Kuna Yala

January 2024

How do you imagine a South Sea paradise? Do you envision small, uninhabited islands with a few palm trees and white beaches? Then you might be in the South Seas, but you may also be off the northern Panamanian coast. Here, protected behind reefs, lie the San Blas Islands. They were given the name San Blas by the Spanish conquerors. The indigenous Kuna people, however, call their home Kuna Yala.

We arrive in the Kuna Yala Islands from Santa Marta, Colombia, after two days sailing. We see the mountain silhouette of Panama in the background on the horizon and in front of it, scattered islets that would be described in a travel brochure as paradise itself.

During the last night of the crossing, we deliberately slowed down a little and didn't reef so that we would arrive around midday. The position of the sun is important when approaching the Kuna Yala Islands, as they are surrounded by several reefs and shallows. At midday, when the sun is high, it is easier to see the passages. At another time of day, in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun is low, the sun reflects too strongly on the water, so that you are blinded and cannot see the ground. Thanks to our cruising guide by Eric Bauhaus, who has mapped this area very well, we find an anchorage in the Hollandes Cays. A few boats from our WorldARC fleet are already anchored here and we are immediately welcomed.

The Kunas also come to greet us on their long boats made of simple wood with outboard motors. Contrary to what we expected, because according to our information Kunas do not show their feelings openly, we are greeted by beaming and smiling faces. There are four of them, two men and two women. The men come as companions and are responsible for the two-hour crossing from their home island. They also speak a little English, which makes communication easier. The women proudly show their Molas, which they offer for sale. I was really looking forward to seeing this artistry in real life. Molas are much smaller than I had imagined. Small ones are a little bigger than a postcard and larger ones are about twice as big. Larger cloths are rarely seen. Molas are worn by Kuna women more as jewelry or eye-catchers. They are usually sewn onto a larger piece of fabric, which they then wear around their waists, similar to a wide belt or corset. The fine, sometimes complicated patterns that are applied by hand with tiny stitches and represent geometric, abstract, or figurative animals and plants fascinate me. I can't resist and buy three of them. One with two fish will definitely decorate one of our cushions in the salon and I hung up a small fish with a cheeky and happy expression straight away.

We then go ashore by dinghy to the island of Banedup. Two families live there, one of them being Ibin's and his sister's. Ibin speaks English quite well and runs a restaurant with a bar. The restaurant is a basic, open hut built half over the water. The kitchen is just a separate area where the simple but tasty food is prepared. If you order in advance, you can get a menu of chicken or fish with rice and plantain (cooking banana), a small starter beforehand and then a piece of the homemade, delicious coconut cake.

We love the atmosphere at Ibin's and his relatives' place and enjoy a few afternoons with them. We dangle our feet in the water, see how the whole family is involved in fishing and talk to Ibin about his people and his homeland. He lived in Panama City for several years, but is now happy to be back here, surrounded by nature. His hut is about thirty meters from the beach on stilts in the water. There can hardly be a greater contrast if you imagine the concrete skyline of Panama City, as we will see later, next to it.

We sail on to another atoll, the Chichime Cays. To get to our anchorage, we now have to go through a reef passage that winds through the reef in a large S-curve. Luckily, we have the coordinates for the entrance and I go to the bow to look out. But the feeling of winding through the reef, which is not visible above water, is still an adventure and we are very tense. We can then let go of this tension during a very fine spaghetti meal, in the company of the cews of the four German-speaking boats of the WorldARC, on the catamaran FREYA. A cozy and fun evening with wine and music.

We would have liked to have had a little more time to explore more of the idyllic Kunas' islands, but the canal crossing is scheduled and we have to leave early the next morning towards Colon, the entrance to the Panama Canal. There we still have a lot to do to prepare for the crossing into the Pacific.