The Coco Bandero Cays

Tropical paradise? You betcha. This place has it all, a cluster of tiny palm tree speckled islands, proverbial white sand beaches, water like crystal, snorkeling like I’ve never seen, a pet remora who lived under the boat for a couple of days that we named Sharkie (she really liked corn) and one super friendly Kuna family who lived on the northernmost island.

We spent three days here with Vlad’s mom, exalting in the wonderful water peppered with starfish and just generally enjoying a mighty fine anchorage. My only regret is not stringing up a hammock between two palm trees.

The day we left one of the Kunas we met asked if we could tow him and his cayuca to Nargana with us, and before we knew it three Kuna men were aboard with one guy riding in the cayuca, tasked with keeping the lobsters alive and shucking conch. They gave us all the dirt on various wrecked boats, which ones were drug smugglers, etc., and it was really nice to learn a bit about the weather in the San Blas, which has been a bit of a stormy mystery to me. Thankfully, Pam speaks excellent Spanish, and Vlad’s not too shabby at it either (I am the weakest link in the Spanish chain), making for some fun conversations.

And look at the size of the lobster they were selling in town!