Off to the San Blas Islands

San Blas
The next day we flew to the San Blas and stayed in a hostel type lodge that was really the highlight of our adventure.
The hotel/hostel was originally built by the Smithsonian institute as a research station. The rooms are built on top of a reef on cement and wood stilts. They are all joined by walkways. There is a sliver of beach providing a dock and hammocks. The rooms were rustic to say the least but hey, I have no complaints. Where else can you stay in a house built out of coconut and bamboo shoots which allows the Caribbean breeze through to cool your skin and to be lulled to sleep by the sound of waves underneath your bed.
Josee claims she has had the best sleep ever.
We were treated to some wonderful basic meals comprised of what ever was fresh; grouper, octopus, and chicken along with rice and fruit. During the day we were taken by a panga usually a wet ride to a variety of Islands to explore and relax. Think white sand, coconut trees, coral reefs and a grass hut. That’s it folks. This describes the 365 islands that are the San Blas. We were intrigued by one small island that was comprised of white sand and a single coconut tree it kind of looked like a child’s drawing. Every day here was a post card.
You won’t believe this, sitting all day under a palm tree, eating, snorkeling and swimming is surprisingly tiring. We all felt pretty sapped afterwards and crashed in to bed before 8 pm.
We visited the village of Poivierner and were treated to dancing and singing. A very big part of the kuna culture. They don’t like to get their pictures taken and will ask you for a dollar everytime you take one.
They are so beautiful with the women legs and arms adorned in colorful beads and brightly patterned head scarfs. And mola blouses. Its a national geographic photo. These women where there traditional clothing everywhere. We saw some women shopping in the large shopping malls in Panama city which really looked rather strange…a culture clash to say the least.
The Kuna are proud of their culture and the women are highly regarded in this matriarchal society. Kuna were chased out of Columbia to the mountains of Panama only to be chased out again to the islands because of the canal constuction.
They were pressured to assimilate but declined and developed a simple life style of fishing and coconut trading. The San Blas coconuts are reputed to be the best in Central America. The islands are not owned by Kuna individuals but the coconut trees are.
Currently they are trying to balance the impact. I am told there are no outside ownership- of lodging permitted, the result…rustic affordable paradise lodges like our place and no Hilton’s - works for me!
Molas are the trademark of the Kuna women. These are intricate fabric appliqué work depicting sacred images and ceremony. They sell them on every island they can be seen flapping in the wind strung between two palm trees.
I could not resist buying a bunch, they are just so beautiful.....I am so happy and blessed to have experienced this trip.