Aeeshah

PHOTOS link –>> Bermuda, with 2 new baby granddaughters, Lily and May, family fun at Easter and more

Our visit to Bermuda was primarily timed to arrive for the birth of our daughter’s 1^st baby – May – who was due on Good Friday. She beat us as she arrived the Sunday previous March 20^th, the day before we left Panama.

Plus we had our son’s youngest daughter to meet, Lily, who had been born October 27^th  way back when we were in Colombia. We were both very excited to see and meet the new

Granddaughters.

Kate and Jae arrived back from the hospital the day after we arrived home. Baby May was 5lbs 10oz when born, just a wee little babe. She was incredibly petite in her tiny clothes, just so fragile. We enjoyed watching her grow to nearly 8lbs, become active, vocal, demanding and even playful in her 1^st month. Now she is able to roll from her tummy to her back when having tummy time, which she seems to dislike. We both loved holding May and getting to know her.

Gavin and Katie’s daughter Lily was just delightful at 5 – 6 months, which she was during the month we were home. She was sitting when we returned, laughing squawking in delight and very much a happy, happy baby girl. On her play mat she would roll and roll over, basically already moving around. She is incredibly interested in everyone and everything. Such a inquisitive, lovely, cuddly, baby girl. We visited as much as we could wanting to spend as much time with Lily as possible.

Good Friday

In Bermuda Good Friday is a special day. There are many local traditions, which our whole family enjoys.

Primarily it is the day to fly Bermuda Kites with family and friends. The kites are traditionally made of sticks and tissue paper. The sticks were in the shape of the cross and by flying them they represent the ascension of Christ. These days’ kites come in all colours, shapes sizes and made of many materials.

Other important traditions, which we enjoy, are codfish (saltfish) cakes, hot cross buns and usually Easter egg hunts. This year our daughter Chrissie, after a prompt from us about coming home, arranged for the whole family and close friends to meet at Astwood Park to enjoy a kite-flying extravaganza.

We arrived mid morning, set up on the top of the hill over looking the Southshore. It was a wonderfully sunny day, a bit windy, but you need wind for kites. Soon everyone arrived and we all proceeded to have a wonderful day together.

Dad’s accident

The next day while at my son’s house we had a phone call from Westmeath where my Dad is a resident/patient. My Dad had fallen and had a bump on his head, would we come and have a look and take him to be checked.

Off I set calling John for assistance. The bump turned into a huge lump, we spent the day and evening at the hospital getting Dad sorted out. He was very confused, his short-term memory has been quite bad for some years now, but that day it was very bad. Plus he kept repeating certain behaviors.

The hospital cat scanned him, tested blood, urine the works and only found a temperature and a white blood count of 18, which is very elevated. So near 10 at night they released him with a dose of antibiotics. Life for my Dad has not been the same since. He was back in hospital a few days later in quite poor shape, terribly confused and weak. After nearly 2 weeks in hospital he returned to Westmeath, but into the Nursing wing. There he is getting excellent care and is much happier.

John and I spent everyday taking turns at the hospital. I cleaned his old room with the hope he might return to it. In many ways it was fortuitous that we were home, as we were able to help so much. Having left for now I feel dad is in a comfortable, safe environment with our son Gavin monitoring the situation. Without Gavin we would not be able to continue our crusing life style as we are at present.

Easter Sunday

My daughter Chrissie arranged for the family to have a lovely Easter brunch at her place. (Upstairs from us) We all brought food and drink and Easter eggs. We had several hours of quality family time. It was just lovely to be together.

Gavin and Katie’s new boat

Gavin and Katie purchased a new boat. A 31-foot duel

outboard center consol, which is just wonderful for his family. He took us out for a “getting used to the boat” run.

We went towards Dockyard, hoping to see the America’s Cup boats out training. However as there was little wind they had not bothered to head out. The lack of wind meant that the day was very calm and the conditions were beautiful with wonderful reflections upon the water.

From Dockyard where we did see the renovations taking place in preparation for the AC, we went towards the Islands in the Great Sound. It was a real trip down memory lane cruising through the islands where as a family and as a child I had spent so much time.

We passed Diving Board island, Hawkins, which is now ruined by being built on, Long Island, Nellie’s, through Paradise Lakes, passed Fern, where we camped as a family for many many summers and then along Harbour Road back to the Yacht Club. It was an excellent couple of hours out on the water, thank you, Gavin.

Visit to the Aquarium

We spent a lovely afternoon with Gavin, Katie and Lily at the Aquarium. Lily loves watching the fish swimming in the tanks. She literally talks to them as they glide by. We had refreshments in the small cafe overlooking Harrington Sound and then walked around some of the grounds. The flamingoes were also a hit with Lily.

Walks with our dogs:

I really enjoyed walking the dogs Lola and Nadia, with Chrissie each day when I got the chance. It is an excellent location for walks. From our house one can go through the tracks, along the dunes of the south shore beaches and have excellent walks. John and I managed to get out together for one walk which took us all the way to Horseshoe Bay along the tracks and dunes. Our way back we took the cliffs and dunes and finally the tracks home.

Western end of Bermuda

John and I took time off our duties and went off towards the West end.  Our 1st stop was to the stable to see Jesse and Josie. John had been feeding the horses each day that it was necessary while back as Kate was busy feeding May. I had not had the time to visit them and wanted to see the newly improved stables too. They were both the same as ever and really just interested in the morning feed.

I needed to visit the family grave for my niece. The family grave is situated in St James Churchyard. The family site has been there since my grandparents passing, however many of the surrounding graves are also of extended family members. It was a Sunday and so we could hear the service going on inside the old church. The churchyard is quite a lovely one with huge cedars of 100s of years old.

From there we drove towards Dockyard enjoying the narrow lanes and the views, onto Cambridge Beaches public dock where I spent many hours as a child and up to the boatyard. At the boatyard John chatted to a friend who owns a Gulfstar Hirsh exactly identical to Aeeshah. It was up for annual maintenance. We followed the lanes out of Dockyard and saw the America’s Cups boats doing their sail practice. We stopped for a short time to watch. We enjoyed the few hours off.

Gavin and Katie’s dinner

Before we left Gavin and Katie had the family to their house for a Mexican dinner. Everyone was very entertained by the 2 babies Lily and May. The evening was wonderful!! And then it was time to return to Aeeshah.

But what about Chico?

Chico had spent his vacation time aboard Aeeshah, under the care of another cruising couple: Gillian and Gordon off svN’Aimless. Their boat was just over the finger pier from Aeeshah.

Gillian would feed him, spend time with him, walk with him and pamper him. He was a very indulged kitty while we were gone. Gillian reported how he would stalk crabs along the dock, stand up to the marina dogs, (he sort of made buddies with Luna the dog), try to sneak onto any boat he could and generally get up to mischief. A BIG thank you to Gillian and Gordon!!

“Leave the door open for the unknown, the door into the dark. That’s where the most important things come from, where you yourself came from, and where you will go.” —  Rebecca Solnit

“Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.”

FOR PHOTOS—>>  San Blas Islands and back to Panama mainland

Green Island and Nargana town

We went back to Nargana to get some water. This time we decided to do the task ourselves. So up the Rio Diablo we went with our jerry jugs and water bottles. It is always difficult to locate the mouth of the Diablo River as it blends into the jungle. We found that as it was Saturday many of the Nargana town folks were also headed up the river off to get water and for the ladies to do their laundry. Heading up the river is just lovely, the jungle is beautiful, the bird noises are incredible, seeing them is not easy unless they are brightly coloured. Butterflies and insects fly all round and the water is so clear you can see the river fish. Once upriver we went upstream from those doing laundry and having a wash and decantered our water. It was a fun expedition.

Back at Green Island we were please to be able to anchor off of the tiny palm tree island that sits off on its own surrounded by the reef. There we snorkeled and awaited weather to set off for the mainland. One day we bought a larger lobster from some Gunas. Well Chico was just totally entranced by this strange creature. It was quite entertaining. Plus he also enjoyed eating the meat too.

Linton Bay

We stopped in Linton Bay as some friends had found us a cat sitter in the marina there. While there we went for a very nice hike along the coast road. It was great to get some walking in after being on the water and island bound for a few weeks. Again the Panama countryside is very lovely.

Shelter Bay Marina

Back at Shelter bay Marina we were happy to meet up with friends that arrived on the rally and with those we had met before. We took advantage of the days to get as much accomplished as possible. Stocking up, getting Chico his booster shots, receiving our parts order, using wifi and laundry at last, and going for bike rides and outings.

Bike rides

Our first bike ride took us along the Fort Lorenzo lane to the 1^st beach. Along the way we saw tiny spider monkeys leaping across the lane from tree to tree. There were virtually no others along the lane and riding under the jungle canopy is lovely even in the high 80s. The beach where we stopped was completely deserted and we had a very nice walk along it. I was particularly happy to find many great shells, cowries and tulips to name a few.

Another bike ride we took was to find the observation tower in the jungle. This was at the far end of the Fort Lorenzo lane. Again it is a great ride but as our destination was much further – 8k – and all a gradual uphill it was a bit of a slog. Arriving at the sign we decided to ride the 3k trail again uphill but this time in the jungle. We heard many birds and insects but seeing them is really difficult unless they are brightly coloured they are well camouflaged in the dense jungle canopy. We arrived at the end of the trail and found no tower. However you could see out somewhat over the jungle. We later found out the platform, built by the Americans had been there 20 years ago but like much of the American base it has returned to the jungle. The park service just keeps the trail open now.

From there we rode another few k to the Rio Chadres where there was a landing dock. It was again perfectly lovely and so peaceful along the river. We wandered around and also ate our lunch. There was one cruising boat anchored a short way up the river and that is exactly what we hope to do too. Afterwards it was back to the marina, and mainly all downhill!

Embera Village visit.

We were lucky to be at the marina when a visit to an Embera Village had been arranged. The Embera and Wounan people are pre-Columbian peoples of eastern Panama, some of the indigenous peoples of Panama. During the colonial era they proved to be a valuable ally of Maroons, such as Bayano and Felipillo. The legacy of the symbolic relationship is still alive and well in the upbeat tempo of their music, product of the African drums. Embera people are the only indigenous people in Panama that have the drum as a part of their musical instruments.

We were taken by minivan to a tributary of the Chrades river where their canoes were waiting for us. After climbing onto their large canoes we set off for an hours ride to and along the shores of the Gatun Lake. Arriving at their village we were met by the colourfully dressed villagers who set about greeting us with music. The children are lovely, the women beautiful and everyone was just so happy. We looked around the large shelter where their craftwork was displayed. Their craftwork is exquisite!! Totally original and made from what they “harvest” from the jungle. We gathered in a typical “home” where the Chief explained their history and culture. There is no TV or any electronics, no electricity or any modern conveniences in the village. The ladies were cooking on log fires. Three logs and set ablaze at the end and the cooking pot is put on top. It is a very hard wood and lasts several weeks before they need new logs.

What was most interesting to me was their history. They lived originally in the region where the Gatun Lake is now found. When it was decided to build the canal it was necessary to flood the area thus creating what is now the huge Gatun Lake. Around the lake was to be all national park and protected. The government of Panama gave the peoples warning. They were told they could continue to live in the area but could no longer hunt the deer or wildlife, nor could the farm their rice and other crops. So the Embera peoples decided to adapt to the new lifestyle. They create their wonderful crafts, trade, and work in nearby communities while still following their original culture. Asking about their matrimonial “system” it was explained that no two from the same village or community can “marry”. The leader said he set off at 14 crossed the country and found his wife in the village we were in. He then had to prove his worth by building a home and establishing himself before she would become his. Quite progressive thinking I think.

Lunch was excellent! They served us a piece of river fish that was very tasty, cooked banana and plantain all in a banana leaf cone.

In the large shelter we were also entertained by their music and dance, plus allowed to wander around the village. Watching the children was a highlight. They are very innocent and so very lovely.

We returned by canoe to our mini van and back to the marina after an excellent day!!

To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that’s enough for one man’s life.  TS Eliot

You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it.

John Updike

PHOTOS —>> Mainland Panama and back to San Blas islands

Our first stop along the coast of Panama was Linton Bay. This is a beautiful, large, bay where they are building a new marina. We spent 2 nights there and really liked the area. There is an island where monkeys live around an abandoned house. Near by is a small beach where we went swimming.

We also visited the new marina to get information in case we leave the boat there when we fly home. Meeting a number of the folk living there we feel it is definitely a great set up. We will be back.

Shelter Bay, Colon Panama

We came into Shelter Bay marina in Colon Panama. John had promised our Australian friends Lynne and Eric, on Amurula (a 60 foot catamaran that’s 3 stories high), to be a line handler for them through the Panama Canal. That meant that on the Wednesday just after we arrived he went on their boat, which was anchored in the Flats area off Colon. They started to transit the canal on the Thursday late afternoon. They went through a series of locks and rose upwards towards the Gatun Lake. They went along with massive ships some being bigger than any he’d ever see before. John reported that all he and the others did was hold the lines from the 4 corners of Amarula while she rose upwards. Then repeated this in each lock. He said it was really easy. They spent the night on Gatun Lake tied to a buoy. The pilot arrived at 10:00 the next day, (only 3 hours late), and they crossed the lake. The lake he said was very beautiful with just jungle at the sides and islands that again were just jungle. They could hear the howler monkeys. Gatun Lake is very beautiful with absolutely no inhabited areas as it is protected. Then they went down the locks on the other side to the Pacific Ocean. John said they had a really great time, total party the whole way, the company was great and the food and drink excellent.

Meanwhile I stayed at the marina with Chico. Oh it was fine; I took the free marina bus to the Albrook mall in Panama City one day. It is the largest mall in Central Americas, just massive, about a mile long, 2 lanes of it and 2 stories high. You can buy anything there. Other days I took the shopping bus to Cuatro Altro a small shopping plaza where I started stocking up with supplies.

Now a ride on the marina’s free bus to get to any type of shop, ATM or service takes over an hour and longer if the locks on the Panama Canal are open. Open means you wait for the ships to pass through.

Shelter Bay marina is the only one in or near Colon. There is nowhere else to leave the boat in safety. The marina is situated where the old Fort Sherman was located, where the Americans had their facilities in days gone by. They left and the area has become Shelter bay Marina in one part and the “Police/Army” inhabit and train in another section, the rest has started to return to the jungle. We enjoyed poking around, riding our bikes down the lanes in the forest and exploring.

The howler monkeys scream like monsters in the jungle, we’ve seen spider monkeys and others, tons of different birds, beautiful large blue butterflies and animals like anteaters. It really is wild.

From the marina we had a few expeditions. The first was exploring the Kennedy Loop and the Battery area, that part of the old “fort” is being reclaimed by the jungle. It is very lovely walking under the shade of the trees with enormous blue butterflies, and others of various colours flying by, birds of every type in the trees and as said the howler monkeys growling/screaming in the not so distant foliage. We saw Capuchin or Spider monkeys in the trees above. They kept trying to climb into the branches above us, wondering why, I watched them over John and could see they were trying to pee on his head!

Our next walk we took was along the breakwater towards the entrance to the Panama Canal harbour/anchorage for ships. This breakwater is long as in a good mile and the rocks are not smooth traveling so I guess we got maybe a ¼ of the way across. The view was excellent and we got quite close to some vultures. These vultures are found everywhere in Panama. They seem to clean up after everyone and everything. They are large, black and I think quite handsome. After the breakwater we walked along the shoreline, which was at low tide. Again it was very enjoyable.

Another few explorations were on our bikes. One full day we rode down the lane

to San Lorenzo – the fort – at the mouth of the Rio Chadres. It was not as easy as it had looked getting there, as it was all a gradual uphill slog. Arriving at the fort we were really happy to find that it was well worth the effort. It is on cliffs above where the estuary of the river Chadres meeting the sea, the view was stunning and the breeze was divine after our ride.

The fort is the typical old Spanish colonial style, well what is left of it. We strolled around exploring the fort and down to the beach near the fort.

From the fort we rode our bikes following a long lane through the jungle to the Playa/beach. This beach was also at the mouth of a small river and again very scenic. There we had our picnic lunch and stretched our legs.

On we went to a supposed Prack battery, again left from the American base, but it was

very odd as there was a man at the battery with a large gun and a dog, plus we could see others below the battery. We had a quick look round; decided we were not welcome and left, (the man, gun and dog followed us to the gate). Can only guess they were involved with some sort of smuggling, probably drugs. After we rode back, it was a ride of about 12 miles.

We went to the Free Zone one day, the biggest duty free area outside of Hong Kong, or so we were told. It seemed like the whole size of a city. Of course we didn’t buy anything, as it was too big to know what to get or where to start. Plus being in Colon you just do not feel safe. Just driving through a small part of Colon to get to the Free Zone, we saw terrible slums; it was not nice at all.

Panama is not what we expected. It is very undeveloped, more so even than Colombia. The only developed area seems to be around the canal, Colon and Panama City, like 3/4 of the country is National Park. The National Geographic Society and Smithsonian institute have stations and research ships in Panama, Rio Chadres and Gutan Lake. The country is just full of wildlife with hundreds of square miles of untouched, unpopulated, areas of national parkland.

We left Shelter Bay Marina after 2 weeks of getting nearly everything we needed, getting the fridge repaired, having several get-togethers and pot lucks with new and old friends, many rides on the free bus and doing all the necessary cleaning and laundry. Off we headed back to the San Blas Islands.

Portobello

Our first stop along the coast was Portobello. It was first founded in 1597 under the name of the City of San Felipe de Portobello and became one of the most important sites for the transfer of the riches from the Americas. In the bay at Portobello we spent 2 nights and really enjoyed the bay and village. It is a large bay with many other sailboats, but as it is large there is plenty of room. We anchored under the old fort on the northern end of the bay. Walking through the village we found quite good grocery stores, a very nice bakery and good restaurants. The ruins of the old San Felipe de Portobello is next to the village it is very old to say the least. The outer walls are still sort of standing but the sea is encroaching and reclaiming the area. The fort on the southern side of the bay is being restored. It was interesting to walk around and see all the canons facing out to sea. In fact in all the forts in the Portobello area there are at least a few dozen canons still facing out to sea. We visited the old church and saw the famous Black Jesus who was brought to Portobello hundreds of years ago and today is reputed to be responsible for miracles, hundreds come to pray to him.

We hiked to the top of the fort above the boat. This is a 3-layered fortification. The 1^st being at sea level then up a steep incline is the second level and after a longer even steeper climb we found the top fortification that looks out over the whole bay. The view is just amazing. Once again we could hear the howler monkeys making off in the jungle around us and saw dozen of beautiful butterflies and all kinds of exotic birds. We watched the leaf cutter ants as they trudged along with massive leaves attached to their back. Their pathways are several inches wide. They are quite impressive insects.

Linton Bay

Leaving Portobello we decided to stop into Linton Bay to see if we could find a cat sitter for Chico. Our plan was to visit Panamarina and some of the resident cruisers in this area. The visit to Panamarina proved to be well worth it.

The dingy passage through the mangroves was simply amazing. It was beautiful, full of birds and on the return monkeys! We had black and tan monkeys jumping all over the mangroves by our dingy. They were quite curious about us, stopped came closer and stared like we were aliens. Plus at Panamarina we were able to book the boat in and had the promise of someone to care for Chico while he is home alone on the boat.

In the end we stayed 2 nights in Linton Bay and had an excellent time. We explored the mangrove channels and found them to be exceptionally beautiful. Took a hike to the little village of Puerto Lindo met up with a friend from the past, John on Stingo and had drinks while trying to introduce our cats, that did not go down well with the cats. And we caught up with other friends from the marina there.

San Blas Islands: Lemmon Cays,

Our passage from Linton to Lemmon Cays was for me long and tedious. The 1^st part being very close to the wind with a sea that was irregular and off the bow. In other words we were healing over and being slammed. However the second half of our passage went better and we arrived just before the evening able to make the outside passage in. We spent the night at Lemmon Cays and then moved along to:

Maoqui – Kaimou – Holandes Cays: between Acuakargana and Waisaidup

We headed to the fabled Holandes Cays, called Kaimou in Guna and Maoqui by the Colombian traders and anchored between Acuakargana and Waisaidup in the waterway that rushed between the two. It was absolutely beautiful! The water clear, clear, clear, just pristine! The two islands looked like a tropical paradise.

While there we walked around Waisaidup and found a few Gunas living there, probably to tend the huge coconut forest. The waters were all colours of turquoise with the shallows rolling ashore it was absolutely idyllic.

We snorkeled several times and found the reef excellent. There were magnificent corals of all types, schools of all different fish, eels in the rocks the reef was alive with life.

The snorkeling was excellent! In the evenings we saw dolphin chasing the school of Jacks, which were chasing the Fry as pelicans swooped and plunged into the water. Chico was very entertained with the life around the boat. This is definitely an anchorage where we will return and spend more time.

We moved along the Holondes chain to an anchorage off of Miriadup where we were the only boat. This again was a wonderful setting with white sandy beach ahead of us, shallow reef to snorkel around us and an island to explore that’s uninhabited. The island is quite large and we enjoyed a great walk around half of its shores. The windward side was just smothered in one part with trash – mainly plastic, and driftwood. I liked looking for treasures and found several lovely shells and many sea beans.

The off shore reef had a large ship aground which we managed to get quite close to by following the sandy canals through the reef and grass banks. The ship actually looked to be a quite recent wreck and in calmer weather we thought we might manage to actually get on her, we will see.

The snorkeling again was excellent. John was intent on getting some large lobsters he had spotted while I was content to take shots with the gopro and look for shells. It was very enjoyable snorkeling. Again a place to visit again.

Our next anchorage was near an area called “The Swimming Pool” and near Barbeque Island. This is a more popular area and so busier with more traffic. However a very pretty area.

We walked around another island called Banedup and enjoyed swimming in the shallows. Our final anchorage was in the natural lagoon between Ukupsuit and Cabos Cays. It is a very sheltered location and again very beautiful with the turquoise waters of the lagoon. We could see a very odd looking wreck upon the reef and went to snorkel and find out what it was there. We found an extremely long, very large thick pipe. It must have been a good 5 inches thick, made of a rubber substance, at least 10 foot in diameter and maybe 400 feet long. We have no idea what the pipe was or how it landed where it did. That day we snorkeled the whole perimeter of the lagoon for exercise, as there was nothing to see but sea grass and sandy bottom.

Green Island and Nargana town

Being mindful that the weather was deteriorating, that we had not had wifi for some days and we needed supplies we moved to Green Island to be near Nargana. The Green Island anchorage again is one of the most popular and sure enough there were a good 3 dozen boats there.

We stayed and walked around the lovely island and swam in the shallows. Into Nargana we went for a night to get wifi and supplies. The town is not a traditional Guna settlement anymore. They have moved away from the Guna customs and adopted more “modern” ways, which do not seem to suit these peoples. We managed to get more or less what was needed and headed back to Green Island. The weather had deteriorated, the sky was gray, overcast the wind gusting to high 20 knots so it was time to do chores and catch up with everything.

San Blas Islands

For PHOTOS —->> San Blas Islands

The sail to the San Blas islands was a long tedious one. The seas in this area are generally huge and the winds had been light to next to nothing so unfortunately we had to use the motor for a good part of the passage. We had plans to go to Mulatupu, which is considered the 1^st island in the group, and just off the mainland, but after seeing the seas rolling over the reef we changed our mind and headed to Isla Pinos.

The San Blas islands are a vast archipelago on Panama’s Caribbean coast. They are unique in many ways, home to the indigenousGuna Indians, who have kept their traditional customs and culture. As there is no easy way to reach these islands, they have been cut off from “progress” as we call it. The associated mainland is called Guna Yala by the Gunas. They grow produce, but do not own the land as they share everything. The area has changed little since the Spanish first arrived.

The Gunas do not allow foreigners to, buy land, live or marry into their tribes. They are welcoming to visitors, peaceful, non-aggressive peoples. They live in tribes/settlements of bamboo-thatched huts that each has an elder or tribal leader in charge. Most leaders do not allow any television, some do not allow any loud music and all maintain their traditional cultural ways. The people are all very small being one of the smallest peoples in the world.

The women make the Molas, a beautiful appliqué craft, which comprises of intricately sewn layers of embroidered cloth in vibrant colors. The men go in their dugout canoes to farm, fish or collect coconuts. There are schools for the children. The elder children help by doing laundry, child minding and such chores.

Isla Pinos/Tupbak

Approaching this island was like walking into paradise. The palm trees line the white beach, the forested hillside form the background from where you can hear the birds calling. From out at sea the island forms the shape of a whale and is called by the Guna peoples Tupbak that means whale. It is one of the tallest islands at over 150 meters high.

We found that Lynne and Eric were anchored there, hoping we would arrive. They had sailed in the day before from where we had last seen them.

We spent a lovely evening on the beach having drinks and catching up while swimming and enjoying the island. We had planned to stay and explore but didn’t, we will return there again.

Ustapu

This is the largest village I the San Blas. We found our way there with difficulty. I think the number one rule for sailing/traveling by water here is to follow the waypoints in the Eric Bauhaus Cruising Guide to the exact degree and then also keep a close watch out for reefs, (twice those waypoints were off too). The area has no easy way through the reefs, it is treacherous! There is boiling water all around, huge swells, breaking water, sand bars and islands everywhere, a maze to try to travel through. Eric says that after years of sailing all over the world this area is the hardest. Bermuda is difficult to navigate if you don’t know the waters but the San Blas is 10xs that and more. However the journey is amazingly beautiful when passing the palm tree lined, white beaches of the small-uninhabited islands.

After arriving at Ustapu around mid-day we went ashore to have a look around, plus to get sim cards, which we had heard, were available. We wandered the village from one end to the other through the tiny pathways of huts, past family compounds and guna villagers busily going about their affairs. Everyone was extremely friendly, wanting to practice their limited English and wishing us Feliz Navidad. The children were playing through the village, the boys flying kites and the girls with balls.

Eventually we found the Digicel place. Now this was inside a family compound. There was a hut where the cooking fire was burning away, grandmas sitting and fixing the beadwork on their legs, a fellow in a corner with a huge shotgun he was polishing up and children playing on a mat on the earth floor. A surreal situation for a digicel! Out of one hut a lady sold us the sim cards for a few dollars. Plus minutes for a few more dollars. At another hut I bought bread rolls for 8 cents each. We were happy with our purchases.

We did not swim at Ustapu as we saw a crocodile that was 12 feet in length at least. The croc was not far from the boats he swished his tail and then sank to the bottom.

Aridup

The next day we very carefully navigated our way to Aridup. Again the journey was beautiful but at times very scary. However we live on the edge anyway. When arriving we were struck again by the beauty of these islands. Aridup is uninhabited, but when we went ashore we found 3 or 4 Guna men and a boy busily chopping up a boat, or a part of one. They keep the island clear of rubbish as much as possible by burning the waste that washes up along with the coconut husks and fonds. We found out later that the boat had been a 50 foot catamaran charter that had met with Spokeshave reef, been holed and sank. The 18 people aboard were rescued. This boat regularly traveled these waters with guests. The Gunas had coiled the rigging and had beers they had salvaged.

We walked around the island, met Lynne and Eric with the boys, had a swim and went back to Aeeshah for a very rolly night. This is not a good anchorage. That evening we were surprised by a call on the VHF radio. It was Bad Bunny – John and Kay. They were in a nearby anchorage when a boat that dropped the hook near them had asked them to relay a message. They asked who to? When they were told they just cracked up with laughter, as it was us. In the anchorage with them was also Sorren our Swedish friend. We decided to head their way the next day being Christmas Eve.

Snug Harbour – Apaidup and other islands

Lynne and Eric decided to carry on, as they really needed internet. I was very happy to go into Snug Harbour where I could get ready for Christmas and have a few relaxing days from the traveling.

We arrived in the morning and found it to be a very beautiful calm anchorage surrounded by tiny uninhabited islands. Our friends had made a Guna friend – Arkin. That evening we had a Christmas Eve celebration on the beach. Some Guna fishermen had sold us lobsters, plus a mix of veg on the fire and we had a feast. It was a wonderful full moon evening where everyone had a grand time.

Arkin had too much of John – Bad Bunny ‘s whisky to drink and he put on my John’s Santa hat with flashing lights and set sail back home. I was quite worried about him. Well he turned up at Bad’s boat a short while later having lost his oar and could not row his canoe home so borrowed one and set off again.

Arrangements had been made with Arkin to meet at his village on Christmas morning. Upon arriving the village was having a celebration in the square and a Colombian trading boat was there. Everyone was having a great time. We awaited the arrival of Arkin and after a while set off to his hut. Well Arkin’s wife took us in to find Arkin passed out with the world’s worse hang over in bed. We were shown the molas Arkin’s wife was working on and met his daughters too. A lovely family that work very hard to make a living. I delivered our “gifts” (some clothes, lollypops, candies, a cap and such) and off we set to do the river tour ourselves.

River tour

We found the river after some help and up it we travelled for some miles. It really was picturesque. The reflections were wonderful, birds were everywhere and it was shady and cool. An excellent tour we gave ourselves, we went until we could go no further. That afternoon we went snorkeling and exploring on one of the nearby islands with Sorren. Again it was a lovely day,

a wonderful Christmas Day!

The following day, Boxing Day, we again explored the surrounding islands and swam. Walking around the island, looking for shells and doing all the pass times we love to do. Again each island is just so very special and beautiful!

While swimming off the beach a canoe arrived with a family and 2 dogs. They all proceeded to swim, the children having a great time. Again they were such friendly happy people. The children were very natural with no pretenses, practicing their English on us. Before they left they gave us some yucca and plantains/bananas.

Rio Diablo and Nargana/Corazon de Jesus

We had originally been intending to stop at Devils Cays but upon arrival the anchorage was just too rough so it was onto Nargana, Corazon de Jesus and Rio Diablo. These are two separate villages that are separated by a bridge, so are really like one settlement. These are more progressive Guna settlements. The buildings are still primarily made of bamboo with thatch however there are more concrete buildings and there are services.

We walked around the settlement, were able to find a “store” and buy a few bits and pieces. Plus we were able to buy some bread rolls, diesel and order water. The major bonus was the internet/wifi. There was enough signal to be able to call home, receive emails and get the weather, whoopee!!

River tour: Rio Diablo

Early, 7:30am on our second morning we went looking for the Rio Diablo. Well it is not always easy to find the mouth of a river as the trees and mangroves grow right out into the bay. After some hunting we all, Eric, Lynne and Boys; Kay, John Bad, my John and myself, finally spotted a Guna boat heading into the apparent mouth.

Up the river we slowly went avoiding sunken trunks, branches, and mud banks. This river was much wider than the last one, but just a beautiful. We saw many different birds of all types from woodpeckers to vultures to humming birds, birds of prey, and water birds.

We also saw quite a few Guna dugouts and bigger wooden boat with containers heading up river. As we got to about 3 miles up river we could see that these local boats/canoes with the containers were actually collecting the water for the settlement. Yep, the water we had ordered was coming from up river, hummmm….. So it was decided that some bleach would be added to our water, much to my dismay. When we felt we could go no longer we stopped at a riverbank where the boys had a run around with their Frisbee. It was a lovely morning up the Rio Diablo.

Green Island/Kanjildup and surrounding islands

We sailed to Green Island where we spent New Years. Our 1^st evening we had a great fish dinner aboard Amarula with Lynne and Eric. For New Year’s Eve evening we were aboard Bad Bunny with Kay and John where we had an excellent chicken dinner.

During the day we snorkeled the reef, dingied around, explored the islands and really enjoyed the area with Kay and John. It is truly a very beautiful group of islands. Being closer to some sort of civilization there is a wifi connection, the Gunas make deliveries of vegetables, fish and lobster plus they have dug a fresh water well on one of the islands. We really enjoyed our time there.

Porvenir

It was time to check in officially to Panama so we sailed to Porvenir. There you find a group of islands, on one is immigration and customs office, a very small place to stay and an airstrip, (which only the smallest of planes could land on). However again it is very lovely.

Checking in was very easy and in fact we were given a coconut to drink. A guy was passing them to the Guna ladies and they offered them to us as well. The milk was delicious!

Following check in we dingied to the neighbouring islands and were able to buy some pan – bread! We had run out a few days prior.

Chichime Cays Eastern Lemmon Cays

This was our next destination. We dropped anchor between Uchutupu Pipigua and Uchutupa Dummat, surrounded by reef that cuts the swell but not the breeze. It is a very lovely group of islands on one a few Guna families live and on the other the Gunas have built huts for tourists to visit and even stay over night. Therefore it is also somewhat busy with the local taxi boats and the carter boat traffic. However that really didn’t bother us.

We dinged to the reef and snorkeled everyday on the reef and in the shallows. The snorkeling was excellent. I found lovely shells; saw many rays, an octopus or 2 plus numerous fish. It really is so shallow over the reef and grass banks that scuba would never be necessary. On the outer reef there was a wreck of a sailboat, which John swam over the shallow reef, (about 2 – 1 foot deep), he of course climbed on top. We found several other wrecked sailboats on the bottom around the deeper reef. It really shows how treacherous the reefs here can be when you approach from out at sea. We also visited some of the Eastern Lemmon Cays about a mile or 2 away from us one day. Again they were just beautiful. We will have to return to them.

As we were just about out of all the foods and extras that make life comfortable we decided we needed to get to some sort of shopping area to stock up. Plus John had promised to do the transit through the canal with Amarula. So we were off to Shelter Bay Marina in Colon by way of Linton.

“You have to start by changing the story you tell yourself about getting older……The minute you say to yourself, “Time is everything, and I’m going to make sure that time is used the way I dream it should be used,” then you’ve got a whole different story.”   Diane Sawyer

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”  Ayn Rand

Cartagena, Isla Del Rosario, Islas de San Bernardo/Tintipan and Sapzurro PHOTOS–>>Cartagena Colombia

The passage from Santa Marta to Cartagena is approx 120 miles. We set off at 9:40 and arrived at dawn, but the actual passage into Cartagena anchorage took until 8:00 am, as it is quite a long channel in between the islands. Our overnight passage went as well as can be expected. The only rough water was off of Barranquilla where the Rio Magdalena flows out into the sea. There the water was a weird mix of colors and as it conflicted with the swell there were some quite big seas.
Cartagena

was not what either of us was expecting. Part of it is a very large modern city with a huge protected harbour. There are 2 busy massive cargo docks with ultra modern automated cranes where enormous cargo ships are constantly being loaded and unloaded. One of which is located on Manga. There is a large industrial area, with industrial docks, and all manor of industrial equipment. There is the ultra modern, expensive side – Boca Grande – where there are high-rise exclusive apartments and shopping plaza malls. There is the regular city, which has a densely packed market and shanty areas. Then there is the Centro mere Historico – the old city, which is a world heritage site. The anchorage is off of Manga, next to Club Nautico and other marinas. We anchored near Club Nautico and ahead of Amurula, Eric and Lynne’s boat.

The walk from the dingy dock into the old city would take us about half and hour, but it was an extremely hot walk. We both found that it was probably the hottest place we had visited. On Aeeshah we had some breeze so it was passable, but on land the only way to travel was in the shade.

We enjoyed walking into the old town during the evening as the temperature was cooler and the streets were alive. Due to the Christmas season the city was decorated with lights everywhere and there were fireworks most nights. In the plazas local dance groups would perform, musicians would play; many families would be out for the evening enjoying the atmosphere. Saturday nights were the nights for weddings. The churches would be decorated and you’d hear lovely singing, guests would be dressed to the 9s and horse and carriages would drive the bridal couple to and from the wedding. Actually there were many horse carriages for hire and couples or families would be driven around the city loop while musicians would jump aboard too and serenade them.

I investigated and found an excellent walking tour. It is with a local called Edgar, who had an excellent tour technique that simply grabbed everyone’s attention. We met at 10:00 and toured for close to 3 hours, all around the old city, listening to interesting stories and historic facts. By the end of the tour we really knew our way around the old city.

We visited many of the historic sites while in Cartagena:

Palacio de la Inquisicion/ Palace of the inquisition:

Housed the notorious gruesome inquisition whose job it was to stamp out heresy. The Holy Offices main job was to instigate proceedings against such crimes as witchcraft, magic, and blasphemy, (anyone who did not conform to the Catholic Church).  The culprits when found guilty were publicly executed; about 800 people were put to death here. There are some of the tools of torture on display, plus the guillotine and the hang mans noose.

Convento and Iglesia de San Pedro Claver:

Was a convent that was founded by Jesuits. The name was changed to honor San Pedro Claver who became known as the Apostle of the Blacks, or the Slave of Slaves. He was a monk who spent his life ministering to the enslaved Africans and he was the first person to be canonized in the New World for his amazing acts of kindness. The convent is a 3-story museum now along side the church. It is a beautiful colonial building with excellent displays. We enjoyed walking around and viewing the exhibits especially the San Pedro Claver rooms where he actually lived. You can still see his body as it lies under the alter in the church.

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas:

is a fortress, in fact it is the greatest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in any of their colonies. The original fort was commissioned in 1630; it was enlarged over the next 100 years and more until it became an impregnable fortress. We spent a good many hours exploring all the levels, walkways tunnels and terraces of this massive fort. There were great views across the city too.

Las Muralles:

Are the thick old city walls that were started to be built towards the end of the 16th century after an attack by Sir Francis Drake. They took 2 centuries to build and are absolutely massive. John and I walked them in 2 segments, it was a long, hot, walk each time and truly illustrated just what an astonishing piece of military engineering Las Muralles are.

Museo Del Oro Zenu is Cartagena’s small gold museum.

We enjoyed visiting there; again the gold work is amazing.

Museo Naval Del Caribe – the Navel Museum:

Was an excellent museum. John particularity enjoyed all the exhibits, unfortunately much info was written n Spanish and so not available to us.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Iglesia de Santo Toribio de Mangrovejo are 2 examples of the wonderful old churches found in Cartagena. I enjoy visiting the churches, as the architecture is lovely.

Getsemani:

The outer walled town is exciting to visit too. The lanes, small shops, shady plaza and graffiti were fun to see. During the evening it is also full of street entertainment, which we really enjoyed.

Malls, there were 2 excellent malls that we visited, for shopping and AC enjoyment. We had fun buying our Christmas presents for each other and met with friends for coffee and others for lunch.

One morning Lynne and Eric with the boys in their dingy and John and I in our dingy drove along the Boca Grande sea front. The beaches were all ready for the masses to enjoy so we went for the end by the sea wall and enjoyed some time on the beach. Another evening, John and I were so desperate to cool down we went back that way and had a swim. The water was tepid, but did help to lower our body temperature.

A dingy drift was organized by Lynne, so along with Ron and Debbie in their dingy and Lynne, Eric and boys in their and John and I in ours we went to the end of the harbour near Muelle Turistico de los Pegasos – walkway with Pegasus – where we tied to a large yellow harbour buoy and enjoyed our evening snacks and drinks/cocktails. It was definitely a novel sight to the passerbyers and very enjoyable few hours for us.

Overall we had a great 12 days in Cartagena and intend to go back.

Isla Del Rosario

We left Cartagena 16th December and had an excellent sail to the Rosario islands. Amarula followed us. We had agreed to be buddy boats till we reached Portobello, as after their attack we all felt nervous and more vulnerable even though we had really stepped up security. Anyway we anchored off of the main island in the Rosario group. We enjoyed a great swim, a quiet evening with no land noise or light pollution.

Islas de San Bernardo:

We set off for these islands the next day. They are a small chain of islands that include Tintipan, where we anchored for the night. Santa Cruz island, which is one of the chain, is known to be built out of seashells by the local fishermen. It is renound for being the world’s most populated islet with 1247 people living there in just 90 houses.

We enjoyed a snorkel in clear water for the first time since Bonaire. There were lots of fish, healthy coral and large orange and yellow starfish. Eric took the boys to the beach on his kayak while we wallowed in the warm water the dogs played Frisbee.

Our next day at Tintipan dawned with no wind, flat calm, and no way to sail. A decision was made to sit tight and await the supposed winds arriving the next day. We all set off in the dinghies to explore the few nearby islands. Tintipan is just a maze of bays with beaches and mangrove channels leading to more of the kind. There are very nice properties spread out along the way and supposedly they belong to the rich Colombians who visit ocasionally and have workers/caretakers living and maintaining them in the meantime. There were some littler islets that were just floating buildings and looked to be for tourists. We circled Santa Cruz and were amazed by the way the whole island is just a mass of wooden and tin buildings. There were people everywhere, it looked like a big mess to me, but I’m assuming they have nowhere else to live.

Heading out:

Back at the boat later that afternoon the wind was picking up, but there was also the distant booming of thunder and large cumulus clouds off on the horizon. Due to the wind that was increasing John and Lynne and Eric made the decision to head out. I was not happy, as we were not prepared for an overnight 24-hour sail. Off we headed, we had to carefully weave our way through the maze of reefs and that was when we lost the sun, so 0 visibility. The wind definitely picked up all the way to over 30knots, plus the seas kicked in. It was a dangerous position we were in. On we cautiously continued until finally we were away from the reefs and in the deep blue. That was when the wind died and then came round to being right directly towards us along with choppy rough seas.

Amurula had exited via a different passage so we had lost sight of them. We heard via the VHF that they had turned back due to the lack of wind and were anchoring near where we had left the last island. We agreed to meet in Sapzurro.

Our over night passage began rough and under motor, but improved and we ended up having a fine overnight sail into Sapzurro. When you enter the harbour it has large mountains behind and high cliffs on one side and reefs on the other so one must stay right down the middle. There are large rolling seas entering the harbour, but in the left/southern side there is an anchorage that is somewhat protected.

Sapzurro

The jungle-covered hills in front of the much higher mountains of Darien and big swells crashing into the cliffs on both sides of the bay create a beautiful picturesque scene. The village itself is a fishing village and quaint. There are no roads leading here and just over the mountains is Panama. We saw evidence of human trafficking, but you just look the other way and mind your own business there.

We spent one day exploring the bay. We walked the entire shoreline of the bay, through the village along a pathway, the only pathway. Then we hiked over the headland along the shore outside the bay towards a headland to – Cabo Tiburon The coastline was beautiful, the beach scenic and the hike very enjoyable. After listening to the radio for a message from Amurula we deceided to move on to the San Blas and maybe find them. It was goodbye to Colombia after nearly 3 months, but we do hope to return.

Bogota for five days   PHOTO LINK –>>Bogota for 5 days

Day 1

John and I flew to Bogota Colombia’s capitol for 6 very full days. Upon arriving you notice that the climate is vastly different to Santa Marta even though they are only 500 miles apart. Bogota is cool, temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, with the lack of humidity, but with the sunshine this made it a very pleasant change. The city is massive, 9,000,000 people live there making it the second largest city in South America.

As we caught the 6:00am flight we were at the Hotel Bh Bicentenario by 8:00, left our bags, had a breakfast at the Juan Valdez next to the hotel and joined the

10:00am Ingelise (English) walking tour.

The tour lasted 3 hours, toured us around all the key sites in the historic center La Candelaria area – (centro historico La Candelaria), which is a living museum. It was a brilliant start as we were then able to navigate ourselves plus

knew the background history of the city. After our lunch we checked into our room, wandered down Avenida Jimenez and around the central plaza – Plaza de Bolivar, explored further, had dinner and retired early as we had been up since 3:30am.

Day 2

The next day we set off to the Gold Museum – Museo Del Oro.

This houses an amazing collection of indigenous gold workings plus tells the history of the gold production of the indigenous peoples of Colombia. It is amazing to see the sophistication of the work. Almost all of the works are smelted, with the Muisca and Sinu peoples using the “lost wax” technique, with a number of other metals being purposely alloyed. Here we saw intricately crafted and designed jewelry, artifacts, ornaments and many more. One of the highlights was the golden raft created by the Muisca people. It portrays the El Dorado “Golden One” ritual. What makes this even more incredible is the age of the work on display. It all dates back hundreds and hundreds of years. It was absolutely amazing and a museum that is probably the best I have visited. Luckily most of the signs had English too so we were educated about the true history of this northern region of South America. We spent 4 hours in the museum and enjoyed it immensely.

That afternoon we joined the walking Graffiti tour.

Bogota is known to be one of the top places for graffiti in the world. It is a form of social commentary and cultural expression especially during “La Violencia” and the height of the civil war. The modern designs have become quite complex via stencils, spray paint, sticker and wheat pasted posters. We started by visiting the oldest part of the city La Candelaria. Here the graffiti is more a work of art with a message. There are hidden messages and hidden forms of graffiti, which were all pointed out to us, but after a short while we were able to spot the different Taggers/artists and find the hidden messages. I found the art to be brilliant!  In this area of the city the buildings are very old and protected due to their historical importance and so much of the graffiti has been sponsored, permission given and encouraged. There were pieces by artists like Guache, Stinkfish, Bastardilla, Rodez, DJUL and Toxicoano from Colombia, Pez from Barcelona, Spain, and CRISP from Australia, plus many more. Next we went to the more commercial area where the graffiti was political. Again the artwork was full of messages, this time with deep political messages. It was a wonderful 4-hour tour and completely free, just gave a tip after of 30,000pesoes – $10.

Again we were completely exhausted from a very full day.

Day 3

We had arranged Bogota Pass to do a day trip to Laguna De Guatavita – Lake of Fools Gold and Zipaquira The Salt Cathedral.

Alex our English-speaking guide and driver arrived at 8:00am and off we drove. As it was a Sunday we had less traffic but in Bogota on Sunday’s everyone takes to exercise especially biking. The road through the mountains was clogged with bikers zipping along downhill or slogging up hill literally by the hundreds. Most of them were doing a 60-kilometer circuit up and down the mountains. We stopped for a lovely view of the city. We continued until Emblase de Tomine a large reservoir area where we next stopped. This reservoir flooded the town of Guatavita in to 1960s. We stopped next to visit the newly built town that replaces the old town – Nueva Guatavita. It is lovely; all the buildings are white with the red tiled roofs.

The countryside that we drove through was reminiscent of the European lower alpine scenery, just beautiful. The air was clear, the sun shining, and wild flowers everywhere on the farms on the slopes. We were in fact over 11,000 feet. We arrived at the site of the famed legend

El Dorado – Laguna De Guatavita. There we met up with a group, (unfortunate for us it was a Spanish speaking group) and proceeded to walk the path to the famous mountain lake. We did luck out in that some of the signs were in English and Alex did tell us the story surrounding the legend. Apparently the native Muisca Indians of the surrounding area had been using this lake for religious ceremonies for hundreds of years. These ceremonies included upon the death of a chief his nephew would be covered in gold dust, ornaments and jewelry. The “new leader” plus objects were deposited in the middle of the lake to appease the gods when acknowledging a new Shaman or leader. The lake was said to be perfectly round and bottomless. However when the Europeans/Spanish arrived and heard the legend they were determined to find El Dorado and retrieve the gold and jewels. Many attempts were made, they even tried to drain the lake, some did find treasures but the lake has remained sacred and mysterious.

The walk to the top was very pleasant with beautiful scenery along the way. The lake it self is small and a dark green, quite lovely to see. I did find the climb quite tiring due to the altitude, but short and it was worth it. After there we drove passed an area where a very rich Colombian has built a replica of the Taz Mahal and other famous buildings. It is now a fun park.

We stopped for a lunch at a roadside eatery. This was one of the lunches that the country is famous for a huge carne roast. Whole animals on spits roasting. You have to love meat to appreciate it. We ordered two meals between the three of us and I just sampled from John and Alex’s plates. I personally enjoyed the Arepas the most. These are corn based “pancakes” stuffed with differing ingredients in different regions. Mine were stuffed with the local cheese and delicious. John just loved the meat all of it, pork and beef.

From there we drove to Zipaquira and walked around the town. It is a beautiful town and being Sunday the townsfolk were out enjoying the plaza and the inns, selling wares, playing ball and having fun. The architecture was stunning, such a mix of early colonial Spanish and traditional, the colors really made it special.

Then it was off to the Salt Cathedral – Catedral de Sal.

We had an English-speaking guide for the Salt Cathedral. He explained the size of the mine – 240 feet below ground, producing many, many tons of salt daily has enough salt for another 500 years. Salt is extracted these days by using water. However in years gone by it was mined. The miners decided to create the cathedral in the space left behind from the mining. There is no way to describe the size except to say vast, massive and quite incredible. The tunnels have chapels with differing crosses carved, some with statues and some with just lighting and carvings. There is the main chamber with the largest cross that has been carved and other carvings in the walls all dedicated to Christianity as Colombia is a very religious, (Catholic) country. It was truly an amazing wonder to behold and not at all what either of us was expecting. To tour the mine took 2 hours. From there we drove back to Bogota and we’re back by 8:00pm. Another very full day!

Day 4

We set out to visit the monastery – Cerro de Monserrate. Set on the mountain behind the city at 10,341 feet. We could see it from our hotel window. There are various ways to reach the monastery, walk up the path, take the tram or the “train” we decided to take a ride up and walk down. (The faithful have been known to “walk” up on their knees during Holy Week.) We rode up – straight up- in the “train” I would call it a tram but the hanging gondola is called the tram, quite confusing. At the top we walked a lovely garden like path to the monastery where the viewpoint looked out across the entire of Bogota. It is a spectacular view of the city. Our walk back down took over an hour, yes that is how long the path is with countless steps and being quite steep it must be quite a challenge to climb, especially on your knees.

That afternoon we visited the Museo Botero – art gallery. Here is a large collection of works of art by the Colombian born artist Fernando Botero, (John’s new favorite artist), plus also his personal collection of some famous artists, Picasso, Dali, Monet and such. We both really enjoyed looking at the art, which John said was the 1st time he remembered appreciating artwork. His favorite artist Botero with everything being a round corpulent interpretation.

Day 5

I really wanted to see the Wax Palms, Colombia’s national tree which stands over 200 feet plus the Colombian Orchid. So off to the Botanical gardens – Jardin Botanico we went for the morning. We managed to follow the Spanish map and advice of the guide to find our way around, but all the signs were in Spanish so much of the info was unobtainable for us. We walked all of the pathways and really enjoyed the botanical displays. The wax palms were magnificent, unfortunately the orchid house was under renovations, but I did get to see some lovely orchids in the greenhouse area.

We were returning from our visit in a taxi down one of the freeways, 4 lanes for each side and with a central lane for the metro busses which are 3 carriages long, when we could see police stopping cars, mobs of people, the busses all stopped and then a mob of people running towards our lanes. The taxi driver sped up but a man jumped in front of our taxi pointing a lollipop at the windscreen so the taxi driver screeched to a stop. Masses of people mainly women and children dressed in blue stood across the 4 lanes screaming in Spanish honking handheld horns, blowing whistles and apparently protesting about something. Well they would not let the traffic pass, some bikes hopped the central zone others tried to press through but were stuck. We remained so for 5 – 10 minutes when John paid the taxi driver and we started to walk down the freeway. Luckily as we were at the head of the line we could quite quickly walk to the next lane leading into the freeway, flag down a taxi and off we escaped the crazies.

Our destination was the Museo Nacional – National Museum. We had a picnic lunch in front of the museum and then entered. It is located in an old jail built in the 1800s, so the building is very historic too. Inside we enjoyed seeing more relics of Colombian indigenous peoples past, of the Spanish colonials, the religious relics, artwork and much more. From there we had a great time walking along one of the very busy commercial streets where you could buy anything imaginable.

Day 6

The mornings all started with an excellent breakfast at our Hotel Bh Bicentenario. However on returning to our room we received a phone call from friends Lynne and Eric onboard Amarula to say that they had been attacked during the night. It was shocking news! Thank goodness they had just been roughed up, but unfortunately they had been robbed, literally cleaned out, everything of value taken. We told them that we would arrange for them to enter the marina and would be back later that night to help in anyway we could. It was terrible for them :-((

This last day we set out to see the Casa de Nariño the Presidential Palace and the area surrounding it. We found that the huge Plaza de Bolivar was fully decorated for Christmas, the tree being huge and beautiful. Plus there were different groups demonstrating, one group of Indians were in red and green with a large flag and the face of someone plastered everywhere. Another group were carrying orange, mainly balloons, they were protesting women’s rights and the abuse women had to suffer. While in the Presedential grounds there was an official parade taking place. The security was everywhere with their big guns.

After watching the military march around we visited several churches and the Cathedral Primada. The churches: Iglesia and Claustro De San Agustin and Iglesia de San Francisco are amazingly well preserved for being hundreds of years old. The Cathedral was drab compared to some of the churches, which were adorned with gold leaf, fantastic carvings, paintings, domed ceilings, chandeliers, magnificent stained glass windows, ornaments, and chapels of all types. The churches are amazing!

We did our shopping mainly for the fantastic crafts that were for sale. We both loved the beadwork and the brass wire objects that were being crafted. We flew back to Santa Marta to Aeeshah and Chico.

PHOTO LINK –>> Rodadero, Taganga and Santa Marta

Taganga where friends were attacked

We had visited Taganga before we went to the Lost City. It is the bay to the east of Santa Marta and you can get a regular city taxi there for just a few pesos more than the usual fee of 5,000 ($2:00). There is a very nice view of Taganga from the slopes above it as you drive down and to me that was the nicest part of Taganga. It is really just one main road leading to a long beach and broad walk. There are several places to eat along this beach area, hostels and bars, but it is very neglected, run down area. We walked along the front, were warned by the police of bandits if we left the front and saw many druggies/addicts. There was an open style eatery selling fresh fish lunches which we agreed to stop at and really enjoyed their food. We then left Taganga as neither of us liked the area. This is the bay where our friends had anchored and checked in to Colombia upon the advice of a Colombian agent/official.   An account of their attack is written here:

 http://amarulasail.com/2015/11/28/boarded-and-robbed-in-taganga-bay-colombia/

Upon our return to Santa Marta we helped Lynne and Eric as much as possible and then they left for Cartagena where we agreed to meet a week later.

Rodadero

Another side trip we had taken was to Rodadero, which again you can reach via a yellow Santa Marta taxi. This area is to the western side of Santa Marta is where most locals go to spend a day at the beach. We walked all along the beach, looking at the locals, water taxis, venders and such. It is a very nice beach with lots on offer for a day at the beach. There are many very nice shops, hotels and restaurants along the front too. We found a small eatery and had some ……… Before heading back to the Marina.

Santa Marta again

After we returned from Bogota our friends John and Kay on Bad Bunny headed out for western Colombia and the San Blas islands. It felt very strange not having them there as our neighbors, however before we knew it more boats arrived and we had new neighbors. There was a weekend where the Colombian Cross Fit Championships were held at the marina. It was fun to watch.

However we basically spent the next week working on all the projects we needed finishing. It was a mad rush to get ready to leave for Cartagena. We really loved Santa Marta and will return, as there are still places to visit and things to do there for us. Meanwhile we are now in Cartagena.

For PHOTOS click —>> Santa Marta, Aracataca, to Minca twice

Santa Marta, Columbia

Our first day John – Bad Bunny- took us on a city tour. He literally walked us everywhere, to the fabricators, to the upholsterers, to the market, the grocery stores, around the tourist area, the contraband area, and to the cheapest area for good local foods. We were out for hours exploring, it was an excellent tour.

The city is buzzing with life, there is a store or a service for every conceivable item anyone can think of. The venders line the streets selling more stuff than can be imagined, Spanish music plays, pedestrians hustle around, it’s all busy, busy, busy. The traffic follows a one way system, which makes crossing the road somewhat easier, but the drivers are very spontaneous and reactive. They honk horns impatiently, squeeze between each other’s vehicles, ignore traffic lights and consequently we saw many near misses and several fender benders. Santa Marta is a very colorful, lively city.

It is definitely a city to get repairs or odd jobs done. We took our 6ft by 3ft cockpit cushions in to the upholsterer and had new foam inserted. He did a marvelous job at the cost of approximately $15 that’s 45 000 pesos. I had the best wash, cut and blow dry done since being home at a cost of $8US. Just amazing how inexpensive everything is.

Aracataca

Our first visit outside the city was to Aracataca, the village where Gabriel Garcia Marquez was raised. He had written “100 Years of Solitude” based on his childhood in this village and the experiences and stories he encountered as a child. John had read half the book and I had read one of his other books, so when it was suggested we visit the village we agreed. Our group consisted of Mike and Jean off Tomorrow’s Dawn and Ian off Rosidente. To get there we had to catch a bus from the main bus depot, which turned out to be quite easy as everyone rushes to help you.

The bus was a large air-conditioned bus and the ride was 1 and 1/2 hours through the countryside. It was quite pleasant looking out at the vast expanse of farmland. We arrived just outside the village on the main road and then had to figure out which way to go and where to find the Museum/house. After some confusion trying to “speak” to the locals to get directions we finally figured out the general direction to head.

Upon reaching the building dedicated to Gabriel Garcia Marquez we read the accounts of his and his family’s lives, it was interesting and informative. From there we purchased refreshments and sat under a large shady tree in the village center watching the comings and goings in the village. Around the village we strolled, and then along the railway tracks back to the main road to get a bus back to Santa Marta. We ended up on one of the smaller buses, which stopped along the way to pick up locals and their various bundles. The ride back was not as comfortable, but it was entertaining.

Minca

The second outing was with the same group and we headed to Minca situated in the mountains above Santa Marta. To get to Minca you go to Calle 11 and Carerra 12 in a yellow Santa Marta taxi. They are numerous and run all through Santa Marta for the same price of 7000 pesos which is just over $2.00. At the corner of Calle 11 and Carerra 12 you get a collective to Minca. A collectable is a jeep that fills up with 6 – 10 people and charges about 6000 pesos per person, around $2.00. It becomes evident why a jeep/ overland vehicle is necessary when you see the roads. The roads are very windy, uphill, full of huge potholes, and in many places muddy ditches where the road has given way in a landslide. Not a ride for nervous dispositions. To be fair the roads are being worked on and in areas aren’t too bad. It took about an hour to arrive in Minca and again it was a fun-entertaining ride.

Minca is a very lovely mountain village where you can visit waterfalls, outlooks and pools. It is also a center for hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Again none of us really knew where we were headed, so the collective driver just pointed up the lane, which we took to mean that the waterfalls and such were in that general direction. Up we walked, now the impression we had was that the attractions were close or next to the village, not so, after an hour we found the turn off for the path to the

Azure Pools – PozoAzul.

Down another path we walked for about 1/2 an hour where we found the pools. However as this was a weekend and the pools were very crowded indeed. It was a lovely setting and after looking around, back to Minca we walked arriving about an hour later. It was really a very pleasant, unexpected hike uphill and downhill. Back in Minca we found the place absolutely crowded out. The roads were completely blocked both ways by the traffic of very impatient visitors, people trying to squeeze by, dogs, children all throughout the traffic and then the rain started. We were lucky to find a little place to eat some wonderful empanadas and home made ice creams. We walked to the river and found out that it being a public holiday the next day meant that Minca was busier that anyone could ever remember it being, the police were trying to sort out the traffic and were even turning motorists away. We luckily found our driver, climbed aboard, he had to reverse a ways downhill before he could turn and head back down the mountain road.

Minca again

John and I decided that we would spend a few nights in Minca so that we could hike during the day to areas we had not visited.

Oscars Place had been recommended as place to stay. We set off into Santa Marta, then by the collective up into the mountains and Minca. We had luckily researched the way to Oscars, as it is quite a long way out of Minca, not on a road but along a narrow mountain path. The walk there is very lovely along the trail, up and down and along the ridge, plus through a river. We really wondered how he had managed to build his place. He later explained that he used mules. Oscars Place looks out over the mountain slopes towards Santa Marta. The view is spectacular! Our booking was for the Jungle Loft, which was again, located a distance from Oscars – downhill. From there we also had a terrific view, but it was quite a climb to the top. We were the only ones staying in the Jungle loft area so we had the area to ourselves. There is no electricity so at night we would use our torches to find our way back to our loft.

On our first day we had lunch and hiked to Marinka Waterfall. This was a few hour hike there as we set off light rain started and as we reached our destination the heavier rain began to fall. The waterfall was beautiful and John went for a dip under the falling waters. The hike back down was quite challenging as the mud was very deep in places, so with the downward motion it was easy to slip. We didn’t though.

On our second day we were told by Oscar to catch a ride with one of the motorbike taxis and visit Victoria Coffee Plantation. Off we went on the back of a motorbike each. I found it quite fun, somewhat scary when we skidded in the mud and very bumpy over the rough terrain. John however was terrified he told me. As he is never a pillion passenger he found the ride was not enjoyable. This motorbike taxi cost 8000 pesos each, which is about, or just under $3.00 for a half hour ride up the mountain.

La Victoria Coffee Plantation

At Victoria we were given a tour, which was very interesting. The original equipment from 124 years ago is still being used. The newest equipment is the electrical, which was installed in the 1950s. It is really an operating coffee museum. However the equipment is used lightly and there are only 3 harvest months November to January. The rest of the year is the growing of the coffee and maintenance of the place.

From Victoria we hiked out to the “roadway” and headed up towards El Campano. We had been told it wasn’t too far away and from there we planned to cross the ridgeline to Los Pinos, but plans changed. It took us a couple of hours to get to El Campano arriving after 1:00pm,  where we were faced with more up hill on a very small track, plus we could see the clouds coming down the mountain. So we reluctantly turned around and hiked back to Minca, which took us nearly 3 hours. To be honest we were both tired out and had aching legs.

During the evenings we would have dinner and chat to the fellow travelers staying at Oscars. We found that we were by far the oldest. The others were in there 20s, 3 of them were Israeli fellows who were taking a break before having to join the army. Others were from Holland and Argentina, which made for interesting conversation.

The soul should always stand ajar ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.     Emily Dickinson

Crossing from Bonaire to Columbia

PHOTOS CLICK HERE —>> Passage from Bonaire to Santa Marta, Columbia

The weather conditions between the ABC islands and Columbia can be notoriously windy, with huge seas and squalls. It was essential to us to set off in the best conditions possible. As there was a tropical storm that actually became hurricane Joaquin north of the Bahamas the energy was being drawn north. When this happens there are much calmer conditions in the southern Caribbean making it perfect for our crossing.

1st Leg

We set off at 14:00 Sept 30th. The 1st leg of our journey took us past the southern side of Curacao to the southern side of Aruba. We were actually off of Curacao during the evening and into the night. What was amazing was the number of ships, freighters and tankers waiting off of the coast to enter Curacao. Some of these tankers were absolutely massive. I felt like I was playing dodge up cars while on watch from 21:00 till midnight. During this leg our seas were 3-5′, winds 15k from the east, fine calm conditions. We arrived at 09:30, a passage of 19h 10mins at an average of 5.3knots.

Aruba

In Aruba we anchored up in a bay next to the main harbour and just rested for the day and night. Aruba looked to be a very busy, commercial island. The beaches we saw from a distance looked very nice.

2nd Leg

From Aruba at 07:00 Oct. 2nd we set off for Cabo Del La Vela, Columbia. This was a passage of over 24 hours. Again off of Aruba there were dozens of ships of every type either waiting to get into Aruba or queuing to get into Venezuelan ports. This is a very busy area for sea traffic.

Now we had planned on calmer conditions, but what we got was dead calm conditions and wind on the nose. Yes, the easterly trade winds reversed into westerly winds. We had 24 hour of motoring with only short breaks of sailing in between when heavy rain clouds from the land would pass over thus affording some wind. During one of breaks when we were sailing and it was slightly rough and windy we caught a tuna. John and Chico were very pleased. John chucked Chico the tail to play and chew with/on. Then it was back to motoring in dead calm conditions.

The night was quiet for sea traffic with just a few ships but noisy with the engine running. It really was eerily calm and dark. We arrived at Cabo Del La Vela at 8:00 to find 2 other sailboats there, both of which we knew. Tomorrows Dawn – Jean and Mike and Ian an Australian we had met were anchored up. It was a 26 hour 15 minute passage at an average speed of 5.2 knots for 126 miles.

Cabo Del La Vela, Columbia

The bay at Cabo Del La Vela is over 2 miles across surrounded by desert like landscape, which is a ruddy dark colour with mountains in the background. The sea is a dark turquoise blue; there are Pelicans, frigate birds and Boobies soaring overhead. Ashore there is a local village and in the bay fishermen in dugouts and prorogues put!-put! around. It was starkly beautiful; the colors were a wonderful mix of contrasts. We spoke to Mike who told us they were setting off and then to Ian who had been in the bay overnight awaiting Sorren who he was supposed to be buddy boat with. However Ian had lost Sorren off of Aruba. He believed Sorren was out there drifting waiting for wind to sail.

We stayed the day and over night in the bay. The sunset was amazing!! The headland is actually visited each evening by tourists to watch the sunset as it is famed for its beauty. Dinner was our fresh tuna. It was wonderful! Chico was so happy, fresh tuna, birds to watch and butterflies visiting the boat to tease him.

3rd Leg

Off we headed for Santa Marta on October 4th at 08:40 the next morning. There was a breeze from the shore and then a light northeasterly wind kicked in. The sailing was more challenging for the next 24 hours as the direction and the speed of the wind kept changing. The seas were moderate and following for the majority of the passage. We were relaxing when zzziinng! The fishing line went off. Attached was a large tuna. John reeled it in and slaughtered it on the stern. This was by far the biggest tuna we had ever caught. Again Chico was totally charged when he was given the tail to play with. In the evening there were 3 little birds – swallows or martins – they looked like, that were flying around and around the boat. They kept landing on the rigging and …lines, very close to the cockpit. This of course wound Chico right up, so he had to be confined to the cabin. The birds roosted under our hatch cover and in the early morning they flew off. We also had Dolphins with us; the whole area is full of life. We could see the Santa Marta Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance. They descend right down to the shoreline creating fiords, which looked from afar, to be beautiful. This area is the Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona and around the corner was Santa Marta. We arrived at 11:40 after 146 miles for 27 hours, average speed of 5.4 knots.

Santa Marta

We were met at the entrance to the marina by the very helpful staff and guided to our berth. There were several of our friends waiting to help and greet us. The marina is wonderful! We have a finger dock for side tie, next to our friends Kay and John on Bad Bunny. The idea is that they will tour while we cat sit and then we will tour while they cat sit Chico. Anyway the marina is very large and has all the facilities we enjoy like a laundry and a mini mart.

Chico likes it here. He especially likes the large powerboats, which he jumps on and climbs to the flying bridge to look out. He would investigate the outside and inside of every boat if allowed. Everyone loves him and we have had staff taking pictures of him as they say he is so big and handsome. As Chico is prone to being too friendly we keep him secured in the boat. However he will try to escape at any opportunity and he has given John the slip a few times now.

Our overall 1st impression of Columbia is John: …. colorful, busy, confusing, loud, very different. Jen: …..full of culture and life, music playing, horns blowing, narrow busy streets, full of colorful sights and inexpensive!!

Travel is more than the seeing of the sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. Miriam Beard