Panama’s Islas Perlas
We’re finally ready to leave Panama City – Geoff and I have had 4 weeks here and have loved the diversity of it all, the beautiful San Blas islands, the Panama Canal, rainforests, the old town, amazing architecture, the nightlife and restaurants, and the vibrancy of the city itself. But we’re ready to move on now.
The boat is all in full working order, the laundry is done, the freezer has been restocked and Jo and I have finally been able to tear ourselves (albeit reluctantly) away from two excellent shopping malls – Multi Plaza and Allbrook.
Wednesday 11 May – we’re off to the Archipelago of the Las Perlas Islands located about 35 miles south of Panama City. The Perlas got their name when the Spanish conquistadores Gaspar de Morale and Francisco Pizarro robbed a large amount of pearls from the indigenous King Toe. In 1515 they defeated the king and enslaved his skilled pearl divers. The 31 carat “peregrina” pearl belonging to Queen Mary Tudor of England came from these islands. I’m hoping I might find a nice pearl to buy for myself, but it certainly won’t be anything like 31 carats!
We arrived on the Isla Pedro Gonzales about 5.00pm, just in time for a sundowner. This island is known for its herb plantations and very scenic anchorages. We anchored on a beautiful coconut palm-fringed white sandy beach and we were the only boat and people around. A walk the following morning confirmed that there were also mango plantations nestled in the lush greenery.
Thursday 12 May – breakfast, anchor up and we’re now heading for Isla del Rey and the fishing village of Esmeralda Village. The crew are hoping to be able to find some fresh seafood to bring back on the boat for dinner tonight.
We arrived to a huge welcome at Esmeralda Village, all the little kids came out to greet us with their gorgeous smiley faces, along with a very helpful guy who led us through the village to the fisherman’s shack where Geoff was able to buy a huge snapper and some lobster tails. The kids insisted that we buy some mangoes, papayas, and bananas, so our entourage of about 9 little ones took us to where we could find some. The village is so poor, it is just little huts and houses, no roads and a lot of rubbish everywhere, but the kids were so happy and friendly and that is their life, sad really.
We anchored in the mouth of the Rio Cacique and took the dinghy part-way up the river hoping to see some interesting wildlife and birds, it was very peaceful and there was plenty of current, but a lack of wildlife unfortunately. Next stop Isla Espiritu Santo where we found a lovely peaceful place to anchor and Geoff barbecued the fish whilst Jo and Ian sorted out the lobster tails and a great dinner was had by all (except for yours truly who doesn’t eat fish – what a place to be with that foible!).
Friday 13 May – Our final day with Jo and Ian who are leaving this afternoon, Jo to see her family in Bogota and Ian to visit friends in London. It has been wonderful fun having them on board, we have enjoyed our daily Quiz and Wordle sessions, Ian proving to be an hilarious Quizmaster along with his talent as ace “egg boiler” in the mornings and bar tender in the evenings. I’ll miss Jo and our chats in the galley and the wonderful shopping sessions, by golly we did those malls proud. We are en route to Isla Contadora where they will catch the ferry back to Panama City and head off to the airport for their flights. I’m hoping to arrive there early enough for us to get in a bit of last minute shopping at the boutiques, after all, there’s pearls to be had!!!!
A lovely few hours in Isla Contadora and a delicious lunch on the beach, but sadly nowhere to buy pearls! So it’s a goodbye to Jo and Ian and now we’re off to Bahia Cacique in Equador – 3 nights sail. I’ll be in touch then!
