San Blas Islands 26 February 2024.

We woke to partly cloudy day interspersed with sun and it seems that this is the typical weather. We had breakfast and then upped anchor and we were headed for Gaigar – the village where the Guna Indian, Rebellio lived who had sold us the Molas. He had agreed that he would take Keith and Jonas the next day by boat to a village where they could get a taxi to Panama City and so we agreed to meet him there.  

I had planned the route using waypoints and we had to dodge various reefs and shallow patches and rocks. I had placed various waypoint on this route from the Bauhaus pilot book and from my own plan and it was about 7-8 miles at least. Once we were out of the anchorage and as the wind was behind us we put up the genoa and coasted along about 5-6 kts. I started to make some water with our water maker as one tank was empty. We changed course a number of times and I checked the palm tree Islands I could see with what was on the chart plotter. These Islands are dotted all over the place and many are surrounded by reefs. The journey took about 1 hr 45 minutes and we approached the mainland which had mangroves at the sea level and what looked like jungle behind. I had expected to see a village but when we came round to the anchorage there was two huts on stilts in the water and we came into a horseshoe bay surrounded by mangroves and that was it. We were the only boat there and it was very remote and beautiful but where was the village.

Rebellio came over in his boat and gave us some onions, bananas and bread which we had asked him for the day before.  He said it was a festival day in his village and would we like to go and visit and he would show us around. This seemed an interesting idea and so we all decided to go. We went in his boat at some speed through reefs and going west for some 20 minutes and then we approached a round Island which was covered in what looked like mud huts. It was called Islas Maquina. We got off onto a pier and he asked us to put our cameras away as we were not allowed to take pictures of the people. There were lots of huts which had bamboo walls which were tied with string or other such material and reed rooves which looked like palm tree leaves. There was a door or hatch opening and you could see the floor was mud and it was quite primitive inside. The children came up to us and said Ola and Rebellio led us down narrow mud floor lanes between various huts. He explained that this was a four-day festival –for which they brew “Chicka” which is an alcohol drink brewed from sugar cane and other ingredients and it takes about a month to prepare. This festival is held about twice a year.  They obtain the sugar cane and extract the juice from a special press using two pieces of wood. One is about a meter and the other 3 meters and both are inserted into a tree at waist height. One person sits and bounces on the long piece of wood and the cane is put in between the two pieces of wood and the pressure causes the juice to come out. It is an ancient ritual and sacred.

As Rebellio led us through the village we came across a large hut where you could hear some noise. On our approach there were clearly some who had looked like they had had a few and were retreating away or taking a breather. There was a lot of activity at this hut with the women one end and the men the other. The women were smartly dressed. They had a red pattered scarf on their heads, a white blouse with patterns of flowers, a dark patterned skirt – some black and white, some green and white and some yellow and white. They had glass-coloured beads on their arms and legs, black face paint and gold nose rings, earrings and breastplates. They looked spectacular and were clearly out for a good time and were handing round this chicka drink in little wood cups made from pumpkin wood. We were offered some and it tasted a bit like grappa.

This chicka was being handed round and being drunk quite liberally and at first we stood at the door of the hut and peered in. The women were all congregated at one end where they were drinking, smoking, hugging and chatting. The men were at the other end. Then we went in and Carolyn and Joyce sat with some of the women and we went to the men’s end where we sat on benches and chatted to some of the locals. There were young men casually dressed and drinking and staggering about but in a good-hearted way. There were men with white shirts and long trousers who were apparently quite important. There were some men in hammocks near the floor and over incense being burned which was apparently religious in nature and then a man came in in a white shirt with a black hat who was a Sailas – a chief of the village. Rebellio said that he asked permission to be able to bring us to the village from this chief. We were the only tourists and whites there and we were welcomed and felt privileged to be witnessing this festival. These Guna Indians live in this primitive way as they have done for many years. They all seemed to be out to have a good time and I guess it was the time to let their hair down as it were.  

Once we finished in the hut we were shown around the village with narrow alleys between huts with the odd open area. There were a number of men sleeping the effects of the chicka off!! We saw the pieces of wood used to make the chicka and we came across the odd Guna shop in the village. This was all like visiting an ancient tribe in the jungle albeit on an Island. What a fantastic experience it had been and we felt very lucky to have had an insight into their way of life. The issue the Guna’s may face with global warming is that with rising sea levels their Islands will disappear in time which would be sad.

We returned to Stormbird and had a sandwich using the bread we had from the Guna’s and had a chilled afternoon resting and swimming. Keith and Jonas cooked supper on their last night and we had a good chat in the cockpit before bed. As the sun went down we had fantastic light over the mangroves and jungle and realised what a lovely spot this was. Keith and Jonas leave at 5.30am in the morning. It had been another interesting and enjoyable day.  

The blog will continue as we head off to Panama and beyond.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com  I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk