Caribbean Panama

 A Weekend in San Blas  story by Jeremy Shorenstein

In a world where there are few places left that can truly be called paradise, San Blas easily fits the bill with its beautiful sandy beaches, temperate clear waters, and native cuisine. My friend Juan Carlos told me that I must visit San Blas during my one week visit to Panama or else it would be a wasted trip. While driving in Juan Carlos’s truck (a 4x4 is a must when driving to San Blas), we were given an amazing view over the tropical rainforest while en route to Carti, a coastal town with an air strip, where caught a boat with the native Kuna Yala people to Isla Aguja(a-goo-ha). When the boat pulled up to the island I felt as if I were in a fairytale; I thought only places this stunning existed in children’s stories and on postcards. Aguja is one of 365 beautiful small islands scattered with palm trees, giving ample space to set up a hammock and relax. For what felt like a steal of a price, we received three meals a day and sleeping arrangements in a small tent. The food was exquisite! Unfortunately we took our trip during the time of lobster repopulation; however we were pleasantly greeted with fried fish, coconut rice, and patacones (fried plantains).  After arriving, eating, and setting up our tent for the night, the rest of the day was spent relaxing in the sun and spying on the secret lives of barracuda, squid, and an assortment of colorful reef fish. That evening we had another delicious meal, followed by conversation with other international travelers varying from Chilé to South Africa. While drinking coconut juice out of a freshly opened coconut, a Russian man named Serge told us how he spends one month of every year in San Blas because it is so gorgeous. Before bed we smoked Cuban cigars on the dock, looked at the stars, and wondered how such an enchanting place could exist.

The following morning we were greeted with an offer to take a ride to Isla Perro (Dog Island) where a sunken ship has become a snorkeler’s paradise. We snorkeled around the entire island, easily seeing down 20-30 feet, followed by a quick nap in the sun, some dinner, and another nap under a palm tree. While leaving that night I felt as if I had been transported to another world and was now leaving what could easily be described as heaven. Fortunately the drive back left for another amazing evening view over the rolling hills of Panamanian rainforest. I have never experienced such serenity as I did on those islands and plan to return as soon as I can for some pure and undeniable relaxation.

Caribbean Panama extends from the very first settlement in Panama at Santa Maria la Antigua , adjacent to the northern coast of Colombia , through the islands of San Blas, Colon and the Colon Free Zone and on to Bocas del Toro adjacent to Costa Rica .

Fisherman´s Dream

The Caribbean is known for its warm waters and almost no tides. In fact, tides rise just about 1 foot as opposed to the Pacific where tides climb up to 20 feet. There is an abundance of coral reefs and rivers that flow into the coast line. The coral reefs provide ideal habitats for spiney lobster, reef fish, conks, octopus, and reef dependant organisms that attract immense schools of foraging game fish. The rivers produce marine life wellsprings. This in turn produces large populations of Tarpon, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, Snapper, Grouper, Jack Crevalle, Shark, Great Barracuda (adults can swim at an astonishing 40 mph), Amberjack, Snook and more, making fishing on the Caribbean coast a sport fisherman's paradise. The amazing thing is that a fishing aficionado can engage in his favorite sport on two oceans on one vacation trip. On thing to keep in mind is the wind factor. Winds are strong from December to March, Panama 's dry season.

San Blas Archipelago

Some of the best fishing is done in the deeper waters off the San Blas Islands, an archipelago of 365 islands one for each day of the year. The Kuna Indians own and rule in this part of Panama . Kuna are very much in control of their communities and their customs are rigorously preserved. Schools teach in Spanish and the Kuna language. The central government of Panama allows the Kuna to do as they please and do impose any unpopular measures there.

The islands actually have owners. On one very memorable trip, we drove east then north of Panama City to Carti, where there also happens to be a landing strip. A group of young Kunas offered to take us on a boat ride to camp on one of the tiny uninhabited islands. Our car they said would be safe where it was. We believed them because after all we were on San Blas territory, where rules are very strict. We stopped off at an island town to get lunch after our five-hour long trip from Panama City and then continued on to "our" island, about 40 minutes away. The only people living there was a family that owned the land. We were asked to pay $20 (but we managed to bring the fee down a bit). We did not bring enough food for lunch the next day, so some of us ended up eating coconuts and drinking coconut water for breakfast and lunch. The bathroom was a tiny thatched hut with a hole in the ground. When planning a trip to San Blas BRING WATER as very little fresh water is available. We swam, snorkeled and saw multi-colored little fishes, walked on the beautiful white sand and reveled in the turquoise-colored water. In the evening we ate our sandwiches and warm sodas, talked to the Kunas, enjoyed the gentle flow of the water on the shore and the sway of the palm leaves of the coconut trees. At noon the following day, we were taken back to the mainland and hopped on our Mitsubishi 4x4.

Province of Bocas del Toro

Another notable area to visit on the Caribbean coast is the Province of Bocas del Toro . When visiting there you may be reminded of Belize City . The atmosphere is distinctly Caribbean: the languages spoken, the music, folk dances and the idiosyncrasies of its people. There are ethnic Jamaicans, Barbadians, Trinidadians , Chinese, Mestizo, native Ngobe Indians, Arabs, Castilian, and Americans plus a mixture of all of these ethnic groups. Being of different skin tones in Bocas del Toro is not looked down on or scorned. They have an excellent attitude toward life and a slow and calm way about them. They are never in a hurry! The area has accommodations for all tourist budgets from quaint private cabins on stilts over the water to student hostels in town. Like the San Blas seafood is abundant and ranges from expensive lobster to delicious fried fish.

You can reach Bocas by land and ferry or you can fly there, just over an hour from Panama City . A marine taxi ride away is Changuinola, on the Costa Rican border, a former secret paradise for the higher ranking personnel of the United Fruit Company, now Bocas Fruit Company. In Changuinola you will see the spectacular banana plantations that are present all over the Caribbean coast of Central America