Panama

We attended the first day of Carnival---we took a cab to the area which was a main street fenced off. Police frisked everyone as they entered the area. There was a very colourful parade attended by many families. The street was lined with street food---mostly chicken and sausage and lots of cold pop and beer—the temperature is probably around 30Ceach day. Water is freely squirted at you and is welcome. The atmosphere was one of fun and as the sun was setting the purpose of the bags of confetti which were being sold became obvious. We had it thrown at us constantly and found it necessary to fight back so bought some and joined in the attacks. For the next few days we kept sweeping the confetti from the boat as it seemed to multiply. Stages were set up after the parade and the party was about to begin in earnest. We left about 8pm but the long line of young people waiting to get in bode well for revelers. It was a lot of fun and we were glad we had stayed in the city long enough to participate.
As everything was going to be closed for the next 4 days we then took off back to the Perlas Islands to chill out. This time we went to Isla Bayoneta which was lovely. Spent a couple of days kayaking and doing some sewing projects.
We returned to Panama City to get the rest of our things which we had ordered and stock the boat with supplies to cross the Pacific. We understand a lot of things are either unavailable or very expensive so have been trying to estimate how much flour one needs for 6 months, fish and coconuts have their limits---we will be in Tahiti by then and I am sure can buy everything again. Of highest importance of course is how much tea one will consume---after traveling in South and Central America I realize that a lot of the world does not esteem tea with the reverence I do!!!
Our plans now are to sail to the Darien area of Panama---a remote, little visited area near Columbia. The local Indian tribe’s people are unique and make the loveliest woven baskets, these along with fishing is their main income. We will have a few days there and will then head off into the Pacific to the Galapagos. We hope to visit the Cocos Islands on the way; this is the largest uninhabited island in the world and is owned by Costa Rica. There is a ranger station there and tourists pay a vast fortune to go out on a boat for a week to dive there. Hammerhead sharks, rays and other large sea creatures apparently are easy to see. Everyone we have met here who has sailed there says it is a highlight of their trip. It is also a rainforest so the hiking is awesome. It is $100 a day for us to visit so 3 or 4 days will be our limit.
We hope the currents and winds are favorable, right now there is very little wind and we need to be in the Galapagos to meet Jack and Judy before the 6th March. Maybe they could bring a parachute and do a drop near us as they fly over if we aren’t quite there yet!!!
We hope to get 40 days in the Galapagos after which we will cross to the Marques’s with hopefully enough tea to while away those long nights on the 3 week passage!!
Hopefully when we are at the Galapagos I will be able to update you on our voyage.
I am posting pictures of our boat on the blog. I realized on our recent trip to NZ and Canada that many of you who are following our adventure have no idea of what our “home” is like—it’s actually pretty comfortable.
I hope it is warming up where you are---we are so acclimatized now 30C is just what it is all of the time.