milk not
water. I had goats milk on board, so I emptied the vinegar bottle, washed it and
filled it with goats milk. The top of the bottle acted as a teat and I fed the
dogs, they were so cute. I gave the bottle and the rest of the can of milk to
the kunas to take with them.
As I said the family
on the island were lovely...
She had 2 daughters,
Recilda, 15 years old and Elisa Ricaldo, who at 16 years old had a 9month old
son, Elian Michel. He was adorable, smiling all the time. I was surprised to see
that she was still breast feeding him. There was also
another little boy, Michel. He and I would spend the evening drawing pictures in
the sand. We also played ‘catch’ with a small ball, until we lost it down a crab
hole, much to Michels disappointment. But I was able to replace it when I found
a similar ball on the shore of another island. When Roger gave it to him his
little eyes lit up, he was over the moon. There was another
young woman, Nidi, who was in her mid 20’s. She had a beautiful daughter,
Ady.
I don’t know about
Elisa, as I never saw her husband and didn’t ask. Elisa and I got on very well,
mainly because Elian Michel and I played together. Kuna mothers are very close
to their children. In fact they never seem to leave them alone, carrying them
everywhere, perched on their hip. They sleep in the same hammock. I am surprised
that the children cope with being separated from their mothers at all as they
grow up. That evening Elisa
came up to me and gave me a ‘regallo’ a present. I opening it and it was a
lovely mola. I was deeply honoured as I know how much the molas are worth in
terms of not only money, but also the hours it takes to make them.
She told me it was a
present from Elian. The next day I
decided I must return the honour and give her a present to show how much I
appreciated her friendship as well as her gift. I had taken photos of her and
Elian the first evening ashore, so decided to print off a copy for her. I also
took one of the childrens comics for Michel and a finger puppet I had made for
Elian. Well, she was delighted and was showing off her photo to everyone. Before
I knew it they all wanted photos, so I arranged to go back the next day and take
some, so it looked like we would be staying another day. Roger appeared to
have made an impact too, but in a different way. Recilda wanted a photo taken
with him, so did Elisa!!!
It was so nice and
comfortable. We got to know Susan, who was a single hander (someone sailing by
themselves) on Wooden Shoe. The anchorage was
getting quite full, but we were enjoying ourselves and our small company of
fellow sailors so much, it didn’t matter. Susan asked if she
could join us when Roger, myself, Suzi, Georg went snorkelling as she didn’t
feel comfortable snorkelling alone.
As the weather was perfect the
next day, we went over to Isla
Perro ( We saw a very large
octopus which changed colour as we photographed it, before scuttling off to a
new hiding place. As I say, every time we snorkel we see something
new.
So much for staying a couple of days. We often thought about seeing the other islands, but then we had seen a Kuna village on Momaketupu, we had seen lots of uninhabited islands, we had bought all the molas we wanted (and more) we had great snorkelling where we were, but we had a relationship with Alberto and his family and we wouldn’t have that anywhere else.
Actually I tell a
lie, we did do some work. One day Roger scraped all the barnacles from the hull.
Our stay in In the evenings we
played boules with Alberto and his family and taught them to play Mexican train
dominoes ( thanks Rob & Sheralee!!) or drinking or just talking with
Alberto.
Each day Reuben would
stop by with fish, which we were now paying approx $1 per fish. We may not have
had great variety in our food, but the quality was great and so healthy. It
would have been a good opportunity to lose some weight but for Suzi and the
Austrian culture of ‘coffee and cakes’!!! One afternoon we were
having drinks on Geisha with Suzie, Georg. Susan and Spartaco, an Italian off
‘Acquilia’ and my dreams were shattered!
Anyway, Spartaco, who
was also single handing invited us all for dinner, real Roma cooking, with
ingredients all the way from
Susan had helped him
in Cartegana some years ago and he had given her an Acquilia tee shirt, which
she wore for the evening. He then gave Suzi and myself one so we wouldn’t feel
left out.
It hasn’t been easy
writing these entries for the blog, mainly because I have felt that I can’t
describe how lovely it is here. Because it is not just the area, it is the
people and the ambiance. You feel so safe here, you don’t have to worry about
thefts or violence, you are welcomed by the kunas, you can enjoy the beauty of
the area fully. But at the same time you can’t help feeling how sad it is that
this way of life is changing and that you, as a foreign visitor are contributing
to its demise. Yachties give the Kunas beers and coca cola when they come up in
their ulus, so now they immediately ask for them (they don’t get upset when you
say no). They also ask for caramellos or pastillos, because yachties (myself
included) automatically give children sweets.
We don’t realise, that our gifts have consequences. I have stopped giving sweets and when asked for a beer or coke I offer a bottle of water, which is greatfully accepted. I give out the comics which Lynne & Chris brought out for us to give away because many of the children want to keep learning and it helps. It is a fun yet constructive gift, with no detrimental consequences (I hope). I have also been giving the children ‘glow bracelets’. They had great fun chasing each other in the dark just following the glowing bracelets.
We have been
practicing rainwater collection, trying different methods. We had a torrential
downpour the other day, that yielded about 20 gallons of water in 15 mins!!!
We have learned more
about victualling and the important commodities we will need. We have had to
deal with rubbish disposal. Previously we have saved it and taken it ashore
wherever we were, but that was not an option here. So instead we would
take the plastics and fill empty bottles with them, top them up with water, so
they sink, and throw them over board when out in deep the ocean away from
land. The bottles sink
immediately and will eventually become part of a new reef. The plastic will stay
inside the bottle and not damage the environment or the marine life (who knows
in centuries to come they may be found and be an insight into the eating habits
of this era??). The Kunas collect cans and sell them to the Columbian trading ships, so we disposed of our cans that way and anything else we would take onto a deserted island and burn. We have tried our best not to spoil this paradise in any way. |
