San Blas

We have spent the last week in the San Blas, or more properly the Kuna Yala. The area is made up of offshore reefs and islands and inland mountains containing virgin rain forest. The Kuna's live much as they have since before being discovered by the Spanish. The won their "independence" in 1923 and have lived as an semi-autonomous part of Panama since. They are very strict about travel even among the other Kuna villages, so much of their contact with the outside world is from cruising sailboats and backpackers. About the only thing that could be considered modern civilization is the use of cell phones, which itself is only about two years old. They do not have a way to charge them though, so you can often barter fish or vegetables for charging their phone on the your boat.

The Kuna's are very open, allowing one to tour their villages. The kids have had a great time playing with the Kuna children. It has been great for Jake and Isabelle to experience the first truly different culture since we started our cruise. Jake clearly understands the differences and has some interesting questions.

Unfortunately, the weather has been terrible. The squall system we surfed in on a week ago, remains and keeps the winds elevated, with lots of rain and generally overcast skies. So we have not yet had a good chance to appreciate the great snorkeling... hopefully this week.

We have run into many cruisers, including a couple of families, that are all headed to the south pacific. We will go over to Colon and get in line for the canal this coming week. We are very excited about going through the Panama Canal and everything that waits beyond.

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