Monday, October 15, 2012

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!


8 comments:

  1. So happy you are enjoying your time in the San Blas!

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    1. It's really neat here, Cidnie. Ultimately relaxing and just a fun place to be.

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  2. Dreamy. The top photo is unreal! How awesome Vlad's mom got to get in on it!

    So how much do they sell those crustaceans for in US$?

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    1. It was so much fun having her here with us! And I think she enjoyed getting to experience the islands with all the snorkeling, weird wildlife and very nice people.

      I have no idea what a lobster like that would cost in the U.S. Maybe somewhere in the $20 range. That sucker was huge!

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  3. That's what i always thought tropical paradise looked like. How cool!

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    1. This place is pretty much tropical paradise. It doesn't get a lot better, in my opinion.

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  4. Oh this sucks, stuck here in L. A. reading about you guys! You guys inspire us so keep writing and I love the pictures!

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    1. Thanks, James! And I hope you get unstuck from L.A. soon.

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