We enjoyed our little slice of Caribbean paradise and are now back in the big city to file this trip report:
The Kuna people have held strong to their traditions and are the only group in Latin America to have indigenous autonomy. The women wear colorful clothing and leggings that stretch from ankle to knee and some even have distinct markings down their face. The men wear board shorts and cutoff t-shirts. Most of the inhabitants have had to learn Spanish as their 2nd language, which isn't that similiar to their native tongue. They don't let the Panamanian government patrol their waters so smugglers have free reign. Up until 20 years ago, the Kuna used coconuts as their primary form of currency, trading them for food and clothing with boats from Colombia. Most islands are uninhabited and filled with palm trees, a good years harvest reaches 30 million. It is an interesting place to visit.
We arrived in the port town of Carti around 9AM, and after a brief wait, were ushered onto a boat that would take us out to Ina's Cabañas. Once we broke into the open water, we could see tiny islands in every direction. Our trip took us west along the coastline for about 40 minutes, until we parked on the island of Naranjo Chico. We saw other white people playing in the clear waters and lying on the white sand beach. For $50 per night, our lodgings were bamboo huts in the sand with beds and included 3 meals. The island was actually more inhabited than we thought, with 50 locals living life, most of them we assume are related to our host. It was a good mix of being isolated and still getting the chance to see the culture.
We shared this patch of sand with 2 American girls who just recently graduated from Cal Berkely, an Israeli couple, an Austrian/Colombian couple, and 2 girls & 1 guy from The Netherlands. They were all easy to get along with and helped explain things like lunch being ready when you hear them blow the conch and that we can get free coconuts expertly shelled for us (I never really knew how good fresh coconut is to eat and how similar it is to an almond). That afternoon, 7 of us took a day trip out to Isla Perro, or "Dog Island". A beautiful small island surrounded by sand that has a few cabins for tourists with more money. Just off shore is a sunken ship that provides some great snorkeling sights. We saw loads of colorful coral and a few fish but had to fight the current that flows between 2 islands and shoots you out to deeper waters. One trip around the boat and we were worn out.
The sunken ship
Back at our cabins, we spent the rest of the day laying in the hammock, reading, and venturing out to snorkel the reef just steps away from our home. While exploring on my own, I spotted a jelly fish and quickly swam back to grab Julia. She didn't believe me when I said I saw one in Cuba and this time I would give her proof. We carefully swam toward the spot and found the cool looking blob floating just under the surface of the water. Keeping a safe distance, I snapped pictures. Since they don't really move, I am not that afraid of them, but when we started seeing tiny ones about the size of a peach and extremely tough to spot, I began to be very conscious of my movements. Their bodies were a little more oblong than the traditional jelly fish, so I wasn't positive that they stung. I wasn't going to risk it though since Julia has been touched by a Portuguese Man-o-War a couple times in her life and didn't seem to like it very much. The rest of our snorkeling time during our stay would be cautious but still amazing.
That night, some young locals living next door built our group a bonfire and setup chairs and a table for us. They were either just being nice or wanted to drink free rum and hit on some gringas. One man in his 20's spoke good English and explained to us their belief system. He said that he is from the sky, his grandfather is the sun, his grandmother is the sea, his uncle is the moon, his mother is nature, and his father doesn't exist. He doesn't know why, but nothing correlates with the father.
Everyone was very kind to us the whole time and we could tell how much they appreciate the prosperity that tourism has given them. We never worried about not having a lock on our cabin.
We actually slept fairly good that first night and woke up with the sun shortly after 6AM on Sunday. The conch sounded for breakfast at 7 and we ate fried dough with fried eggs. That morning, 8 of our neighbors traveled back to the big city and we awaited the boats return to see who the next crew would be. Around 10AM, the owner came up to us and said that no more people were showing up. It would be just us and a Dutch guy with strange eating habits for the next 22 hours (he ate less than half of his food every meal). No need to fight for time in the 4 hammocks and with the quiet, we got lots of reading done that day. We both finished our books (my 5th and Julia's 25th) and snorkeled more despite the patches of seagrass that had drifted on to our beach. The other notable moment from that day was the delicious piece of fish we had for lunch. We assumed that we were getting the good stuff since there were only 3 mouths to feed. The white fish had a perfect crispy crust and was extremely moist on the inside. Probably the best fish we had eaten all trip, though the meal in Caye Caulker, Belize at Fran's shack is the other contender.
Snorkeling
The Dutch guy left on Tuesday morning and we briefly wondered/hoped if we would get the place to ourselves. This time the owner walked up to us and said that all of the rooms would be full, with 2 boats coming. He exaggerated a little but many people did come. Thirteen new neighbors to be exact. We cringed a little at the news and made sure to snag hammocks. They were all good folks; a couple from New Zealand, 3 British girls, 1 British guy, 1 Brazilian girl, and a group of 6 friends from Spain. Only 1 speedo wearing guy in the bunch.
That afternoon, the whole lot of us went on the free tour provided by the owner, out to Starfish island. As the name implies, there are huge starfish all along the waters surrounding this uninhabited island. We threw our masks on and drifted around admiring the creatures and the little bit of coral nearby. This whole area really is spectacular.
Comparison photo
You can spot them from above
The rest of the day was the usual snorkeling and then wandering around the island. About half of the island is all palm trees and it makes for a pleasant stroll. That night we had an octopus/crab tomato stew with noodles and salad.
One last snorkeling picture
Tuesday morning we woke up and packed. We decided to depart about a day earlier than planned, partly because of the now fairly crowded cabins and also because Julia got bit by something on her left leg. The bite soon began to look infected, similar to the last one in July, and we decided to be a little more proactive this time. An easy boat ride back to the mainland was followed by a painful ride back to Panama City. Cramming 8 people into a standard SUV is not the best idea for a long curvy ride. I had to sit in the way back and was massaging my legs the whole time to try and get circulation going. Just before we couldn't really take anymore, we got dropped off at Hostel Mamallena. We checked back in, retrieved our stashed luggage, dropped off laundry, and finally got the sand off of our feet.
After cleaning up, we walked down to a clinic just a block away. It was $10 for the appointment and the female doctor was very helpful despite speaking only a little English. She prescribed some muy fuerte (very strong) antibiotic pills and cream that we could purchase from the pharmacy next door. After about $30 worth of meds that she will take for the next 7 days, we hope that this will be the end of it. Fortunately we will be around the capital for the next 2 weeks and have easy access to the best healthcare in Central America.
For dinner we cooked some Chicken Nugget Alfredo pasta and caugh up on what has happened on the Internet the past couple days. Sleep was good that night.
Now it is Wednesday morning and it is pouring down rain outside. We ate our banana pancakes and have some tentative plans for the rest of the day. Our lodgings are okay but maybe a bit too backpackery for us. We are thinking about trying another neighborhood and looking for a cheap local hotel to experience. With our friend Stanley arriving on Sunday, we have a few days to really get to know the city or just be lazy.
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