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This rocky opening on a tiny islet looked out over two other somewhat larger islets. The sea runs thru this opening at high tide. |
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We used this beautiful island beach in Panamá's Las Perlas on a tiny islet to draw patterns for Mira's dinghy chaps. |
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Carina is tucked up near Morro Cacique (cacique is a chief) just off Isla del Rey between the white sandy beach and a rocky islet. |
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West of Morro Cacique's headland (presumably named because the headland looks like a king's head) is the river Rio Cacique. |
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Our first night in the Rio Sabana was heralded by the full moon (Mira photo). |
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Far up the Rio Sabana, anchored near Islas Las Bellas (the beautiful islands) in the Darien Province of Panamá this sunrise graced us. |
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Carina reflects her beautiful lines at dawn's light while anchored in the Rio Sabana, Darién, Panamá (Claire de Lune photo). |
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At least one of the Islas Las Bellas was inhabited, though we did not find anyone at home. |
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This sign in the middle of the Darién, Panamá warns of a certain type of fly carrying a worm dangerous to livestock. We saw no livestock. |
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Philip, George and Jay return from walking upriver after finally locating the indigenous Wounaan village of Boca del Lara. |
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Because we searched for the indigenous Wounaan village of Boca del Lara at low tide, we were sometimes forced to tow the dinghies (Alkahest photo) |
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A half mile from the Wounaan village of Boca del Lara, this boy and girl raced down to shyly say hello, grab an offered cookie and hitch a ride. |
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George pushs Claire de Lune's dinghy upstream shortly before he suffered a severe cut on his foot due to oyster shell covered rocks (Alkahest photo). |
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Claire de Lune's Jan is a kid magnet, especially when she comes bearing cookies! |
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George from Claire de Lune gets treatment for his cut foot. He soon disappeared under a pile of curious kids. (Alkahest photo) |
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In the pretty Wounaan village of Boca del Lara; every day is wash day. |
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Clothing was optional for this little Wounaan boy (and for others in the village) as he proudly shows off his puppy (Alkahest photo). |
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A typical fisherman's family dwelling at Boca del Lara, Darién, Province of Panamá. |
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Though the Wounaan village of Boca del Lara was tiny, it did boast two tiendas; here George and Jay were buying some cold soda pop. |
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A local Wounaan boy walks down Boca del Lara's only street. |
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For some reason these women basketweavers felt they needed to go topless when it came time to sell their wares. |
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The beautiful Wounaan children of Boca del Lara were enthralled by George's stories. |
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Alkahest's Jay and Danica pose under the building where artisans sold their baskets and intricate carvings. |
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Boca del Lara's dirigente (chief), Juan, met with us and told us of his plans for his Wounaan village. Most adult villagers were 5' or less. |
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A Boca del Lara fisherman casts his net from a bote (or dugout) near the village boat landing (Alkahest photo) |
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Carina, Alkahest and Claire de Lune line up on uncharted Estero Tigre in the Darien, Panamá. |
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These three men were logging some mangrove trees on Estero Tigre and stopped to chat on their way to sell their wood. |
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The Estero Tigre offered us miles and miles of isolated spots to explore and view wildlife (Alkahest photo). |
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We reached the landing far up the estuary we'd seen the previous day and did not find a village but a lone home with Ilsa and her two grandchildren. |
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Ilsa's garden included some luscious little sweet bananas common in Panamá. |
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Ilsa asked her grandson, Edward, to bring us up the trail to meet Miguelito at an upland finca. |
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Reaching the edge of the finca, the trail opened up to fields cleared by hand by machete. |
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Led by Miguel Gonsales who we took away from chopping brush, we approached the bunkhouse of finca Dulce Nombre (sweet name). |
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At the finca, cooking is done the old fashioned way. |
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The jungles of the Darién remain lush even during dry season. |
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Returning from the Finca Dulce Nombre involved letting ourselves out through their barbed wire gate. |
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On the trail to the finca, Dulce Nombre, Philip inspects a tree that contains a machete slash tally of.....? Visitors? Lunchmates? |
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La Palma is the provincial capital of the Darién in Panamá and is a rustic frontier town. |
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Pajero Jai |
La Palma offered a wealthy gringo from Boston a master boatbuilder with a ready supply of fine Darién timber. We met this boat again in Panama City in 2008 and Philip got the opportunity to go aboard. |
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Anchoring in La Palma brings out botes filled with sellers of Darién baskets. This bote is filled with giggling teenage girls. |
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This woman and her two children also visited to sell baskets. |
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We also were visited by rowdy neighborhood boys on school vacation who asked dozens of questions about Carina and her travels. |
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La Palma's downtown muelles cover a smelly shoreline of bones, broken glass and buzzards. |
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After a long day of motoring into short choppy seas and "noserlies" we stopped at Espirtu Santo for some rest and bocce! |
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Our "family" celebrated our Darién adventure and Danica's (Alkahest) birthday at Isla Espiritu Santo on Claire de Lune. |
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After wilderness adventures in the Perlas and Darién we finally spotted a two toed sloth in the parking lot of La Playita Amador - in the city! |
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