San Blas Islands

Captain Rick rows into the Port Captain's office at Porvenir, San Blas, Panama

The hotel at Porvenir, San Blas

We towed a father & son to their island at Chichime after they had harvested Yucca and bananas from their mainland farm. The gave us a shell made into a horn.

Visiting the San Blas Islands was a dream for me as I have always loved the molas sewn by the women in this matriarchal indigenous group of Kunas. The Kuna people live inside the borders of Panama but rule their land independently of the Panamanian government. We spent 2 weeks sitting at anchor in the Chichime area. We loved the people, beaches and snorkeling. Rick practiced several ways to cook lobster as they were $2 each for small ones and sold daily fromt he dug out canoes.

The smaller of the 2 islands at Chichime

The southwest corner of the larger island. 10 minutes to walk the periphery of this island.

A highlight of this area for me is to see the molas. This is Venezio who is a famous mola maker. It is unusual to have a male sew the molas but he is a true fiber artist. See the huge pile of molas and he wanted us to see every one before we decided which ones to buy. He is very proud of his work. He told me how he made a special mola for his mother with a dugout canoe, a male and female Kuna and fruits in the canoe. This gift to his mother took him 10 days to sew. The molas are several layers of fabric and the design is made using reverse applique technique. The traditional colors are burgundy, orange and black. They like bright colors. Fine workmanship is seen in the tiny, close stitches executed on the molas. Several Kuna are making molas with fewer layers and in designs that appeal to tourists. These take less time to make and most tourists don't notice the difference in technique. I love the traditional designs that an artist like Venezio makes. His nephew takes him to the visiting boats and the occasional cruise ship that comes into the area. Venezio loved snoball and wanted to trade molas for her.

we kayaked everyday

words aren't necessary

view of the anchorage from the large island

the kuna sail their dugout canoes using ropes no bigger than twine

Rick loved the lobster. We had lobster pasta, omelets, salads daily for over 10 days.

There is a small hotel with 4 huts and a restaurant for guests on the large island.

roofing material to improve the roofs before the easterly trade winds start blowing in December

They sell the cruisers beer. They have 3 solar panels mounted on sticks on the top of the huts for refrigeration.

molas under the plastic of the tables

Huts that the guests stay in. We met a German couple that were staying there and diving the reef.  Hammocks are the beds inside the huts and there is a little chest to keep your stuff in.

machete is the tool of the day

The small island also has a bench on the beach, a solar panel and serves cold beer for $1.50.

I drank mine on the beach

the "bar"

lobster eyes

Dick and Maureen S/V Blue

We kayaked to an island with 2 trees and a shipwreck on it. The snorkeling was great. Rick followed a huge octopus. It sat on a rock coiling it tentacles up all around it's head and making it's eyes look really big. We were impressed. Rick says the tentacles were 1 1/2" diameter and 2 feet long.

3 kuna boys fishing and begging for "carmalitos" (candy).

conch diver teaching me how to clean them

one conch!!

We had a wonderful time in Chichime, San Blas. We didn't move around to the many other anchorages because Rick had developed a relationship with the lobster divers and it was just so wonderful right there. We heard from friends that the other anchorages were more crowded anyway....