Kuna Yala, clusters of 365 little islands in the Caribbean sea off the coast of Panama, one for each day of the year.
It was on my list of places to go in Panama, but was far to reach unless you had a boat. I saw an opportunity online to spend some time working on a catamaran here in January and I have never lived on a boat in my life. I would have to eat, sleep, cook, clean, and work on this boat. I get sea sick, I wasn't sure about being alone with strangers on a boat for some time, showering with a bucket in the back of the boat, and if it would be safe for a female to set sail in waters between the coast of Panama and Columbia, where it's a common route for drug smuggling. Just a list of things that came across my mind before I decided to take this route up north on my way to Costa Rica.
So I said, what doesn't challenge you, won't change you, and this was a risk I was going to put myself through, although I would say to carefully trust your gut if you ever agree to go somewhere alone. And I was not prepared for the moment of truth when it came to life at sea.
I started out house sitting and watching over a catamaran sailboat for a week with a 18 year old local surfer while our captain was away getting provisions for the boat. I was quite far from where I needed to be as I had initially thought we were sailing north towards Bocas del Toro, but was already down here and wanted to get on that boat and figure out the exact details and see what was in store for me.
THERE WAS NO CELL SERVICE or INTERNET. Duh, of course, but I really wanted to tell my friends I was OK, and that I made it. NOPE, I went days without telling anyone where my exact coordinates were, which was against their wishes, sorry!
I was anchored at sea, protected by a reef break and spent my days cleaning the galley, washing the decks and tidying some rooms. Ruben, the Panamanian did not speak English so my Spanish was put to the test and I would have to say I learned a little bit of Bocas slang and Panamanian cooking tips.
There is no internet and we bought vegetables, fish and fruits off the local community, as organic as food can be. Panamanians are not allowed to own land here, only the local Kuna indians inhabit these islands.
In between our morning chores, we would go for a swim or paddle board to the nearest island, which meant paddling through some rough currents. We weathered one night of tropical rain, the boat rocked and made noises I wasn't familiar with, having lived in NYC for years, there's no ocean life! I would go outside in the deck and look over the full moon and let the wind and rain soak me. It was energizing, crazy, and wild to be this close to nature and nowhere.
There was limited supply of fresh water on the boat which we saved for drinking, so that meant I didn't really shower, like maybe ONCE. I drenched my hair in organic coconut oil before jumping into the sea everyday. Everything was getting salty, my knees, my motorbike wounds, my hair. I was like a burnt coconut.
On day 3, we had the narcotics police boat visit the island next to us, looking for washed up "goods" that may have been thrown over, as we were close to the route between Columbia and Panama. Not getting too much into these details, as I think these are one of the most beautiful islands in the world if you truly want to be off-grid.
On day 4, we took a paddle board to a neighboring island where a few sailors took to land for a night of BBQ and socializing. The full moon was out, there were 6 or 7 of us from other boats, with Ruben and I being the youngest of the bunch. There was a 50 year old Brazilian sailor who used to deliver boats, big and small across the world. He laughed a lot, was jolly and seemed to have lived a life of indulgence during his world journeys. He offered me a job as a hostess on his boat, which I respectfully declined.
There was also a Colombian woman dancing alone under the trees, to a small radio we had playing Panamanian tunes. She had been hostess to backpacker sailboats between Colombia and Panama, as you cannot cross the border between these two countries by land, only air or boat. It was a cheap way to border cross and to spend some time out on sea as a backpacker through South and Central America, a very common route for the last decade. She was a bit older than me, maybe late 30s, and I wondered about her story, and how she lives this life, one that was free from anything, and if she ever felt lonely out at sea.
There were a few cold beers, and I delightfully cracked one open and it soothed my throat. We don't have refrigerators on board and my hair and throat was full of salt from the paddle board trip over here.
I stood tall, had a smile, feeling pretty good but wanted to look after Ruben and myself from getting involved with the wrong crowd or revealing that we were alone, neither of us with the skills to navigate this boat out of here.
On day 6, the captain of the boat came back with provisions, but I had to set back out to land and make my way by bus 10 hours north. I wanted to be on schedule to arrive in Costa Rica by early February and still have time to meet up with friends along the way.
I took a local boat back to land, for about $20. From there I walked around the empty port village asking for a ride back to Panama City which was 3 hours away. Guys with guns, and border patrol looking at me carrying a straw hat and yoga mat, wondering why I didn't coordinate my ride sooner. The sun was hot, I chewed on a old granola bar while kicking myself for just "going with the flow" at this moment. The Panamanian SIM card doesn't work out here, as we need to go an hour or more inland.
LUCKILY, I saw a black 4x4 SUV with two Europeans pulling into the immigration office and I asked if I could hitch a ride back to the city if I threw in $25. Score! My heart was racing and I threw my bags into the back, shut the door and enjoyed some air-condition and reggaeton music as the local driver took us through the winding roads out of here.
Do I recommend a single women working on a boat alone? Yes and no, because we are all different. Go with a friend, or someone you know, it would be a good teamwork effort. I think San Blas islands is a must visit with a group of friends as a vacation or, a yoga or kitesurfing retreat, with a chartered boat for some good times and a guide who knows all the little islands. The cooking and cleaning involved when there are 6-8 guests requires an good crew who knows how to be efficient with provisions. I'm a yoga teacher, with good project management skills and a thirst for life, I admit I bit off more than I could chew and have a lot of respect for people in this sailing industry.
The Kuna community are very welcoming to those who respect their people and land. It's so nice to see everyone living simply and living off the food from mother nature, only as much as they need, there's no mass production or over fishing. I highly recommend these islands for one of the best snorkeling spots in Central America and great easy trade wind sailing.
I love the ocean and still want to live on a boat, as I do enjoy being with people of the same mindset, whether its diving, surfing, or yoga. It really is something special to be far removed from everything.
