San Blas Islands

 This past December we revisited Panama, where we served for two years in the Peace Corps.  We started with a visit to the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean.  We had planned to go there in December of 2013 with Dave and Melissa, but Heather's accident prevented that.   We went to the Yandup Island, which is an eco-tourism resort, owned and run entirely by the Kuna Yala people.

The island is quite small, with just 12 cabins and a restaurant.  Six of the cabins are over the water and six are on land.

Yandup Island from the air

The only way to to reach Yandup is to fly in a small plane to the town of Playón Chico (little beach).  The airstrip is minimal, ending at the water's edge.  The pilots, however, make the trip daily and have no problem.  Sometimes they have to fly low to avoid the clouds in the rainy season.

The Kuna people live in the island community of Playón Chico, just offshore.  Yandup is beyond it and farther out to the right.   Three thousand people live in Playón Chico, which is barely a quarter mile long.  We asked why no one lives on the mainland, especially given the lack of space on the island.  They are considering it, but their long-held custom is to only live on the islands.  The mainland is used for agriculture, and the state-run school is also located there.  There are 49 such communities in the Kuna Yala indigenous region, which is independent from Panama.

We flew over another Kuna community, which was equally crowded.

Yandup Island

Our Cabaña

You could walk out to the bar from the restaurant

The birds liked the railing a lot

Each morning we hopped in a boat for an excursion to one of the nearby islands for swimming and snorkeling.

On many of the islands, the Kuna people raise coconuts, which they trade for goods which arrive on ships from Colombia and Panama City every day.  The going rate is 40 cents each.

The snorkeling was very good!

This shark did not even notice us!  He was a tiny one.

Brain Coral

A school of sardines

Steve and a sea cucumber

In the afternoons, we did cultural excursions.  The first one was to the community of Playón Chico.  The Kunas do not like to have their pictures taken, but our guide, Domicio, was glad to pose with his wife in front of their house.  The Kuna women make molas to sell to tourists.  Most of them are exported to Panama City.

 Our second afternoon excursion was to a cemetery on the mainland.  The dead are always buried on hills overlooking the ocean.  They are buried in their hammocks, which are suspended from two poles, the tops of which you can see.  Because of this, they need to dig down eight feet instead of six.

 We loved our time on Yandup, and the three days passed quite quickly.

Next stop:  Chepo and the school graduation.