Day 10 - Yandup, San Blas, Panama

After a mere 2.5 hours of shuteye, Rafi, our friend Andres, and I got ourselves to the airport, checked our bug spray (the only luggage we checked), and boarded the plane. It was a tiny island hopper, and that's exactly what we did. Sitting directly behind the pilots on the second leg of our flight did calm my anxiety a little bit, as the tail (where we sat on the first leg) whips you around a little more. Plus I figured if the pilot is at ease enough pre-flight to put his feet up, maybe I should relax, too. The second island on which we landed was our destination, Yandup.

After we arrived at the airport (yes, that first photo is the airport) , we took a boat ride to our living quarters.

We stayed at the Yandup Island Lodge. Only Kuna people can own land in this area, and this island was owned by a Kuna man and his Spanish wife. (Incidentally, they met in Spain when he was studying there, which is quite an accomplishment for a Kuna person.) The island of Yandup is tiny. I mean really tiny. Like a city block.

Once on the island, we ate a pancake breakfast (Rafi and I both had coffee!) and then went to our cabana to settle in. We all three packed in backpacks, so it didn't take long. The cabana itself was marvelous. Everything they make by hand. You can see the craftsmanship in everything from the bed to the joints in the walls. Even the bathroom, though minimal, is beautiful.

What were really useful were the hammocks on the porch. Later after lunch Andres and I enjoyed our naps in them. Rafi napped on the bed.

A couple of hours we were feeling refreshed, so we took the boat to another island to snorkel. A couple of leaky snorkels for me later, we were enjoying the ocean life down below. Lots of sea urchins. My favorite part was this little blue fish that circled around Rafi's bathing suit and waist like an orbiting planet. He stayed with him from beyond the reef all the way up to the beach where the water met the sand. Cute little guy, he was. I kick myself for not bringing an underwater camera. After a rock skipping competition (I lost), we returned back to Yandup with only mild snorkeling sunburns.

Lunch awaited us after we took quick showers. What a lunch it was! And I mean that in a good way. We had fish soup (delicious), fried pargo, potatoes, and salad. Now I'm not a huge fan of seeing a face on my plate, and at times I did cover the teeth up with a napkin, but that fish was good. Very tasty and not fishy at all.

After our previously mentioned naps (Rafi napped inside on the bed), we felt refreshed and ready to go on our second outing. The scheduled tour was of the Kuna cemetery, but we didn't have the required hiking boots and jeans (where was that memo?), so we got a special tour of the community where they actually live. From the boat it looks like a tiny island cram packed with palm leaf covered huts. The homes are side by side along most of the edges of the island with the walkways on the inside. Some Kuna were in their kayukos fishing or traveling to different islands.

Wow. It was so informative and amazing. I am now really glad we got to see the real thing up close and personal. I did take a few photos, but as we were walking through the town (which again, is in total the size of a city block), it dawned on me that this was very personal. We were seeing their homes, their children, their personal moments. Kiddos ran playing in the streets - sometimes sans clothing. Moms breastfed their children. A family held a birthday party. The albino kiddo that tried to sell me a wind chime had lots of personality. He had a baby brother, too. As it turns out, albinism has high incidence among the Kuna, and those with the condition are considered special. Anyway, it just didn't seem right to take photos. So I didn't.

Our guide Uti (Oo-tee) was very kind and patient. He showed us their churches, their "congress" house (the three heads laid in hammocks while a man stood and plead his case for his issue), their ways of life. Some Kuna women sold their hand stitched molas on their main street. One woman really captured my interest. Because Spanish is their second language (their first being Dulegaya), her Spanish was very precise and slow. I understood her perfectly, and somehow she understood my Spanish perfectly. I regret not asking her name. From her I purchased a mola headband, and down the road I got a new mola for our collection and a "wini" (Win-ny). It's a long, single string of beads that is carefully tied tightly around the wrists or ankles. I got a small one, but as you can see they were long, intricate ones.

This little guy scavenged for spare bits of coconuts. I witnessed one man with a small dog like this one on a leash as they went out with machetes to the forest, so I'm under the impression they don't see them as a hindrance. Since they scrounge for their food, they may help to keep the community clean.

That said, I'm not sure what's going on with this.

The Kuna are a very self-sufficient people. They sleep in self-made hammocks. They live off the land, fishing and gathering for their food. Thanks to the Panamanian government, they have small solar panels to help them with their electricity needs, as well as radios. When I first saw the pile of trash (plastics, aluminum, food bags, etc.) all along a shoreline I was saddened. But then Uti explained that that's how they build up the island. In fact, the opposite shoreline that now had a solid row of huts was their old landfill. They are now adding their refuse to the new site in order to build the island outward.

And then we saw the oddest sight. I never in a million years would have expected to see it - Mormons. In white shirts and black pants. Going hut to hut. Doing the same thing they do here in the US. As we were walking they spoke to our guide (interestingly never to us), so as we walked back to the boat we asked Uti if he was converted. He politely laughed, smiled, and said "No."

Our ride back "home" for dinner was more quiet. The tour had given us lots to think about. Dinner, however, was different. We played dominoes while we ate and after. Rafi won most of the games. Boo. I hate to lose. Our dinner was a pasta/coleslaw salad, yucca, lagostine (I traded mine with the guys for more yucca), and green beans. Quickly our energy level went downhill, so we drug ourselves back to our cabana and were in bed by 8:00. The lights out by 8:30, we slept to the sounds of ocean waves crashing a mere 30 feet away. (I shouldn't mention that these same crashing wave sounds might've been what made all of us potty two times each during the night, but I must for the sake of full disclosure.)

They have such beautiful sunsets.

And beautiful other things, as well.