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1st Apr 2009 - 14th May 2009
Stuck in Paradise - Kuna Yala Panama
Time flies when you are having fun! We’ve spent 3 months in Kuna Yala and have decided we could spend a lot more time! This is a great place for us. Beautiful islands, a friendly community of other sailors, crystal clear water, and an awesome culture. And most importantly, a great place to control our spending! There are over 300 islands and each one we visit quickly becomes our favorite.
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Diary Photos
| 1st Apr 2009 |
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| The Swimming Pool |
| We’ve spent some time anchored at a place affectionately called “the Swimming Pool” by the cruisers. And there is no question that it is named appropriately. It is a beautiful spot with crystal clear water and a white sand bottom perfectly positioned between three islands. The swimming pool even has its own BBQ Island. This picture perfect place has become sort of the hobby of one of the sailors. He keeps it tended and clean and it’s a perfect place to gather for happy hours and bonfires. |
| 2nd Apr 2009 |
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| Liward Swimming |
| Here’s Liward in the swimming pool . It is not unusual to look down and see a big eagle ray glide under the boat. And when there is a full moon we can even see the bottom of the rudder at night! |
| 3rd Apr 2009 |
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| Natural Jacuzzi |
| The reef nearby has some awesome snorkeling. The waves can be crashing on the outer shelf and we can be snorkeling behind it in beautiful calm water. Here’s a shot of the bubbles formed by the waves as they come over the reef. Kind of like a Jacuzzi! |
| 4th Apr 2009 |
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| Artificial Surf! |
| When Steve can’t find surf he just makes it artificially! Paul and Karen of Dream Weaver have a large dingy so they provide the tow for Steve on his surfboard through the anchorage. |
| 5th Apr 2009 |
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| Hey Ray! |
| There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a graceful Spotted Eagle Ray glide by as you are snorkeling in that crystal clear water. They don’t seem to mind us and sometimes turn back and come by for a second pass! |
| 6th Apr 2009 |
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| Shopping |
| Here in Kuna Yala you can shop right off the boat. The Kuna’s come by selling the molas, vegetables, fish, and coconuts. We even made a special order to have 55 gallons of diesel delivered directly to the boat which came in a motorized “Ulu” or dugout giant tree with a 60 hp outboard. And we found an enterprising Kuna who took our orders for special items and had them delivered via a 3 hour four-wheel ride from Panama City and then a 2 hour ulu ride. Those oreos, chips and peanuts sure tasted great! |
| 8th Apr 2009 |
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| Kuna Yala Surf |
| Steve has found some surf in the Caribbean waters off Kuna Yala but none that spectacular, until one day he found this place. A+ first class, head-high to over-head surf and nobody anywhere in sight with a surfboard! |
| 9th Apr 2009 |
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| Natural Art |
| This place is perfect to surf out of a dingy since these are waves breaking on outer reefs and not near a “beach” or land. You make sure the dingy is anchored securely in the deepwater channel next to the reef and just jump out with your board. This photo from the anchored dingy gives you a real perspective on a wave getting ready to pitch-out and break making a perfect surfing wave. |
| 11th Apr 2009 |
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| Surfer's Paradise |
| This place broke for seven days and Steve basically had it all to himself. On day 4 of the swell one of the other sailboat cruisers decided he needed to see this in person and took a few photos of Steve. Thanks Dennis. |
| 12th Apr 2009 |
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| Another Beautiful Sunset |
| .Just another beautiful sunset. Don’t need to say anything more about this photo. We feel so fortunate to be here! |
| 12th Apr 2009 |
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| Volleyball Anyone? |
| All it takes is a call on the radio and lots of the cruisers show up for a volleyball game. Usually by about the third game we actually look like we are playing volleyball. This sport is very popular with the Kuna which is kind of funny because they are all so short. But they love to play and watch. This day we had one of the Kuna ladies on the team. She just stood there in her traditional dress of mola top, pareo wrapped as a skirt, leg and arm beads and a gold nose ring. But when the ball came to her she really whacked it! |
| 13th Apr 2009 |
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| Happy Hour |
| There is always a happy hour after a volleyball game. We were surprised to find out that cold beer or almost cold beer, was available on the island of Banedup! |
| 14th Apr 2009 |
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| Los Gringos |
| Another opportunity for the Los Gringos to play! One morning we had someone call on the radio and ask if Steve was one of the guys who played in Locos Gringos! They just might have a new name……the Crazy Gringos! |
| 15th Apr 2009 |
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| The "Kiddie" Pool |
| While anchored at some islands called the Lemon Cays we found a great swimming spot that we named the “kiddie” pool. So we met for a floating happy hour one afternoon. |
| 16th Apr 2009 |
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| Starboard Side |
| Just a beautiful island off our starboard side. There are over 300 islands in Kuna Yala and each one is a little different. We have yet to find one that we didn’t like! |
| 16th Apr 2009 |
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| Morning Commute |
| We took advantage of some overcast weather and calm anchorages for a project that we need to do every two years. Sand the teak decks. We got a local Kuna to help us. He was thrilled to have the work and arrived promptly every morning via his sailing ulu!
The project is now complete and the decks look beautiful! |
| 17th Apr 2009 |
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| Hazardous Hammock |
| This island was a perfect spot to hang the hammocks one afternoon. But even laying in a hammock can be hazardous. Lili got up to take a swim and a huge palm frond fell ! That would have hurt! We are smarter now and always look up to be sure the palm tree overhead is not about to lose a coconut or palm frond. Those coconuts really “thud!” when they hit the ground! |
| 18th Apr 2009 |
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| Another Game |
| Another day we played volleyball and were joined by young backpackers who have discovered Kuna Yala. They travel via the Colombian trading ships and camp along the way. The game definitely got more competitive. |
| 19th Apr 2009 |
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| Back to School! |
| We made a little side trip to the island of Carti which is a very populated but small island. The thatched roof homes are wall to wall. We were hoping to find internet access so a local showed us the way. Something got lost in the translation and we found a computer in the elementary school but no internet access. But there was a great sound system sitting on the shelf. So of course Steve asked if they’d like a guitar concert! So the sound system got immediately carried to the courtyard of the school. It was probably the first time it had been out of the box, so Steve had to show them how to hook it up! So Hutch and Steve put on a little show right in front of Mr. Gonzales’s third grade classroom! |
| 20th Apr 2009 |
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| Carti Audience |
| A pretty good audience gathered quickly. The Kuna are very friendly but very shy. The adults stood back a little bit and the children were the only ones to take the front row seats! Everyone loved the music even though they don’t understand the words. Luckily the guys know one Spanish song…..La Bamba! Some Kuna, especially the younger kids, know Spanish as well as their native Kuna language. |
| 21st Apr 2009 |
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| Lucky Lobster! |
| Kuna Yala has a moratorium on lobster, crab, conch, and octopus for the months of March, April and May. Most all of the sailors abide by the rule. But it sure takes a lot of self control when you see one of these guys while snorkeling. Come June 1st, they might be dinner!! |
| 22nd Apr 2009 |
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| That's a big boat! |
| Kuna Yala is one of the most naturally beautiful and traditional areas we will probably see. Progress and development in the form of television, computers, and building have not reached here yet. And then one day to see a sight that is almost surreal. This megayacht spent a few days in the area. We laughed to think it was bigger than many of the islands! |
| 22nd Apr 2009 |
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| River Tour |
| A short sail away is a very traditional island called Gerti which is close to the Panamanian mainland. We took a trip up the river with friends Hutch and Linda in our dingys but a log jam kept us from going too far. BUt we sure tried! |
| 23rd Apr 2009 |
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| Waterfront Property |
| Here’s Waterfront property Kuna style. Some of the islands are very low and very crowded so these folks must have decided to just move to their own private spot. May is election time and the Kuna are very interested in politics. Many houses fly flags showing their party favorite. And on voting day the offshore islands cleared out so that everyone could travel to their home village to cast their ballot. |
| 24th Apr 2009 |
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| Audience of Kids |
| The children seem to love the music but we just can’t get them to get up to dance, clap, or play any percussion instruments. It just isn’t part of their culture. But they sure seem to enjoy the entertainment |
| 24th Apr 2009 |
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| Gerti Fans |
| Our Kuna friend lives in Gerti and asked the guys if they would put on a guitar concert for the kids. Of course they were happy to accommodate. This San Blas tour is getting some exposure! Here’s some of the kids arriving by ulu! |
| 24th Apr 2009 |
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| Live Concert! |
| Thanks to a tip from a fellow sailor we positioned our Sirius satellite radio antenna at an angle pointed toward the USA. So we are getting Radio Margaritaville much better now. We decided to have a concert party on board Liward for the first concert of Jimmy Buffett’s Summer School tour! And here are some of our guests arriving complete with lobster hats! |
| 24th Apr 2009 |
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| Summer School Concert |
| We had 14 friends in the cockpit for the show. Just to be sure, we put out a stern anchor to pull the boat in line with the best radio reception. A couple of times we had to crank in on the line but we heard the whole thing and had a great night. It was pretty cool to be sitting in a remote area of the world, listening to a live Jimmy Buffett concert via the satellite radio! |
| 25th Apr 2009 |
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| Dancing on the Lawn |
| We even had a little dancing on the lawn, or in our case the back deck. Steve even wore a special t-shirt for the occasion. So we’ll spend about 4 more weeks in Kuna Yala and then head towards Colon, Panama. We have a reservation in a marina to park Liward while we fly back to the USA for 6 weeks for some visiting and medical checkups. So stay tuned we might have one more update before heading for our stateside visit! |
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