Info about the Kuna Yala people of San Blas

November 4, 2007 Sunday

Kuna life:  (all info borrowed from various websites)

Kuna law prohibits fishing in their waters by boats with sophisticated machinery or the taking of anything from the sea that a diver can not reach with air from his own lungs. Scuba diving is not permitted; but you can snorkel in the reef, which is one of the oldest and best preserved reefs in the world.

The men rise early to fish or tend their farms on the mainland, paddling off in dugout canoes that are sometimes equipped with makeshift sails. Fresh crab, lobster, octopus and fish are caught with nets or spears and are exported to Panama City.  For this reason, it is now illegal for tourists or visitors to harvest lobster; you must purchase from a local Kuna.  The larger lobster tails now are exported into the US and can be found at places like Sam’s Club or Costco.  I do hope this does not cause over-harvesting of the lobster in the San Blas and create a lobster shortage like that which currently exists in the rest of the Caribbean.  On their farms, the Kuna men raise vegetables, fruits, coffee and the all-important coconut.  Fifteen million coconuts are exported each year to neighboring Colombia. Coconuts can actually be used as coins in Kuna commerce and have a value of about ten US cents. A soda, which costs about 40 cents, can be purchased for four coconuts on the islands of San Blas!  Because coconuts are such a staple to the Kuna economy, it is illegal for any visitor to pick up or take a coconut anywhere in the San Blas Islands.  It would be the same as stealing money from them.

Women work at making molas, the traditional women's garments.   This tradition is passed from mother to daughter.  If a family does not have a daughter, then usually the first-born son is dressed and raised as a girl; and “she” is taught the mola skills.  One of the best-known mola makers presently is “Mola Lisa” who is technically male, although “she” is considered a woman by the Kuna.  (See, even the oldest societies had tranvestites.) Molas are one of the primary expressions of the visual arts in Kuna society. All genuine molas were created by a Kuna woman as the focal point for her own dress. The designs are always original and are an important way for a woman to express herself and demonstrate her talent and industry in this traditionally matriarchal society.

        

Molas are panels of hand stitched reverse cloth appliqué, which are sewn into the fronts and backs of blouses.   Molas are always made in a pair; never a single piece mola. Layers of cotton cloth and thread are the only materials used in the process.  Mola designs vary from the abstract and geometric to representations of birds, fish and innumerable other subjects, all different, but all distinctly Kuna.  The designs are based on things that the women see in their daily life.  Shortly after the US involvement during the end of the Norreiga control, one could find molas depicting soldiers and helicopters; because the Kuna women had seen these things and considered them to be part of their lives.

All mola designs are more or less abstract, but many of the most traditional in style are completely geometric, non-representational designs. This type is considered the most authentic, and therefore the most valuable by collectors interested in molas as an indigenous art form.  The favored colors appear to be predominantly orange and black; one rarely sees predominant light blues or pastel colors.

The women also make and adorn themselves with necklaces of sea shells, and chaquiras.  Chaquiras are the bead bracelets worn on women's arms and legs, usually many at a time covering most of their ankles and calves and forearms.  The women often wear nose decorations, either a gold nose ring or a line painted down the length of their nose, but rarely both at the same time.  They also paint bright red on their cheeks.  None of these adornments would be considered attractive in our western culture, so this just goes to prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
Towns or villages in San Blas are exceptionally tidy.   A traditional Kuna house is made of palm-thatched roofs and cane walls.  Public buildings include schools, health centers and the town hall.  A town hall is a long building with thatched roof and is the heart of each community.  Villagers meet each weekday to discuss community affairs, as well as issues involving neighboring communities and Kuna culture in general. Town meetings are presided over by the village leader known as the sahila.

There are hotels on the islands of Wichubwala, Nalunega, Ailigandi, Nargana, Achutupo and Carti-Sugtupu.  Most Kuna communities have an airstrip, either on the island or the mainland nearby, and are easily accessible by light aircraft.   Eco-tourism is a big deal in the San Blas, in case anyone contemplates a visit to this unique area.

History of where we are going next

November 3, 2007  Saturday

We got our clearance papers back from the agent in Cartagena, and these papers make no sense to us.  There was supposed to be something called a 60-day cruising permit for Colombian coastal waters.  That is not at all what we received.  We received the normal zarpe showing next destination port of Colon, Panama, via San Blas; plus another 2 sheets of paper that are stamped by Immigration and translate simply that we are leaving Cartagena bound for Colon, Panama, via San Blas.  Arguing with the agent would have gotten us nowhere since this is what he is familiar with as being called the 60-day cruising permit, even though there is no mention of any number of days and no mention of Colombian waters.  Well, we have what we have; so hopefully this will suffice when we finally reach Colon.  If not, guess we will pay a fine.  Certainly not going straight to Colon to clear in and then go back down to San Blas.  And we also are not going down to Obaldia to clear into Panama before going to San Blas.  Wish Panama had waited another year to crack down on their Immigration laws.  (Note:  the laws for Panama have changed several times since 2007 and surely will continue to change again and again.)

Now, a long basic history lesson for the area we will enter this week.  Those of you who have no interest in history can stop reading now.

Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador were originally combined into one country known as Gran Colombia.  During the very early 1800s Simon Bolivar was instrumental in the division of this territory into the 3 separate countries as known today.   But during the 1800s the area now known as Panama was actually still part of Colombia.  There has always been dissension between Panama and Colombia, and the Darien Indians in southern Panama are incredibly fierce people.  The Darien had driven the Kuna (also spelled Cuna) to the Caribbean side of the isthmus.  Even today the Darien control the Pacific side of southernmost Panama and the Kuna control the Caribbean side.  Both indigenous groups have proven over the centuries their total refusal to accept being ruled by a central government.   Both the Darien and Kuna are part of Panama, but rule themselves, each with their own unique style of tribal rule.  The central government of Panama realized after many deaths that the easiest and most logical way to deal with these people was to let them operate somewhat independent.   This has worked well over the past century.  We will write more about the Darien if and when we visit the Pacific side of Panama or if we decide to do some inland travel to the Darien area.  For now, we turn our attention back to the Caribbean side where we will be visiting for the next several months.

The Kuna live in the Comarca de San Blas, which for statistical purposes is treated as part of Colon Province in most official documents.  The provincial borders have not changed since they were determined at independence in 1903.  The other 9 provinces of Panama are divided into districts, which in turn are subdivided into sections called corregimientos.  Configurations of the corregimientos are changed periodically to accommodate population changes as revealed in the census reports.  The borders of the Comarca de San Blas where the Kuna live under tribal rule are not changed by the census count.  Don’t think the Kuna would accept that.  They are not going to give up any of their lands to the central government of Panama. 

History of Separation of Panama from Colombia (copied from an official Panama government website):

 During the last half of the nineteenth century, violent clashes between the supporters of the Liberal and Conservative parties in Colombia left the isthmus' affairs in constant turmoil. Local self-government for the department of Panama was extended when the Liberals were in power and withdrawn when the Conservatives prevailed. The Catholic Church was disestablished under the Liberals and reestablished under the Conservatives. The fortunes of local partisans rose and fell abruptly and often violently.
According to one estimate, the period witnessed forty administrations of the Panamanian department, fifty riots and rebellions, five attempted secessions, and thirteen interventions by the United States, acting under the provisions of the BidlackMallarino Treaty. Partisan clashes and foreign intervention exacerbated racial antagonisms and economic problems and intensified grievances against the central government of Colombia.
Between 1863 and 1886, the isthmus had twenty-six presidents. Coups d'état, rebellions, and violence were almost continuous, staged by troops of the central government, by local citizens against centrally imposed edicts, and by factions out of power. The chaotic conditions that had prevailed under the federalist constitution of 1863 culminated in the 1884 election of Rafael Nuñez as president of Colombia, supported by a coalition of moderate Liberals and Conservatives. Nuñez called all factions to participate in a new constituent assembly, but his request was met by an armed revolt of the radical Liberals.
Early in 1885, a revolt headed by a radical Liberal general and centered in Panama City developed into a three-way fight. Colón was virtually destroyed. United States forces landed at the request of the Colombian government but were too late to save the city. Millions of dollars in claims were submitted by companies and citizens of the United States, France, and Britain, but Colombia successfully pleaded its lack of responsibility.
Additional United States naval forces occupied both Colón and Panama City and guarded the railroad to ensure uninterrupted transit until Colombian forces landed to protect the railroad. The new constitution of 1886 established the Republic of Colombia as a unitary state; departments were distinctly subordinate to the central government, and Panama was singled out as subject to the direct authority of the government. The United States consul general reported that three-quarters of the Panamanians wanted independence from Colombia and would revolt if they could get arms and be sure of freedom from United States intervention.
Panama was drawn into Colombia's War of a Thousand Days (1899- 1902) by rebellious radical Liberals who had taken refuge in Nicaragua. Like the rest of Colombia, opinion in Panama was divided, and revolts in the southwest had hardly been suppressed when Liberals from Nicaragua invaded the Pacific coastal region and nearly succeeded in taking Panama City in mid-1900. The fortunes of war varied, and although a local armistice gave supporters of the Colombian government temporary security in the Panama-Colón region, the rebels were in control throughout the isthmus. Meanwhile, by early 1902 the rebels had been defeated in most of Colombia proper. At that point, the Colombian government asked the United States to intercede and bring about an armistice in Panama, which was arranged aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin in the Bay of Panama in 1902.

Throughout the period of turmoil, the United States had retained its interest in building a canal through either Nicaragua or Panama. An obstacle to this goal was overcome in December 1901 when the United States and Britain signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. This treaty nullified the provisions of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 and signified British acceptance of a canal constructed solely by or under the auspices of the United States with guarantees of neutrality. (And we all know that the US built first the Panama railroad to handle traffic for the Alaskan Gold Rush and then later built the Panama Canal; but those are future stories in our travels.)

(Aside note:  Several times in Cartagena we heard talk about the United States having expressed an interest recently in helping to build another water pathway between the Caribbean and the Pacific using 2 rivers in Colombia.  Apparently this would not require a huge investment to complete.  This secondary water pathway would be used by pleasure craft and smaller shipping vessels, and leave the Panama Canal for the larger ships.  We have no idea if there is any basis in truth for these rumors.)

All that brings us to Panama self-governance in 1903.  The Kuna won their right to self-government in the Kuna Revolution of 1925, an historic event that San Blas celebrates every February with the local holiday of Mor Ginnid.  During the Kuna Revolution, the Kuna killed everyone in the area they defined as “their land” who was not full-blooded Kuna.  They wanted no dilution of the true Kuna bloodlines.  The officials in Panama realized at this point that it was futile to continue to try to control the Kuna, and the Comarca de San Blas was established.  This system has worked well ever since.

The Kuna are a matriarchal society.  The women control the economy.  When a man marries, he goes to live in his wife’s village.  But each village has a man chief known as a saila or sahila or salia (I have seen various spellings for this Kuna word).  More about all this in future postings.  Strange arrangement but it works well for them.  The Kuna are probably the last remaining indigenous people of the Americas who continue to live a truly traditional lifestyle – no cell phones, televisions, radios, modern conveniences, etc.

The San Blas consist of 357 islands spanning roughly 260 miles of the southeastern Panama cost of the Caribbean.  There are 49 separate Kuna communities in this territory.  Truly a gorgeous place.

We can’t wait to get there!

Time to leave. We loved it here.

November 2, 2007  Friday

We will be leaving Cartagena on Monday morning.   Alberto is supposed to come clean our hull and prop tomorrow.   He does this without scuba gear or Hookla air system; he has great lung capacity.    Definitely need this cleaning done before setting out on the passage to Panama.  The slightest amount of marine growth on the auto-prop causes vibration and slows the revs and speed under motor, so the prop should always be visually checked and cleaned before leaving on a passage.  Bill usually does this by simply diving with a snorkel mask because we normally don’t get a lot of marine growth.  But here in barnacle heaven Cartagena the water is so unappealing that Bill is not getting into it.  Pay a local like Alberto to do it instead.

We will leave the marina dock Sunday morning and anchor out.  The anchorage appears pretty full to me; hope we can find a spot.  Our deep draft limits the possibilities and I hate anchoring in a crowded area.  We will leave our three 110-130-ft lines in the water when we leave the dock.  These are actually six lines pieced together to form three really long lines.  These lines are tied down on the chain anchoring system on the sea bottom that surrounds Club Nautico marina.  These lines have been submerged since our arrival on September 12, and they are covered in barnacles and marine growth that is more than 6-inches in diameter in places!  Cleaning these lines will be a nasty, stinky job!  We were dreading bringing those filthy lines up onto our deck when we leave the dock, but John the dock master suggested that we pay Alberto to clean them for us.  Apparently this is a common practice and well worth the cost.  Wouldn’t tell Alberto this, but we would be willing to pay three times his quoted fee for him to clean those stinking lines for us!   All six of these lines are good lines and we would hate to lose them because of the nasty growth on them.  Two are 3-part plait and two are 3-part braid dock lines, all of which were brand new when we arrived here.  The remaining two lines are our spare genoa sheets.  Landlubbers would probably never guess at the cost of these lines because, after all, it is just various kinds of rope; but the current replacement cost would be more than $1800 USD.  So you can see why we definitely want to save all these lines if possible.

Monday morning should find us wending our way back out through the break in the underwater rock wall across Boca Grande and on our way to the San Blas Islands of Panama.  We have decided to make it a straight passage rather than stop at any of the Colombian coastal islands.  Not going as far down as Zapzurro.  Instead, we plan to head straight across to the Los Pinos channel entering the San Blas.  Should arrive there sometime Tuesday.

There will be no internet access in the San Blas, so this website probably will not be updated after Sunday until mid-December.  I have written a couple of things about the San Blas and captured a few photos from other websites, and will upload those two blogs before we leave Cartagena, but that will likely be the last you hear from us until we arrive in Shelter Bay Marina in Panama sometime mid-December.  However, you can check our positions by clicking on “position report” to the right of our BeBe photos on the main page of our website.  The map on the website can only be updated whenever we have internet access, but the “position report” is updated every time we send/receive email or weather info via SSB radio.  Just click “position report” and then click satellite view and you can see our current location.  There are other links on that report that take you to other services, one of which actually shows the history of each time we change position and happen to send/receive email; but that is too complicated to explain.  Just play with it if you have the time and the interest.

We hope to visit our favorite Cartagena restaurant once more this weekend.  I managed to get another haircut this morning.   We are making the last-minute trips to the supermarket today to stock up on a few things since there will be no stores in the San Blas.  Finally found a use for that dishwasher in the galley – it makes a perfect storage place for the 5 dozen eggs I bought to last us for the next 7 weeks.  (Eggs are not refrigerated here; they last a long time at room temperature as long as the eggs have not been washed or refrigerated.  Once refrigerated, then eggs must remain refrigerated.)  Bill bummed a dinghy ride with Chuck on MAKER’S MATCH over to the fuel dock at Club de Pesca to fill our gasoline jerry jugs today; diesel jugs are already full.  Propane tank was refilled earlier this week.  Only thing that will not get done is re-filling one of Bill’s dive tanks.   This should not be a problem because diving is illegal in the San Blas, and if we have an emergency like a fouled prop Bill has one full tank and that would be more than sufficient for a quick dive to clear a prop.  So all our trip preparations are taken care of and we are ready to move on.

Cartagena has been a real pleasure.  We will return again; next time will try to get a slip at Club de Pesca and see how the other half lives.  We have enjoyed our stay at Club Nautico, but it would be nice to not have so much movement at dock and also would be nice not to have lines submerged.  Club de Pesca has the normal poles out front to tie off onto as you back into the slip, so no submerged lines to get nasty. 

If anyone is thinking of visiting Cartagena, we recommend it.  Wonderful old city and good people.

Cartagena folks love Halloween

November 1, 2007  Thursday

The annual Halloween party was held at Club Nautico last evening.  Almost all the cruisers made an effort to dress in costume, and some of the locals wore elaborate costumes.  Every child received a “prize” for something; there was a DJ and dancing.  Of course, Bill and I sat on our butts for the entire evening because Bill doesn’t dance any more – especially not to Colombian style music.  But most everyone else participated in the dancing.  The food served was “typical Colombian fare” which turned out to be a rice dish that was similar to paella and was served on a banana leaf with a boiled egg on the side.  I know that eggs, and especially whole eggs, are considered a symbol of prosperity in a lot of cultures.  Never would have thought of eating a boiled egg with paella, but when in Rome…….   It was nice evening.

For some reason, Halloween has reached Cartagena in a big way.  When walking downtown we saw lots of children’s costumes being sold and Halloween candy on display.  Not sure that they do Trick-or-Treat because we stayed strictly in the marina last night; maybe they just do costume parties and give candy to the kids.  But we did have 2 kids come Trick-or-Treating to our boat – Merric and Seana on BLUEPRINT MATCH looked so cute in their pirate and princess costumes.  I took some photos but I was standing on our moving boat while they stood on the dock, so none of the photos came out. 

Which, BTW, brings up the topic of just how much this boat moves while tied to this dock!  It is incredible.  Not sure why we get so much movement so far up in this bay, but our boat seems to be constantly moving.  We face bow-to the anchorage and half the time it feels like we are at sea.  This morning I was standing in the aft cabin and actually fell down on the bed because the boat was moving so much.  Don’t understand it.

Another pair of my shoes bit the dust last night.  By the time I walked back to the boat the soles and heels of my shoes had dissolved into what looked like sawdust. This time it was my nicest low-heel sandals; ones that I have only worn maybe 4 times since we moved aboard.  That makes 3 pairs of shoes that have literally disintegrated on my feet since we moved aboard.  Salt air destroys shoes?  Or is it the heat?  Any ideas?

We turned in our paperwork to our agent yesterday to begin clearing out of Colombia.  Immigration officials came to the marina this afternoon to match our faces to our passports.  We told them we plan to leave tomorrow so they would go ahead and stamp our passports and be done with that.  Actually, we hope to leave either Sunday or (more likely) Monday.  It is supposed to take 2-3 days to clear out.  We also requested a 60-day Colombia cruising permit and that “puntos intermedios” be noted on our zarpe.  By having these documents we should have no trouble when we clear into Panama.  Without these 2 items, we understand that the Panamanian officials give people a hard time or impose penalties for taking so long to clear in.  They are fully aware that people go to the San Blas Islands and hang out there for weeks (or months or sometimes years) without first going to Colon to properly clear into Panama.  By having the 60-day Colombian cruising permit, we can claim that we were in Colombian waters and not in the San Blas.  Officialdom can be a real PITA.

Yesterday we had yet another obstruction to our saltwater system on the boat.  Wasn’t barnacles this time; it was trash.  The problem was two-fold.  Some small plastic bags had been sucked into the saltwater strainer basket and were blocking water flow.  And tiny bits of debris and pieces of baby barnacle shells had been sucked beneath the diaphragms of both of the saltwater pumps for the heads.  Bill had everything cleaned out and reassembled in less than an hour.  It surprised us how fast the water flowed into the toilets after all those tiny bits of trash were removed from the pumps.  Can’t place the blame for this completely on the dirty water and trash in this bay.  Bet some of that trash has been slowly building up and diminishing the water flow for months and we never noticed it until it reached a critical point.

Now, our international finance lesson for today:  (Apologies to Boyd)

I’m sure that everyone at home knows that the US dollar has weakened worldwide.  It just isn’t worth what it used to be.  Yet another reason that we definitely are not going to the Med anytime soon and are somewhat hesitant about going to New Zealand and Australia.  There are pros and cons involved in this normal currency fluctuation.  It is actually good for the US to have a weak dollar because it brings in tourists (good for airlines, hotel, rental cars, restaurants, retail stores, etc.) and it also makes US products far more attractive to foreign markets because now “made or grown in USA” looks like a bargain to Europeans and others; thus, good for exports.  Also, our national debt is in dollars, not in foreign currencies.  So a lower valued dollar is better when making debt payments to foreign countries or international markets.  The opposite side of all this is that when US citizens are traveling abroad, then their money just doesn’t go as far. 

All that leads up to the following statement.  Bet you would never have thought that the US dollar is weakening against the Colombian peso.  After all, we arrogant Americans “know” that our country is far larger geographically and with greater population and has a more stable economy than a poor, not-fully-developed South American country like war torn Colombia.  Wrong!!  Take a look at the currency conversion history since we arrived in Cartagena.

US dollar conversion rate to Colombian pesos received from ATM withdrawals since we arrived:

9/12   --- 2222.22 pesos for one US dollar

9/20   --- 2142.85 pesos for one US dollar

9/29   --- 2068.97 pesos for one US dollar

10/12 --- 2000.00 pesos for one US dollar  Note: more than 10% decrease in 1 month!!!

10/24 --- 2068.97 pesos for one US dollar

10/27 --- 2051.28 pesos for one US dollar

10/31 --- 2000.00 pesos for one US dollar  Wow!  We are down again!

Panama uses the US dollar for currency, so at least we will not be dealing with lowering dollar value on the currency exchange market for a few months.

Too much rain; best hot dogs in the world; and the nicest bullfighter ever.

October 26, 2007 Friday

Yesterday’s heavy rains all day long nearly drove everyone nuts.  You can only play computer games or read books for just so many hours before you go stir-crazy.  But Heather on SCOTT FREE saved the sanity of a few of us by getting on the VHF and asking people to play dominoes at the bar.  Seven of us met in mid-afternoon and played until almost dark, when the electricity again went down.  I lost, but who cared; we all just wanted off our boats for a few hours.

This morning a mechanic came and serviced our generator.  Nothing wrong with it but it was time for some routine maintenance.  Bill probably could have done it but he wanted to watch a professional do it first.  The mechanic said our generator looks brand new; did not find a thing wrong with it.  Next time Bill will probably do this scheduled maintenance himself.  I don’t know what was done and really don’t care as long as it works correctly.

While Bill was watching the mechanic, I plotted our routes to the San Blas Islands.  We don’t know where we want to go; it will totally depend on the weather and the adverse current when we leave this protected bay.  So that meant that I had to plot numerous variations of routes, all of which end somewhere between Puerto Perme near the ultra-traditional Kuna village of Anachucuna on the mainland of Panama and the Pinos channel entering the San Blas Islands.  Still haven’t decided if we will do a straight shot across or if we will stop at the Rosarios, the San Bernardos and/or Isla Fuerte along the way.  Heck, we still haven’t decided if we want to go down to Zapzurro or blow that off.  

We received very good news from Globalstar this morning.  We had hundreds of minutes that were scheduled to expire 31 Dec 2007.  We have not been able to use that phone hardly at all because can never obtain and hold a signal long enough.  Bill complained and asked some questions.  Next thing we know, we received an email saying that we now have until 31 Dec 2008 to use all these minutes.  AND, and this is a big AND, Globalstar has recently put up 4 new satellites and repositioned some others; so their service has improved significantly.  Our phone actually was receiving strong signal today and we were able to retrieve voice mail; something that we have not been able to do in a couple of months.  Now if it will just work in the San Blas Islands we will be delightfully surprised.  And I now take back all my complaining about Globalstar.  They really are trying hard to provide better signal service and to improve their customer service.

Last Sunday at the flea market here in the marina Bill bought a Mini M SAT phone.  It doesn’t work (which he knew when he bought it), but we are hopeful that Sven the wonder electrical engineer will be able to repair it.  It is at his shop now.  The Mimi M phone should work worldwide, whereas the Globalstar will not.

Colombia will be holding various political elections over the weekend and Monday.  So all sales of liquor and beer and wine are banned from 6:00 p.m. tonight until Tuesday morning.  Bet that will really hurt the restaurant businesses.  Someone made an announcement about this on the VHF yesterday and we got a chuckle from all the cruisers who said they were headed down to the supermarket in the rain to buy beer so they would not run out over the weekend.  Guess some of them can’t go a day or two without beer or wine or mixed drinks.

October 28, 2007 Sunday

Another rainy, dreary day.  It appears that this slow rain isn’t going to stop today at all.  Bill is shopping online for all kinds of boat stuff; I am reading and playing computer games and searching for new recipes – none of which sound interesting enough to make me want to heat up the galley to try one.  All I can say is:  thank God we are at a dock with A/C running.  Would hate to be out on anchor in this weather in a closed up boat.  Bill says he now understands what they mean by wet season vs. dry season.  Wet season in this part of the world extends from late April through November. 

The weather forecast for this week is all wrong for our passage to the San Blas.  Winds are predicted to be from the WSW or SSW all week, ranging from 10 knots up to 35.  So we have delayed our departure plans.  Maybe next Sunday we will leave here.  Will have to make that decision by Wednesday, I guess, in order to get our zarpe in time.  It usually takes several days to clear out of Cartagena.

About half-dozen boats arrived today from Aruba or Curacao.  We have met all of them up-island at one time or another, so this week will be an opportunity to visit some old new faces.

October 30, 2007 Tuesday

Rain finally stopped this afternoon, thank goodness.  The dreary gray is depressing.  On Sunday night a heavy rainstorm blew through and several boats in the anchorage dragged anchor.  Some boats started their engines and took evasive action to avoid being hit, but owner of the catamaran TANDEM didn’t awaken and go sit in his cockpit during the rainstorm and was unaware of the potential problem until he was hit.  Don’t know how much damage was sustained by either boat, hopefully nothing serious.

Last night we went to La Carreta (a/k/a The Burger House) with Buddy & Melissa on INDIGO MOON, one of the boats that arrived here Sunday.  We had met them in Bonaire but hadn’t had an opportunity to visit with them back then.  The burgers were okay (never as good as what we grill on the boat), and we enjoyed talking with Buddy & Melissa.  The burgers were served with the normal leaf of lettuce, mayo and ketchup, the ground beef patty, and a slice of cheese, plus what is apparently a Colombian variation of hamburguesa --a slice of green tomato and a thin slice of ham.  Strange; but it tasted okay.  BTW, they do not sell pickles here.  Hard to find any kind of pickle at all in the supermarkets.  Sliced dill pickles like we use on sandwiches in the US are unknown in most of the Caribbean; that is just an American thing.  Since Bill likes dill pickles and he eats a lot of sandwiches, I usually buy every jar of pickles on the shelf when lucky enough to find any.   

This morning we went back to old town Cartagena and walked around.  I was searching for a moisture proof salt shaker and possibly costumes for the Halloween party tomorrow night.  Didn’t find either.  Then we walked back to the hot dog man and the bullfighter bar that we had visited weeks ago.  The hot dog was just as good as last time, covered with crushed potato chips.  Found out what the mystery sauce is that he dispenses on top of the ketchup and mustard and mayo and thousand island dressing looking stuff --- it is a pineapple sauce.  Would never have guessed that a pineapple sauce would be good on a hot dog, but it is.  That also settles the question of what the almost clear sauce was that was put on the table with our hamburguesas last night—it also was pineapple sauce.  None of us tried it on our hamburgers.  But it is good on hot dogs.

After talking with hot dog man and Colombia at the bullfighter bar, then we walked along the top of the old wall that runs along the seaside.  Took a couple of photos to show you just how wide these walls are and how high.  No wonder the city was never after these walls were constructed.