Land of the Kuna Yala (San Blas Islands)



Hasta Luego Amigos!!

 

After bidding farewell to part of our transit crew, Rick and Steve, we set our sights on the Caribbean for more exploration with Jim and Sue.  Leaving Shelter Bay Marina with plenty of rum aboard, we took a short cruise to Portobello, which lies 17 nm’s NE of the Atlantic/Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal.  Portobello (which means Beautiful Port) is a handy anchorage for boats waiting to transit the canal, providing excellent shelter from the strong easterly Trade Winds.  Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502, the harbor became important for transferring tons of gold and silver to the Spanish empire.  An old fort constructed in 1760 on the North side of the bay is well preserved.  It was also frequented by real pirates back in the day.   In addition to the town and remnants of the fort, there are a few beautiful homes constructed along the bay.

Portobello Anchorage

Another short leisurely cruise the next day took us only 10 miles east to Isla Linton, a well protected anchorage behind a privately owned island with few inhabitants.  We took the opportunity to explore the area by kayak, including an area occupied by howler monkeys.  Their sound was so amplified one might think they are cruising through Jurassic Park!  We did not land and we’re grateful they did not swim out to meet us.

Fish Farming

Isla Linton Anchorage

The 44 mile cruise from Isla Linton Island to Isla Porvenir, the first stop truly inside the San Blas archipelago was anything but leisurely.  Strong Trades were blowing all day creating significant wave on the bow.  For some reason, Jim, Sue and I all took exception to the constant pounding combined with heavy overcast skies.  As a result we all slept most of the way while John had no problem (he never does) minding the helm.  This was quite an unusual feeling for me and I will not welcome that nauseous feeling again.  Porvenir is a Port of Entry entry into the San Blas Islands and has a small airport, restaurant and immigration. Our guide book says cruise ships make occasional stops here but the ships are bigger than the island and the tourists can never all come ashore at the same time.  The area is called Kuna Yala, a matrilineal society where women control the money and husbands move into the woman’s family compound.  The traditional Kuna culture has been preserved on most all the islands.  Villages are scattered through the islands, each having a chief (Sailas).  Kuna Yala is officially part of Panama but is ruled autonomously by the Kuna general “Congreso”.   Within two minutes of anchoring at Porvenir, we were visited by two ulus (dugout canoes) filled with Kuna women, all in their traditional Kuna dress bearing the legendary molas for sale.   Molas are created by the Kuna women which are 3, 4 or 5 layered fabric panels hand-stitched and embellished with reverse appliqué and embroidery.  The designs depict scenes from the Kuna’s daily life – fishing, flowers, jungle birds & flowers.  Apparently beginning in the 1300’s, the Kuna women have been tattooing intricate designs on their faces, arms & legs.  During the 1800’s Christian missionaries arrived and, hoping to clothe and domesticate the women, they taught them the European fabric arts of embroidery.  The Kuna’s picked up the skill and made mola blouses that carried their traditional designs.   They tied up to our stern and proceeded to bring out the many molas, each holding them up shouting “mira” (look!)  One after one, they held them up for us to inspect and hopefully buy.  All quite overwhelming, especially since we didn’t feel quite right yet …but Sue & I pulled ourselves together and “shopped ‘til we dropped”.  Between the two of us we bought 4 molas and three beautiful beaded bracelets (which you have to wrap your arm with each time you wear it—I haven’t perfected the technique yet)   All in all, it was quite a day!  And while we were shopping in the cockpit, a Kuna man also tied up to the boat and Jim bought 4 lobsters for John to cook for us that evening.  Quite a busy anchorage………..

Kuna Women met us when we arrived

Shopping brought to your door!

 

Happy Customers

Another happy customer!!

 

After the fantastic lobster dinner and a great card game of “Hand & Foot”, we had a good night’s sleep and woke up to sunny skies and ready for a very short, 6 mile, trip to the island of Yansuladup in the East Lemmon Cays.  The islands ending with “dup” have water we were told.  They are all very difficult to pronounce…water or not! The San Blas Islands are quite different than those we are used to on the Pacific side.  Most are very small (1 to 3 acres in size) surrounded by reefs.  The reefs protect the islands and anchorage from ocean and wind waves, making most stops very pleasurable.  You can see and hear the surf but the water is clear and calm.    John entered 12 entry waypoints on the chart plotter to enable us to weave our way to the anchorage, as there are numerous reefs and shoals to dodge.   We finally arrived in the anchorage and found we could see the anchor on the bottom in the crystal clear turquoise blue water.  We hadn’t experienced that since the Sea of Cortez over a year ago.  Between the blue sky, sandy beaches, palm trees and beautiful water, we felt as if we had truly arrived in paradise. 

East Lemmon Cay anchorage

 

Soon after we anchored, we noticed another ulu with an outboard motor coming toward us.  There was a man and a woman in it.  As they came close, the woman said, “Rosie, John”?  O.K., how strange was that?!  We are new to Kuna Yala and miles from anyone we know….It turned out that our friends, Henry & Janice on Cloudy Bay (Nordhavn 55) had told this mola seller to be on the lookout for Serena Ray.  She is one of two true mola artisans in the San Blas.  We were delighted, as this renowned mola maker named Lisa is one we had also heard about from Hank & Betsy on s/v Equinox who plied these waters 2 years ago.  Sue and I again were happy to oblige, all the while saying to each other that “we’ll never be here again so why not?”  Lisa boarded Serena Ray with her inventory of molas.  The mola sales process quite interesting and takes a minimum of 1 to 2 hours to complete, as you must see every mola in the inventory first, and then you make a “maybe” pile.  From that you select what you buy and are given the price (price varies with every mola as it is based on the complexity of the design, stitching and number of layers.  Her work is beautiful, no stitches show, and many gorgeous designs.  The quality of the work was noticeably better than the molas we bought in Porvenir, although we still liked them.  Later we hiked the island and Jim and John snorkeled…..great first stop!!

Lisa, Kuna mola artisan arrives

More molas!!

 

The following day we moved to the main Lemmon Cay.  Enroute we stopped at Dog Island, a beautiful isle that has a 1950’s ship wreck in the bay.  It was a Saturday and many locals were there to snorkel.   A $2.00 fee per person is collected by the chief on the island for the day’s use of the beach and snorkeling the wreck and reef.  The wreck was abundant with fish of all types and colors….John followed a barracuda around for a bit as well.  Just before anchoring, a small helicopter landed on the beach.  Later, more pangas landed (mostly locals).  We had a few hours of great snorkeling and decided to leave the beach for the newcomers.  We weighed anchor and continued onto the next anchorage. 

Dog Island Snorkeling

Shipwreck....snorkeling arttraction! 

Kuna use sails to travel downwind

 

The nearby anchorage at Lemmon Cays was quite crowded and we had to weave through the boats and through a few shallows to find a good spot to drop the hook.  The water was very shallow in places – about 7 feet deep (we have a 6 foot draft).  What I most noticed here were the variety of flags that we were now seeing on this side of the Canal.  Sweden, Peru, Denmark, German, French...  Shortly after getting settled, an ulu with 3 boys came by with more lobster… 8 for $20.  Another fine meal in the Islands!!

Lemmon Cays anchorage

Kuna water storage in the Lemmon Cays

More Langosta!!

US flags are actually a minority here...

Jim and Sue’s visit was coming to an end too quickly!!  We must head for Naragana (Isla Yandup) where there is a small airport where they are to fly from back to Panama City for their return flight to the States.  We anchored right near the airport, where we would be able to take Jim & Sue by dinghy to catch their flight.  The day before they left, we all went into town and to visit the local tienda and panaderia (store and bakery).  Jim & Sue also wanted to check on their plane tickets to make sure all was in order.  There was nothing written down showing their tickets but Jim was able to show the receipt on his I-phone.   All was well.   While waiting for them, we were approached by a young woman from the “Congresso” who took information as to our age, what our jobs were and how we were traveling. We passed extremely friendly school kids (mostly in uniform) and generally, the people were very friendly.     We wandered around until a rainstorm drove us back to the boat.  The people here on this island have given up the traditional Kuna way of life.  While we saw most people in western dress, TV antennas on the roofs and beer was sold.  There were a few that dressed in colorful Kuna garb, but they were the exception here.  The small island is covered with homes and huts of all sizes and outhouses line the water’s edge.

We took the dinghy back to town that evening and the Gentry’s treated us to dinner at a place called Naya’s which offered a ¼ chicken, fries (fried Plantains) and coleslaw dinner.  It was a fun experience, as we had two restaurant cats at our feet waiting for a handout, which John was most eager to give out.

Naragana Village

Naranga ..wall to wall construction

Kuna Outhouses!!

Fresh Bananas!!

Locals playing in the rain

 

Stroll through the village

 

That night, the winds died and the no-se-ums started their hunt for gringo flesh.  Early the next morning we took Jim & Sue to the dock for the water taxi to take them to the airport.  They had a 6:45 a.m. flight to Panama City.  There was a very active lightning storm going on at the time and we thought for sure the plane would not take off.   After a couple of fly-bys and successful landing, the passengers were loaded and the plane took off in the storm.  What a fantastic time we had with our longtime friends.  Jim told us later that they never checked any ID, tickets etc…the people there (waiting under a tin roof in the rain) simply got on the plane….only in Kuna Yala!! 

Gentry's plane arriving in a downpour

In the air safely....

We decided to stay in the Naragana anchorage one more day to do laundry and clean up the boat after our friends left.  In the afternoon, with most of our chores completed, we relaxed, but not for long.  We, mostly me, started getting more bites and that went on for several hours.  In the meantime, we were covering our screened portholes with finer mesh covering but the little critters (which, by the way, we could see) were still sneaking in.  After spraying the boat and with more spray on ourselves things finally settled down.  It was a cloudy, rainy, humid day with the wind from the direction of the mangroves carried our unwelcome visitors to the boat. 

 Early the next morning we were eager to leave the mangroves so we proceeded back to the beautiful anchorage of Yansuladup.  No sooner than we set our anchor, yet another ulu came visiting, most likely.  The Kuna man handed us a business card with his name “Venancio” on it.  We were so surprised, as he was the other famous mola maker that our friends had told us about.  Word must have leaked out that Rosie was a mola buyer!! We invited him and his brother inside and he proceeded to bring out his very intricate and beautiful work.  Our friends had recommended we bring a good amount of cash for the molas we may see and luckily we took their advice.  We (I) picked out “just a few more”…9 to be exact, and seller and buyer were quite pleased.  Now, no more molas please! 

Venancio and brother...and happy customer!

Mola shopping completed!!

Back in Shelter Bay...for the summer

 

The heat, rain, humidity and shopping took its toll on me…we needed a break so we decided to return to Shelter Bay.  Stopping back in Portobello on our way back to Shelter Bay, we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and reduced humidity and heat.

 Now back in Shelter Bay we are surprised at how much dryer, cooler it is here as compared to the Islands.  The thunderstorms we experienced daily in the islands have given way to warm, blue sky days.  We have decided to leave Serena Ray here for the summer instead of Cartagena, as we have found that the monthly rates here are less than a 1/3 of the rate in Colombia.  We will fly to Cartagena in September to explore…saving a considerable amount in moorage and fuel.  As we have always said…cruising plans are written in the sand at low tide for a reason!!

We will fly back to Seattle on June 18 and start “Land Cruising” soon after.  We hope we are able to touch base with many of you during our travels this summer.