Having heard amazing things about these islands, we decided it was essential to book a sailing trip to get a taste of some of the 360-odd tropical paradise gems scattered around the Caribbean Sea. The journey started in Panama City with a 4am wake up call to take a jeep for 3 hours along a very steep dirt road & even through a river. The trip was stunning with the sun rising over the rainforest clad hills and the mist starting to rise. We were interested by the tax we had to pay on entering the Kuna Indian territory. Having their own laws, they have the right to change any costs at the last minute & regularly do so. On arriving at the sea, we took a little boat an island, which had a Kuna Village and waited for the start of our sailing adventure.
We were lucky enough to find Tony Santos, who regularly takes out his own boat, the Andiamo, for San Blas sailing trips and the journey to Cartagena in Columbia. Not a charter, but not a ‘pack the backpackers in,’ the Andiamo provided the perfect solution to having chilled out sailing with fun people and at a good price. The boat allows for 8 guests (3 private cabins & single beds) and the whole trip is geared around people mucking in with the cooking, washing up and general fun-making. Tony is a great guy with lots of energy & interesting stories, especially regarding his negotiations with the local Kuna chiefs, who he seems to get on with very well. Sailing definitely seems like the best option to actually see some of the islands, rather than staying on one, which may be slightly limiting. We sailed to a few different islands, stopping for obligatory swimming in the crystal clear water & some snorkeling. The islands are undoubtedly the most beautiful I have seen, looking every bit the desert island cartoon, some with just one palm tree and a white sand beach shelving into the perfect turquoise water...the question is, what or who would you take with you??! Tony managed to negotiate some freshly caught lobster from one of the Kuna, which made a delicious dinner one night. We were unsurprised to hear that only two years previously, you only needed to put your head under the water to see an abundance of lobster winking at you from the bottom, with ‘eat me’ inscribed on their claws. Due to overfishing by the Kuna, the lobsters are much harder to find. When we questioned the morality of continuing to buy lobster from the Kuna, Tony explained that the problem is not so much the fishing, but more that they catch lobsters which are too small, or full of eggs, which naturally would inhibit future stocks. Therefore, Tony only buys large lobster from the Kuna and I was very happy to eat them.
The Kuna are a classic case of a minority stuck between traditional and modern society. While they are happy to indulge in Panama City, spending all of the taxes they regularly collect from visitors to their land on mobile phones, designer clothes & other modern appliances, they also seem to stick to their traditions in a way which only has a negative impact on the environment. For example, they refuse to accept any offer of education on how to protect their environment, i.e. why they should not throw rubbish straight into the sea, why they should not ruin ecosystems by overfishing, etc, seeing any outside advice as a threat & causing them to be defensive and subsequently reassert their power in negative ways. Some Kuna chiefs have obviously been bribed enough by the foreign investors as a new road is in the process of being built along the mainland with the area open for land purchase for foreign investors & a marina is being built. Based on our wild and adventurous journey to the islands, I think the new road will make the islands a very different place when it opens next year – I am just glad that I saw it in its tranquil, pristine and exquisite state before it becomes the next Bocas del Toro.
If you do decide to go to the San Blas Islands, I would really recommend Tony’s boat: http://theandiamo.com/logwp/tag/andiamo-sailing-club/ Mark and I had the most relaxing time & the place is just gorgeous. JG
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