Welcome to Panama and Kuna Yala

It was a long, long motor across the Caribbean Sea from Columbia to Panama. We had winds coming from the southwest - the direction we were headed and mostly light. We also had a strong knot to knot and a half current fighting us. It was a long day and night of listening to the motor. The final four hours were the only strong enough winds to be able to actually sail. Through the night, we had some bad squalls - and tried to maneuver around them as best as we could - going off course some five miles. We still got a lot of rain - and our bimini seems to have lost its "waterproof-ness" so it was a wet night in the cockpit.

As the sun came up - the hills of Panama were visible. It was a beautiful morning and quite a magnificent country to see at sunrise. Rolling green hills and some pretty high "jungle" made for a dramatic welcome.

In 2001, this was our goal - but we never quite made it here - running out of time. So it was a real joy to make it to Panama this time around. Neither of us have ever been to the country by air, land or sea - so it was great to arrive on our own sailboat and make landfall. We headed for a small inlet called Puerto Escoses and sailed past some Kuna Indian huts and set the anchor in a very picturesque bay surrounded by high hills filled with very exotic looking flora.

A little lesson on the San Blas area. There are over 340 islands in the San Blas group sitting on Panama's Caribbean coast. They are home to the indigenous Kuna Indians which control the islands and the surrounding mainland jungles and rainforests. They manage the area, govern it themselves and are pretty independent from Panamanian rules (though they also participate in Panamanian elections). The Kunas have maintained their culture, their identity and their traditions better than any Indian group in the Americas. The Kunas don't like the name San Blas - because it was the name given by the Spanish invaders. They prefer Kuna Yala - and with respect for them, the Astarte log will also now refer to the San Blas as Kuna Yala.

More on some of the interesting Kuna traditions and customs in future logs. But suffice it to say, they are very friendly people with warm smiles and a unique style. After being at anchor for a few minutes, we had "ulus" - dugout canoes, paddle to the boat and visit. They simply tie their dugout to your boat and climb on and sit down. No invite required! Franklin was our first visitor (after a small dugout with colorful sails (aka bits of cloth) sailed by waving earlier. Franklin made himself comfortable on our back deck and simply stayed for a few hours. After visiting with him awhile, we went about the business of getting the boat reorganized after a full day sail - hanging wet raingear, baking, re-fueling with the jerry jugs etc. Franklin just sat their and enjoyed his time on the boat.

A bit later, Mr. Green came by looking for someone who spoke good Spanish and English - as he wanted to practice his English speaking. Then came the sahila - the chief - Mr. Martinez. He also climbed aboard with his dugout canoe paddler (also Mr. Martinez - no relation). He came to visit then collect the fee for staying in that village's anchorage. He very kindly wrote us a receipt, on our paper and using our pen.

Then, as the afternoon light started to fade - the nearby jungle seemed to come alive. The monkeys and birds began a chorus of very exotic, almost frightening sounds. The howler monkeys have a roar that is tremendous and when in the company of other monkeys - it's quite a vocal exhibit.

We really feel like we're in the jungle in this anchorage. Hope the bugs and bats and other critters stay on the outside of the boat tonight.

Welcome to Kuna Yala. Welcome to Panama.

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