Pirates of the Caribbean

Based on the advice of friends we decided that flying to Panama City is just too boring so thought what better time way to see the Caribbean by sailing from Columbia to Panama on a catamaran for 4 nights. Not sure why we thought going out the night before till 4am and then hopping on a yacht would be a good idea but it was too late to change our mind!! We get dropped at the little jetty where Fritz the cat awaits its new eager passengers. The Catamaran comfortably fits all of us who, with the similar journeys of backpacking through South and Central, get along great. Our lives are now in the capable hands of our captain Fritz, the Smiling ex-chef from Austria.

Diving first day

Fritz the character

After swimming and hanging around on the trampolines, with Dave most likely already burnt, we set sail out of the Cartagenian harbour bound for the San Blas islands and the Kuna people of Panama. Sounds like what dreams are made of and of course was an unforgettable journey but the first 2 days were unforgettable for entirely different reasons. As I write this I’m bobbing up and down about a meter every few seconds. Sailing to the San Blas takes about 36hrs of constant travel and constant motion. Within about 3 hours Juan had her head over the side and a frown on her face as the motion had got the better of her. She was not the only one as fellow passenger Tom had succumbed to the relentless motion and a few others felt like they were on the same path. Naturally the party pack of alcohol we brought on the trip remained unopened!

  

Soccer practice

After two days of sailing on open water, we arrive at the picturesque San Blas Islands.  We spend the next three days swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and lapping up warm tropical weather. The best way to get to the surrounding islands was simply jump off the boat and swim. The islands themselves, are very small and walking around them takes less then 5 minutes. You can stay on some of the islands, with small bars, bungalows and even volleyball nets, where we got to test our skills against some of the locals. Fritz turns out to be an avid spear fisherman, though don't tell anyone especially the Kuna locals as its not allowed, and he returns with 2 lobsters 3 crabs and a fish. Jose, the first mate, cooks up a feast combined with the tuna caught on the way to the San Blas and we all get messy devouring it.

 

Sunset on our last evening in the San Blas

Making sand balls was plenty to
make these guys smile

The islands are home to the local Kuna people, who don colourful dress and choose the simplistic island lifestyle. Often you can see them paddling their home made canoe’s around selling local produce and crafts to people like ourselves on the yachts. We were lucky enough to meet some of the local children and tried with our broken Spanish to converse with these happy little kids. To us their lives seemed pretty sweet, getting to play in the water all day long, making sand castles and playing soccer. We visited the island in the middle of their soccer practice and some of the guys spent the afternoon playing against these vibrant kids

Old Panama

It takes us two hours to arrive in Panama City from where we left the boat and Dave's sunnies. The two hour drive was more like a roller coaster ride, through the jungle in fast and thankfully modern 4wd with aircon. The roads themselves were generally in good condition but the drive was definitely a bit hairy, especially at one point where we looked out the window to see half of the new road lost to a fresh landslide!!

Modern Panama city

After 5 days of socializing with our fellow boat passengers we decide that’s its best not to part with each other yet and we all stay at the same hostel – Lunas Castle. This big hostel was conveniently located, had free breakfast and all that we needed for our two nights in Panama City. Unfortunately, as soon as we got off the boat Juanita became quite sick and we mostly spent our time hanging out and recovering. The city itself is juxtaposed with modern skyscrapers, big screen TVs and billboards at one end and old colonial buildings, cobble stoned streets at the other. Halfway between both is the famous seafood markets. Here you can get the most amazing inexpensive ceviche, a dish that is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chili peppers. For $2 we got a big cup of fresh delicious prawns. Naturally we (Dave) had to see the Panama Canal and went to the information centre at Mira Flores locks.

Next stop Bocas Del Toro and Costa Rica!