• Public Gallery  • Help
		• Join Now!  • Log In  • Feature Tour

Gerard Coulson | Home > Browse:Palmerston AtollRaiatea, Tahaa and Bora BoraTahiti and MooreaThe TuamotusThe MarquesasPacific OceanGalapagos 2Galapagos 1Inland EcuadorCrossing the Line - Panama to EcuadorOur Panama Canal TransitRio ChagresPanamaSan Blas 2San Blas 1Colombia, CartagenaBonaire divingThe ABCsOffshore IslandsOrinoco flowInland Venezuela - we go on tour!Venezuela - en routeTrinidad 2Trinidad 1GrenadaThe Tobago CaysSt Vincent & the GrenadinesDominica and St LuciaIsles de SaintesGuadeloupe againSt Kitts and NevisAntiguaIsles de Saintes and GuadeloupeDominica 2Dominica - CarnivalDominicaMartiniqueSt Lucia, West IndiesThe Atlantic CrossingSao AntaoSao Vincente, Cape Verde IslandsSan Sebastian, La GomeraTenerife againThe Atlantic - Take 1TenerifeGib to TenerifeIn GibraltarA weekend in MoroccoSpain and Portugal then to GibraltarEngland to SpainVideo Clips/Family photos/Current Position
San Blas 1 The sail from Colombia was good, lightish winds and a lumpy sea made it uncomfortable at times but we made good time and were rewarded with our first views of the San Blas at around lunchtime.  And what views!  The San Blas islands are home to the Kuna Indians; you'd be forgiven for not having heard of them, being a small group of islands belonging to the Rep of Panama, but nevertheless the Kunas are fiercely independent and shunning the western way of life. The islands are small (often football-field size), made of sand, crammed with tall, swaying palm trees and set in azur water behind a barrier reef that prevents them being washed away.  On some of these islands live the indians, in grass huts in clearings in the trees.  Most of the islands do not have fresh water or electricity; all water and food is brought in by ulus which are hand-hewn dugout canoes.  These indians are some of the last 'unspoilt' people on earth and their happiness despite their poverty (they are poor, but only materially) has to be seen to be believed.  It is very humbling.  They live by fishing, and tending 'farm' patches on the nearby mainland that they reach by dugout, generally sailing one way (their sails are made from any fabric they can find so are often a riot of colour) and paddling back against the onshore trade winds.  Coconuts grow in abundance on the islands and they are collected and sold by the Kunas; us ‘gringos’ are not allowed to take them. Our clockwise circular route round the western San Blas started at the Cocobanderos (uninhabited, idyllic), Green Island (local Croc, uninhabited, idyllic), Maquina (small, inhabited, pretty) and the Islas Carti (densely populated, dirty). Date(s): January 2007. Album by Gerard Coulson. Photos by Gerard Coulson. 1 - 92 of 92 Total. 9663 Visits.
We arrive in the San Blas, Cocobandero Cays Jonty hoists Panama The kids go ashore to explore the tiny island of Orduptarboat A bonfire on the island for supper, burning rubbish and... toasting marshmallows! Some Kunas overnighting on the island, they live much further south An 'ulu' Under sail Orduptarboat Moving on Beccy messing around Clarabella at anchor off Green Island Ashore on Green Island San Blas I 88 San Blas I 89 Eric and Geniya Our quiet anchorage San Blas I 10 San Blas I 11 Ashore with Jan from Decourcy Spirit San Blas I 13 Murray Jan and Jonty The boys on green Island, with Clarabella at anchor Kuna caretakers set sail San Blas I 19 Decourcy Spirit, Clarabella and Meta at anchor San Blas I 21 San Blas I 22 Happy Girl Lots of energy Playing off the easter end of Green Island San Blas I 26 San Blas I 27 warming up before a trash-burn Locals approaching Kunas alongside to sell Mols Jonty and Merlin from Myrdinn Myrdinn, at Los Grullos Monica gets a lift back from the beach! An airplane announcement, Kuna style Ashore for supper at the 'resort' on Los Grullos San Blas I 36 San Blas I 37 More mola sellers Local transport One of the mola ladies It's busy! M with some of the molas that we bought. The ladies who sold us very beautiful molas.  They do not like their photos being taken.  Both ladies were good fun! Ashore on Maquina more molas Eric gives a sens of scale to grass huts on Maquina San Blas I 90 San Blas I 91 San Blas I 47 San Blas I 48 The boys cause a lor of interest with a football San Blas I 50 Rebecca A lovely little local girl who laughed all the time San Blas I 53 San Blas I 54 These all turned out to see us off! We head ashore to the mainland with a Kuna guide San Blas I 55 The local car-park.  Kunas 'commute' from the islands to the mainland to work small farm plots Some of the San Blas Islands.  The boats are on the left of the island in the middle Our return trip San Blas I 59 San Blas I 60 Rebecca and Juliette San Blas I 62 One of these dropped down next to me! On Maquina again San Blas I 65 San Blas I 66 This is the schoolroom! San Blas I 68 We spent a very rough 24 hours here once the wind increased; lots of pitching. Babies go with parents in the ulus regardless of weather. We stop for lunch at the Islas Carti, a group of small islands very close together. San Blas I 72 San Blas I 73 San Blas I 74 San Blas I 75 Tom and G go ashore for shopping San Blas I 77 San Blas I 78 Monica with local ladies San Blas I 80 San Blas I 81