This rocky opening on a tiny islet looked out over two other somewhat larger islets. The sea runs thru this opening at high tide.

We used this beautiful island beach in Panamá's Las Perlas on a tiny islet to draw patterns for Mira's dinghy chaps.

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.

West of Morro Cacique's headland (presumably named because the headland looks like a king's head) is the river Rio Cacique.

Our first night in the Rio Sabana was heralded by the full moon (Mira photo).

Far up the Rio Sabana, anchored near Islas Las Bellas (the beautiful islands) in the Darien Province of Panamá this sunrise graced us.

Carina reflects her beautiful lines at dawn's light while anchored in the Rio Sabana, Darién, Panamá (Claire de Lune photo).

At least one of the Islas Las Bellas was inhabited, though we did not find anyone at home.

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.

Philip, George and Jay return from walking upriver after finally locating the indigenous Wounaan village of Boca del Lara.

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)

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.

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).

Claire de Lune's Jan is a kid magnet, especially when she comes bearing cookies!

George from Claire de Lune gets treatment for his cut foot. He soon disappeared under a pile of curious kids. (Alkahest photo)

In the pretty Wounaan village of Boca del Lara; every day is wash day.

Clothing was optional for this little Wounaan boy (and for others in the village) as he proudly shows off his puppy (Alkahest photo).

A typical fisherman's family dwelling at Boca del Lara, Darién, Province of Panamá.

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.

A local Wounaan boy walks down Boca del Lara's only street.

For some reason these women basketweavers felt they needed to go topless when it came time to sell their wares.

The beautiful Wounaan children of Boca del Lara were enthralled by George's stories.

Alkahest's Jay and Danica pose under the building where artisans sold their baskets and intricate carvings.

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.

A Boca del Lara fisherman casts his net from a bote (or dugout) near the village boat landing (Alkahest photo)

Carina, Alkahest and Claire de Lune line up on uncharted Estero Tigre in the Darien, Panamá.

These three men were logging some mangrove trees on Estero Tigre and stopped to chat on their way to sell their wood.

The Estero Tigre offered us miles and miles of isolated spots to explore and view wildlife (Alkahest photo).

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.

Ilsa's garden included some luscious little sweet bananas common in Panamá.

Ilsa asked her grandson, Edward, to bring us up the trail to meet Miguelito at an upland finca.

Reaching the edge of the finca, the trail opened up to fields cleared by hand by machete.

Led by Miguel Gonsales who we took away from chopping brush, we approached the bunkhouse of finca Dulce Nombre (sweet name).

At the finca, cooking is done the old fashioned way.

The jungles of the Darién remain lush even during dry season.

Returning from the Finca Dulce Nombre involved letting ourselves out through their barbed wire gate.

On the trail to the finca, Dulce Nombre, Philip inspects a tree that contains a machete slash tally of.....? Visitors? Lunchmates?

La Palma is the provincial capital of the Darién in Panamá and is a rustic frontier town.

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.

Anchoring in La Palma brings out botes filled with sellers of Darién baskets. This bote is filled with giggling teenage girls.

This woman and her two children also visited to sell baskets.

We also were visited by rowdy neighborhood boys on school vacation who asked dozens of questions about Carina and her travels.

La Palma's downtown muelles cover a smelly shoreline of bones, broken glass and buzzards.

After a long day of motoring into short choppy seas and "noserlies" we stopped at Espirtu Santo for some rest and bocce!

Our "family" celebrated our Darién adventure and Danica's (Alkahest) birthday at Isla Espiritu Santo on Claire de Lune.

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!