I can't really say there's been anything hugely exciting going on these past few days but all is well nonetheless.

We've moved around to a few different anchorages since I last updated this. Hands down, the Holandes Cays have been the best in all the San Blas for us. They have the nicest anchorages, water colors and islands that drive you crazy with their beauty, and plenty to do each day. There are local and Columbian boats that come out to the anchored cruising boats selling veggies, alcohol, meat, etc. Some cruising boats stay there most of the season, getting what they need from these vendors. We've gotten some delicious fruit this way but so far, there's been no variety for produce like Guatemala had. We thoroughly enjoyed the Holandes and wish we'd have spent longer but we also wanted to see other parts of the San Blas since we don't know if we'll come back this way again.

From the Holandes, we headed a few miles South to the Coco Banderos Cays which have 4 main palm tree covered cays that you anchor amongst and the water is a brilliant turquoise. We did some so-so snorkeling there. Then we moved to Green Island where we met another boat named Wet Bar and had happy hour together one night. They've done a lot of traveling including camper travel across Europe this past summer which is something we've been wanting to do. It seems like it would be the best way to really see the interior of Europe and since they are so geared toward camping anyway, it seems pretty easy to move around in this way. We had plenty to talk about!

The snorkeling at Green was really great- full of color. Jon found a "chocolate lined top snail" which is a shell we'd been hoping to see for years since they're rare and kind of neat looking. It's about the size of a fifty cent piece and shaped liked a squat cone with a spiral pattern on it. As Jon says, the shell was "occupado" so we just got pictures. I love the way he throws spanish words into his sentences whenever he can think of them.

A couple of days later we moved to Nargana, one of the populated islands that had some stores, fuel, internet, etc. The internet was broken until who knows when, but we got some fuel, walked around the town, and bought a few groceries. The streets are sand, there are no cars or bikes of course, a few concrete buildings, and very polite Kuna islanders. Since Nargana is an island right along the mainland coast, there is a river that ends right in the anchorage. One afternoon, we took the dinghy up the Rio Diablo river for a couple of miles which was very beautiful. It was absolutely filled with birds. All along the sides of the river were cultivated patches of coconut palms, mangoes, avocados and surely plenty of other fruits and vegetables. These are all the plots of the Kuna and they row up the river in their home made ulu's with home made paddles to tend to and harvest from these farm plots. It was very peaceful and so interesting to see this setting. We rowed most of the way back so we could hear and see the birds.

The following day, we had planned to move to the Devil's Cays where there is a traditional Kuna village. For some reason, the weather the past few days has been dead calm. There isn't a breath of wind and at this time of year, with the sun so strong and the temp seeming to climb a little higher each day, the heat can be brutal without a breeze. We had to motor over to Devil Cay in some pretty large ocean swell since the wind is still honking off of Columbia. It was sort of uncomfortable and when we got to the anchorage, we quickly realized that it would be too rolly to spend the night. We anchored and rowed ashore to check out the island, figuring we'd have an hour and a half before we'd need to pick up and move a few miles East while the light was still good.

As soon as we got ashore, Kuna kids came running over greeting us and a man in an ulu rowed up to sell us some mangos- we bought them and he was so tickled to have sold them to us. They have the most perfume of any mango we've had and they're delicious. Then we started walking the sand paths amongst the palm frond homes. It wasn't long before another man greeted us and said we needed to get the Chief's permission to be on the island. This is not uncommon, and in the Pacific, you need to get permission plus bring a gift! We met the Chief who was an elderly Kuna man and he sat us down in plastic chairs to talk. I exhausted all ideas for questions in spanish within a few minutes. I found him difficult to understand but we did converse some. I need more spanish! It costs $5 to visit the island and the chief was hoping we'd buy some molas or necklaces but we really don't need any more. He was disappointed I think but we struggle with this feeling all the time- that we should spend all the money we can to help these needy people but at the same time, we can't do that or we wouldn't be able to be out here, and we wouldn't have any room on our boat either. So after we talked, we were shown around the island briefly before being led back to our dinghy. On the tour, we saw many Kuna homes- actually it's more like a family compound with one hut being the kitchen, a couple dormitorios, a living room hut, etc. We saw the "hospital" which seemed primarily geared for childbirth. We did not get the feeling we were welcome to stroll around on our own, so we left right after that. It was interesting to see a traditional Kuna village but we think we're all set for now. We've had really good experiences with Kuna men coming up to the boat selling fruit. We've made trades or used money and have had some good conversations with them. For next season, we need to bring more t shirts, fishing supplies and other things that we can use for trading so we can help these people more. We're still figuring all this out!

That night we anchored in Snug Harbor, still with no wind. The name reminds me of a typical harbor name in Maine. The anchorage was calm and very scenic but the no see ums were ferocious. The next day, we did some boat projects, snorkeled, snagged some more coconuts since we're on a coconut binge these days and watched a movie. We also made a decision that we aren't going to head any further East in the San Blas. The water isn't very clear, making it more difficult to navigate and also less appealing for swimming. We'd rather spend these last few days before we head to Cartagena in clear water.

So yesterday, we headed back to Green Island and did a circle tout of the island. Finally saw another pipefish- it is in the seahorse family. We hope to head out Thursday with a good weather window, in the company of another boat that we've been talking with on the radio. The breeze has picked up and that makes us happy.