San Blas Islands Panama

After being in Shelter Bay Marina at the end of the Canal for far too long, we finally left for the home of tyhe Kuna Indians in the San Blas Islands towards the eastern end of Panama nr the Columbian border.  This is almost an autonomous state within Panama and they live on a chain of islands off the coast.  Their main claim to fame are the Molas that they sew - a bit like quilting but much more details, finer hand stitching and many layers of cloth used.  As with all these local crafts they come in various qualities.  Mostly these that are sold in the islands are much better than the ones sold on the street in Panama City.

They live on tiny islands from about the size of two house blocks to some that would be equal to a few Melbourne streets.  They have their gardens on the mainland and sail by dugout (Ulu) each day to attend to their produce.  This can take up to a couple of hours depending on the distance and the direction of the wind.  Wonderful sailors in these small dugout treetrunks that are remarkable unbalanced.