PANAMANIA PART 1: WE FOUND ULTRA SATISFACTION
IN THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS
by Bill and JoAnne Harris
S/V ULTRA
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| KUNA YALA WOMAN DRESSED IN HER TRADITIONAL DRESS |
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| PRODUCE BOAT THAT VISITS ONCE A WEEK FROM THE MAINLAND AND DELIVERS TO ALL OF THE SAN BLAS. THEY EVEN BRING RUM, BEER AND WINE! |
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| TRADITIONAL KUNA YALA CAYUCO (KAYAK IN SPANISH) SAILING RIG |
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| YUMMY CRABS THAT THE KUNA FISHERMEN SELL TO US. THEY ARE BETTER THAN ANY LOBSTER. THE CLAWS ARE AS BIG AS BILL'S HAND! |
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| BEAUTIFUL COCONUT PALMS ARE EVERYWHERE! |
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| TRADITIONAL KUNA YALA HUTS |
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| NEVER, EVER TAKE A COCONUT IN THE SAN BLAS! |
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| BEAUTIFUL KUNA YALA FAMILY |
Our crossing was yet another beautiful sail, and one of our favorite things is being greeted by playful dolphins riding our bow waves. Since Ultra is a trimaran, our dolphin friends always give us three shows. Darting from one bow wave to the other, it is amazing that we never see these fast and magnificent mammals run into each other. We experimented with our Go Pro camera mounted on the end of our boat hook to take videos of the playful dolphins. We held the pole steady just an inch or so above the water, and as the bow of Ultra dipped down, so did the Go Pro, which gave us an amazing video of the dolphins at the waterline and then below the water. Great video affect to try out on your own. Just make sure the Go Pro is securely mounted and the boat hook or whatever pole is securely held to the vessel. You can search You Tube for "The Yacht Ultra Dolphin Show" to see our posted video.
CHECK IN
We arrived at the island of El Porvenir which is the checkin point for the area and the capitol of the San Blas Islands. There we were greeted by the Panamanian Customs, immigration, and Port Authority. The process went very smoothly, but in our opinion it was quite expensive compared to the other countries we have cruised through in the past 6 years. The cost breakdown for cruisers in US Dollars at our time of checkin: Immigration: $195.00 per person, $100.00 for a 1 year cruising permit for the vessel, and $15.00 per month, for the vessel, while we were in the San Blas Islands. Please be prepared to provide them with multiple photocopies of your crew list, vessel documentation and passports. In addition, there are anchoring fees collected at certain islands. For example, an area in the Eastern Holandes dubbed the "Swimming Pool" has a $10.00 anchoring fee per month.
Later, we were welcomed to the San Blas by a cheerful man by the name of Nestor who greeted us via his ulu ( Kuna for dugout canoe). He graciously offered to give us a tour of his island, Wichiwala, along with dinner at his family's home for the following night. We had an excellent island tour and a delicious fish dinner at his thatched roof home along the waters edge, with his entire family for only $5.00 per person. Please note: It is important to understand that you must have permission from the island chief, before you may set foot on an inhabited island. When permission is granted, it is also important to take an offering of a cash gift or gifts of food, clothing, drinking water, etc. directly to the chief.
Later, we were welcomed to the San Blas by a cheerful man by the name of Nestor who greeted us via his ulu ( Kuna for dugout canoe). He graciously offered to give us a tour of his island, Wichiwala, along with dinner at his family's home for the following night. We had an excellent island tour and a delicious fish dinner at his thatched roof home along the waters edge, with his entire family for only $5.00 per person. Please note: It is important to understand that you must have permission from the island chief, before you may set foot on an inhabited island. When permission is granted, it is also important to take an offering of a cash gift or gifts of food, clothing, drinking water, etc. directly to the chief.
TRADITION
The indigenous people of these islands, "Kunas", are the second shortest people after the African Pygmy. They are expert fishermen and support themselves by selling their catch, selling coconuts and molas. Molas are beautifully sewn fabric panels with countless designs that have both spiritual and cultural meaning. The Kuna women wear them on their blouse, as part of their traditional dress. Kuna men dress in Western clothing. Each community has its' own chief (Saila) and has its own political organization, led by a Saila (pronounced "sai-lah"). The (Chief) Saila is traditionally both the political and spiritual leader of the community. He memorizes songs which relate the sacred history of the people, and in turn transmits them to the people. The region as a whole is governed by the Kuna General Congress, which is led by three Saila Dummagan ("Great Sailas". Today there are 49 communities in Kuna Yala with a combined total of approximately 300,000, of which 50,000 Kunas live in the San Blas. They live in thatched roof huts with sand floors and hammocks strung about. Only a few have electricity, which means at the most one or two light bulbs. The rest go to sleep when the sun goes down with only the light from the moon and the stars. It is stunning for us to anchor in the pitch black surrounded by a sky full of stars. It is simply brilliant!
HISTORY
During the first decades of the twentieth century, the Panamanian government attempted to suppress many of the traditional customs. This was bitterly resisted, culminating in a short-lived yet bloody but successful revolt in 1925 known as the Tule Revolution ( or people revolution), led by Iguaibilikinya Nele Kantule of Ustupu and supported by American adventurer and part-time diplomat Richard Marsh. A treaty was created in which the Panamanians agreed to give the Kuna some degree of cultural autonomy. The Kuna women were once again free to wear their traditional clothing, gold rings through their noses, and long strands of beads on their arms and legs from their elbows top their wrists and knees to their ankles to keep them thin. In their culture, it is considered a beautiful characteristic to have small wrists and ankles. These long strands of beads are pronounced "weenie" in Kuna. So Bill is having fun saying that JoAnne was given a "weenie" as gift from our Kuna friends and now has been wearing a weenie for the last 8 months. Note: Kunas were originally on the mainland, but after disease and civil unrest several left and began to live in the San Blas Islands. Interesting facts: The Kuna Yala flag is a backwards swasticka. The Swastika is a symbol of peace for Buddhists, Raelians, and Hindus, since it is symbolizes the infinity in time, which is their symbol of eternity.
Traditionally, Kuna families are matrilinear with the bridegroom moving to become part of the bride's family. The groom takes the last name of the bride as well. The men work as hunters and fisherman, and the women seem to do everything else. This leads to another topic, that there are several transvestites in the Kuna Yala society. We were told that if a community on one of the islands, does not have enough girls, then the boys are brought up as women to keep the tradition of the matrilineal society. We were also told that only women can own land in Kuna Yala. In our opinion, the two best mola makers we have seen in San Blas were both transvestites, named Lisa and Vinancio.
The snorkeling in the San Blas is outstanding! The brightly colored coral is teeming with fish, lobsters, giant crabs, conch, reef sharks, nurse sharks, and two really fat bull sharks. However, we have heard from other cruisers that have been in this area for several years, that the overfishing in this area has seriously depleted the abundant seafood supply. It is sad to witness the careless acts of some of the native fisherman that will take any size fish, lobster, conch or crab from the sea and attempt to sell them to the boaters. Most cruisers refuse to purchase the small catches and especially the catches holding eggs. But if the catches of the day don't sell to the cruisers, the natives use to feed their large families that night. We tried to educate a group of Kuna natives about the importance of reef conservation the damage that they are doing, but to no avail.
WATERFALLS AND CEMETERIES
The chief, Victor, looked like he could be Mick Jagger's brother. Therefore, we were ready to break into song, but change the words a bit, "I can get the satisfaction". We wanted to tell him this, but he would never know anything about that amazing rock star icon, and therefore would not understand the humor.
When we were approached by our first Kuna fishermen, they sailed up to our boat with extreme precision. They arrived with a boatful of gigantic crabs. The claws (the best part) were as big as Bill's hand. The crabs were so big, they did not even fit into any pot that we have onboard. So we removed the claws and even then we had trouble cramming them into the pot. AMAZING!
The produce boats showed up almost every week. They brought a bounty of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables. They were much appreciated, since while in the San Blas it is extremely remote and there are no stores around that carry anything of this high quality. Along, with the produce, we were even able to buy eggs, boxes of wine, flats of beer and bottles of rum.
We hope that you have this amazing place on your cruising bucket list. You will not regret it. It is like being lost in time and life becomes even simpler. Your days will be filled with snorkeling, fishing, beach BBQs, sundowners, beautiful sunsets, exploring uninhabited islands and witnessing a culture that has remained the same for all of these years.
The Kunas have a difficult life each and every day just gathering enough food for themselves and then extra food to sell to the cruisers. Please expect that you will have Kuna families visiting your boat on a daily basis to sell items to you. They are extremely polite, curious by nature, and somewhat shy, and will usually whistle a soft tune or sing a sweet song while approaching your boat.
Note: The currency of Panama is in Balboa coins. Every day business transactions can be conducted in either USD paper currency, US coins and Panamanian Balboa Coins.The exchange rate is: $1USD to 1 Balboa (B)
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT:
An unusual experience we had during our stay here, was a bumping sound in the middle of the night. It sounded just like a cayuca (Kuna wooden canoe) hitting the side of the boat, then there would be a break, and JoAnne could hear what sounded like a series of small splashes. We are accustomed to small fish bumping the boat while eating bottom growth, and then larger fish bumping the bottom while charging to eat them, but usually it is not sound quite this loud and persistent.
None of ULTRA's big security lights were turning on, from this action. The first time JoAnne heard it, she told Bill asap and we turned all the security lights to light up all of the decks and the surrounding waters. We still did not see anything. Ok, the drill is over, now back to sleep. About 20 minutes later, the same noise again. Bump, bump, bump, bump and then splashy sounds.
None of ULTRA's big security lights were turning on, from this action. The first time JoAnne heard it, she told Bill asap and we turned all the security lights to light up all of the decks and the surrounding waters. We still did not see anything. Ok, the drill is over, now back to sleep. About 20 minutes later, the same noise again. Bump, bump, bump, bump and then splashy sounds.
To our pleasant surprise, we learned an adorable sea turtle was the suspect and he is extremely friendly and comfortable with boats in the anchorage. He makes his rounds and visits all of the boats.
OUR SEA WORLD EXPERIENCE
We arrived at another one of these amazing islands, Green Island, and stayed for two weeks. The weather in the San Blas is like Texas weather, it can be stormy and rainy one minute, but if you wait five minutes it will be super bright and sunny. One day, the water was smooth as glass and we decided to go snorkel the spectacular outer reef after our boat chores. JoAnne swam over to another friend's boat to invite them to snorkel with us. We had seen a pair of dolphins in the water earlier in the morning, and then to her surprise the pair of dolphins appeared once again. Swimming and squeaking all around her! It was like reliving our magical experience in X-Carat some years ago in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. JoAnne put her head under the water, as she swam back to ULTRA and watched the small dolphins swimming all around, about 10 ft. away. The dolphin pair were playfully curious about the swimmer they had found. Dolphins like to play and this was time to play.
WATERFALLS AND CEMETERIES
We did a spectacular tour with Lisa, who is a transvestite and well known mola maker. We purchased mola beer koozies from her. We signed up to do a tour of the Rio Sidra, hiking, swimming and jumping into waterfalls, and visiting Kuna cemeteries. The tour was to a waterfall and to the Kuna Cemeteries. The interesting thing was that the day we went there were 3 funerals going on. We were asked by Lisa just to pass quickly and quietly through the cemeteries to show our of respect for the families. When we made our way up the river, there were several kayucas showing up with everyone dressed in their brilliantly colored Kuna dress and gold jewelry. The Kunas carry the deceased up the hills to the grave site which is a large square hole dug about 6'x6'x6' deep with a sleeping area fashioned in the hole. Sometimes it is a earthen bed sometimes it is a hammock, and this is where the body is laid to rest. The family places the dead loved one's belongings and objects of their trade around them. A wooden lid is then fashioned over the hole, covered with thatch and then earth. Another mound of earth is piled up about the length of the deceased, and then atop this earthen mound, favorite items of the deceased are placed such as, shoes, hats, coffee cup, toys, etc. These items along with the items placed inside the hole are to be used by the deceased spirit in the after life. We have inquired about the Kuna afterlife, but they cherish their beliefs, customs and religious practices and keep them them a secret. Christianity has spread throughout the nation, however some still believe the original theory that they came from outer space. They also believe in the gods of crocodiles, birds, sharks, and other creatures.
ARTS AND CRAFTS WITH THE CHIEF
ARTS AND CRAFTS WITH THE CHIEF
In the Western Holandes, we were invited to a wonderful Sundowner and Beach BBQ by fellow cruisers, Roger and Sasha, that we had not seen since he anchorage in Grand Cayman. They had prepared delectable packets of crab, lobster and coconut rice and piled them high on the fire. While there, we met the chief and his lovely family. He invited us to come back and visit his island. We arrived a day or so later and walked the beaches. We were collecting sea beans and other items to satisfy our creative sides of making art out if them. The children were intrigued by our fascination with the buckets of sea beans we were collecting. They began to help us collect them, and took joy in our delight. They have seen them all their lives, but never understood the fun that could be had with them. They noticed the sea bean pendant that JoAnne was wearing. We explained that we had made it along with countless more. We asked if they wanted to participate in making pendants. They were elated and we headed back to the boat to collect our supplies. Bill began teaching the chief, Victor, and his brother, how to drill the sea beans with his cordless Ryobi drill. They were having a blast and drilled away! Meanwhile, JoAnne was showing the children and women how to decorate them with wire and cord. By the end, everyone was adorned with Ultra sea bean jewelry. A great time was had by all!
While working, we noticed the Chief spoke Kuna and a little Spanish, as did the other elders, however, the children spoke Spanish, but not too much Kuna. Victor explained that the family could not afford the $10 USD to take the children to Naragana to go to school by outboard powered kayuca. The children's school schedule is to travel on Monday's and travel back home on Thursday. While there, the children stay with relatives. This trip to and from school can take an entire day, depending on how far the child's island is from the school, and how many stops the Kuna canoe schoolbus ( kayuca ) must stop and pick up additional children. If the child's family or the island's village does not have the necessary fare, then the kayuca continues on towards the school, without those children. This was Victor's dilemma.
Chief Victor's island had about 8 school aged kids, and they needed $10.00 to get to school, ( we were not aware if that was just one way or round trip), bottom line the kids did not go to school that week and missed the bus. The chief, Victor, asked if we could teach them English and Spanish. We said absolutely and collected our supplies and gave everyone a pencil and paper. We found that there was a need for two pair of reading glasses and fortunately we had arrived with plenty of these type of glasses that were either Bill's or had been donated by our friends. We proceeded to teach them words in both English and Spanish from our books, and then put a twist on it and asked them what the word was in Kuna. We then opened up the floor to questions. It was amazing, they were so eager to learn and we were there for 5 hours. Everybody was raising their hand to be recognized to ask questions, even the adults. We kindly explained the significance of them preserving their Kuna culture and not to think of only learning Spanish, and leaving their native language behind. That is their culture and they must cherish it and never to think the grass is greener on the other side.
The chief, Victor, looked like he could be Mick Jagger's brother. Therefore, we were ready to break into song, but change the words a bit, "I can get the satisfaction". We wanted to tell him this, but he would never know anything about that amazing rock star icon, and therefore would not understand the humor.
IT IS LIKE THE OLD WEST REGARDING COCONUTS
Do not even think about taking any coconuts, from anywhere! Even if the island is uninhabited, the Kunas still own every coconut on every island. The coconuts are sacred and are a staple in the Kuna diet, as well as a part of their livelihood. They can sell them to cruisers or to the Colombian trader supply boats that cruise through these islands. It is stealing if you take a coconut without asking. Note: Also, the Kunas will collect your aluminum cans and sell them to the latter as well.
Do not even think about taking any coconuts, from anywhere! Even if the island is uninhabited, the Kunas still own every coconut on every island. The coconuts are sacred and are a staple in the Kuna diet, as well as a part of their livelihood. They can sell them to cruisers or to the Colombian trader supply boats that cruise through these islands. It is stealing if you take a coconut without asking. Note: Also, the Kunas will collect your aluminum cans and sell them to the latter as well.
THE KUNA YALA AND ITS' BOUNTY
The produce boats showed up almost every week. They brought a bounty of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables. They were much appreciated, since while in the San Blas it is extremely remote and there are no stores around that carry anything of this high quality. Along, with the produce, we were even able to buy eggs, boxes of wine, flats of beer and bottles of rum.
We hope that you have this amazing place on your cruising bucket list. You will not regret it. It is like being lost in time and life becomes even simpler. Your days will be filled with snorkeling, fishing, beach BBQs, sundowners, beautiful sunsets, exploring uninhabited islands and witnessing a culture that has remained the same for all of these years.
We hope you enjoyed this blog entry. There will be lots more adventures to come!
Thank you again for following our blog! Please feel free to sign up and follow our blog. Thank you for your support and all of your best wishes and comments for our safe travels!
Cheers,
J & B : )
S/V ULTRA
