S/V Mandalay Trip
Summary
San Blas Islands, Panama
June 21 – 28, 2003
by Bill Heink (RcktScientist Bill)
Click here for
photos
Saturday June 21 – Most
passengers flew from Miami to Panama City today, with a few others coming from
assorted other locations. We were met at the Tocumen airport, then bussed to the
Country Inn Hotel directly on the Panama Canal, just west of the Bridge of
Americas. The morning flights arrived around 10:45 AM EST. The hotel is a very
nice four story facility, with a large pool area overlooking the Panama Canal.
Check-in to both hotel AND the Mandalay were accomplished at the hotel with
Purser Stephanie and Miami rep Louise both awaiting us at the hotel. Most spent
the afternoon sightseeing and shopping. The temperature was in the upper 70’s,
cloudy with light showers. After lunch, many taxied to a nearby artisans market,
followed by a drive to the San Felipe section of downtown Panama City for a
walking tour. Most went back to hotel for dinner at TGI Fridays – in the hotel,
although some took taxis to other downtown restaurants. We heard no negative
comments about the hotel – it seemed to have everyone satisfied!
Sunday June 22 – Had a good hot breakfast at the hotel, provided as part
of the package. Checked out and turned in our luggage to WJ at the hotel for
direct transport to ship, then left the hotel in a large bus for the City tour
at 10 AM. Some took the optional Jungle Cruise tour on Gatun Lake instead,
leaving at 8 AM. All the arrangements seemed very well planned and coordinated.
The city tour was good, with a nice overview of the city, including a stop at
“old” Panama for sightseeing and shopping, a tour through the heart of “new”
Panama, with its tall skyscrapers, and a drive through portions of the old Canal
Zone, including its hospital and Canal Headquarters building. We were back to
the hotel at 1 PM for lunch. Many ate outdoors at the nearby “Balboa Yacht
Club”. Back on the bus at 2:30, with a stop at the Miraflores Locks to watch two
large container ships come through and to watch the informative video. Then it
was back on the bus to cross the lush Panama isthmus to the north coast and the
Mandalay. The ship was in a beautiful anchorage at Portobelo, once the largest
port on the east coast of Panama, but now just a quiet village. The ship came
into view long before we arrived at the village, and watching it in such a
beautiful setting was a great way to start our week. Delays at Miraflores had
made us somewhat late to the ship, arriving about 6 PM, but the launches were
waiting at the dock to take us out to Mandalay where swizzles and snacks awaited
us as Capt. Matt welcomed us aboard! Our luggage was already in our cabins. We
had a buffet dinner on deck around 6:45. The Jungle Cruise travelers reported an
equally good day, with good weather – partly cloudy, mid 80’s, and no rain of
significance.
Monday June 23 – At Storytime we were introduced to a special guest,
Gilberto Alemancia, a native Kuna who would be with us for the entire week to
help us find our way thru the San Blas and provide daily commentary about where
we were, what we should see, and how we should act. Educated in the US, he was a
fantastic addition to the trip, and seemed to enjoy mixing and mingling with the
passengers as much as Capt. Matt! We spent the morning anchored in Portobelo Bay
with two activities – launches to the north side of the bay for a Louise-led
hike to old Fort San Fernando on the top of a nearby hill, or launches into
Portobelo to wander the town. Portobelo consists of a few small artisan shops,
numerous restaurants, stores, homes, a large old church (home of a large statue
of the “Black Christ”), a good museum in the old Custom’s House, and the remains
of Fort San Jeronimo. The museum charges $1 for admission, but it is well worth
it, especially if you can get an interpreter, since the guides speak only
Spanish. We were especially lucky to have Gilberto with us, and he translated
the Spanish to English. (An especially good example of our increasingly small
world – a group of Americans in Panama with a Spanish-speaking guide – obtaining
their translations from a Kuna!) All were back to the ship for lunch, and we
sailed out of Portobelo Bay around 2 PM at the beginning of the only serious
daytime rainstorm of the week. It rained and blew very hard for about an hour,
and continued somewhat lighter for another. But it was clear and pretty by
sunset. We continued with an all night sail eastward to Cayos Hollandeses.
Tuesday June 24 – Today was a beach day, anchored in Cayos Hollandeses
all day. The island we visited was very pretty, with a nice reef for snorkeling
and a sharp underwater wall dropoff about 150 yards out. Not a lot of fish, but
many saw spotted Eagle Rays cruising along the wall. A Beach Bar was set up all
day, and lunch was back on the ship. Swimming morning and aft. There was plenty
of shade on the island due to its many coconut palms. Many Kuna women arrived by
canoe and set up displays of their Molas for sale, similar to the ‘tee-shirt’
trees that sprout in the Antilles. The crew took plastic bags ashore and many
passengers helped with a trash cleanup, collecting 4 LARGE bags of trash. The
Kuna’s seemed very impressed and the passengers felt good about doing their part
to leave the island better than we’d found it. It was a really nice day – with
temps in the 80’s, a breeze, and no rain. Most played or watched the ‘Not so
Newlywed’ game on deck after dinner.
Wednesday June 25 – Spent the night at anchor at Cayos Hollandeses, then
left for the island of Nalunega about 7 AM. Had fairly steady rain in the early
morning, slackening off by 9. Anchored offshore Nalunega -- within sight of El
Porvenir -- about 9:15 and had Storytime around 9:45. Went ashore in Nalunega
around 10:15 AM. It’s a very nice village, home to around 350. The school is
near the dock, along with the San Blas Hotel nearby, and dozens of thatched roof
houses are scattered across the island, most very close to each other. The women
had many Molas, blouses, and shirts available for sale and were very pleasant
people. About 11 AM a group of men and women put on a traditional dance. We’d
been told beforehand by Gilberto that taking pictures of the dancers was OK, but
we were cautioned to always ask before photographing an individual Kuna and to
expect to pay $1 for the privilege. After the dancing we were escorted into the
“Congress House” to meet the chief of the village. He welcomed us and seemed
genuinely pleased to have us there, speaking at length with Capt. Matt. All left
Nalunega by noon and we motored to nearby ‘Dog’ island for another great
afternoon of snorkeling. There is a large wreck almost right on the beach and it
has many, many fish in and around it, making for a great swim. It was a
beautiful beach, and soon more “Mola Trees” sprouted before our eyes. Everyone
was back to the ship by 5 PM and we then returned to last night’s anchorage for
the night. A Sea Hunt was held during Swizzletime, with PPP night afterwards,
producing the best party night of the week! The dancing and music continued on
deck late into the evening!
Thursday June 26 – This morning right after breakfast Capt. Matt did a
“sails-up” photo shoot, taking passengers out in a launch to photograph Mandalay
under full sail. It was truly a BEAUTIFUL sight! We then headed to Cayos
Banderos (“Golden Sand Island”) for the day. This was quite likely the prettiest
of the three “beach” islands we visited, a gorgeous deserted island with
probably the best snorkeling of the trip. The island was covered with coconut
palms and there was plenty of shade. Crystal clear water, fish of all kinds and
a pristine reef. Some swam off the ship before lunch and then went ashore
afterwards to snorkel, but nearly everyone was in the water most of the day. It
was a somewhat subdued group at Swizzletime (too much sun today and revelry last
night?) but still plenty of energy for crab races after dinner. We sailed about
11 PM heading west. A little bumpy, but good sleeping.
Friday June 27 – We were anchored off Isla Grande about 7:30 AM, no
longer in the San Blas, but now back in Colon Province, with heavily forested
hills on the land. Isla Grande once was prime weekend retreat for Canal Zone
employees, but now is pretty quiet. There are no vehicles of any sort, not even
golf carts. We went ashore around 9:30, landing at the dock of the Hotel Isla
Grande. One group, led by Louise, hiked over the hill to the north to the 5 star
resort called “Bananas”, while the rest remained to explore the town. The town
has one “road” (path) along the shore, with perhaps two blocks of homes and
shops back from the water. It is very pretty, very clean, and very quiet, with a
few shops, many small bars and restaurants, and cold beer. There is a nice
swimming beach at the hotel. Most returned to the hotel for lunch of fresh
lobster – a 1 pounder with fries for $9, 2 pounds for $16. Excellent food. Some
remained at Bananas and reported equally good food – with somewhat higher
prices. Beer at the hotel was $1, $3.50 at Bananas. All were back to the ship by
5 PM, with crew and passenger photos around 5:45. It was a beautiful afternoon
with a great sunset. Captain Matt’s farewell dinner was excellent, as always. It
was a quiet night, with many leaving early in AM. We left Isla Grande at 11 PM
and had a fairly rough few hours with a mighty rainstorm, but it calmed down
nicely around 1 AM for a good nights’ sleep.
Saturday June 28 – We arrived Colon around 4 AM and tied up at the cruise
ship wharf. 10 passengers left at 5 AM to go do a partial transit of the Canal.
Another 40 left at 7 AM for the airport, and the last group left at 10 AM, with
some going directly to the airport and the rest back to the County Inn hotel for
the afternoon. Those to the hotel had later flights and did some final shopping
or sightseeing in Panama City before going to the airport. The “partial transit”
group arrived back at the hotel around 12:30 and reported a fantastic voyage in
an old ferry boat that was small enough that it had to tie up inside the locks,
so they could actually reach out and touch the 100 year old concrete. They also
reported enough food on the boat to feed an army for a week! Stephanie and
Louise also returned with us to the hotel and were last seen in the hotel lobby
checking-in the next weeks’ cruisers! No rest for the wicked, we guessed! While
they are in Panama City with the new passengers, Capt. Matt and crew will move
the ship back to Portobelo so it will be there waiting for them on Sunday night.
The end of a GRAND week!
Final Thought – All the hoopla and travails about the CDC recommendations
about health hazards in Panama and the San Blas were for naught. We saw only ONE
mosquito during the entire trip – and that was in Panama Viejas – “Old Panama
City” -- during the tour on Sunday. Once on the ship and in the San Blas, we
never saw a mosquito or any other kind of bug! All of our new DEET repellant is
still in the cans and bottles. This is not to say that it’s not possible to get
sick, but we suspect the CDC recommendations are highly overstated. To put it in
perspective, we got home today here in Florida, spent five minutes outside
talking to a neighbor, and probably got 15 or 20 mosquito bites. So all the
protection is probably not necessary in Panama. (Just one man’s opinion!)
