MOVIES AND BREADFRUIT (SAN BLAS ISLANDS, PANAMA)

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Victor and Lisa’s Island

We had become friends with Victor and Lisa, the Chief and his wife of the Western Hollandaise group in the San Blas Islands. One day, Victor showed up at our boat, ‘Tamarin of Tortola’, to collect the $5 Monthly Cruising Tax. It’s just a little fee for anchoring in their little group of islands.

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Nargana in the San Blas Islands

The Hollandaise Islands are approximately 7 miles from the main land of Panama. The nearest populated islands were Nargana and Corazon de Jesus, two crowded islands that were joined together by a bridge. Victor and Lisa were from Nargana, which is also known as Rio Diablo after the nearby river. They and their extended family were in charge of the group of islands known as the Western Hollandaise.

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KUNA POLITICS (SAN BLAS ISLANDS, PANAMA)

We had heard so much about the San Blas Islands of Panama that we were naturally excited to be arriving there for the first time. This archipelago of over 365 islands and cayes are part of the Comarca de Kuna Yala and located to the east of the Panama Canal. It sounded like such a perfect cruising ground. Unfortunately, our first days there comprised of a depressing loss and search of our inflatable tender.   The reason it was lost wasn’t theft, it was just simple human error. But, as always with boating, lessons are learned and eyes are opened as we visit new countries. (more…)