- Thorough border control when entering Panama
- Lunch stop on a Robinson Crusoe island with snorkeling and swimming
- Volleyball and snorkeling on the next island
- Tour through the Kuna village of Caledonia
- Party in the restaurant
Get up at 6.30 a.m., have breakfast and go straight to the boat. After a short drive we reach Puerto Obaldia and with it the Panama border post. Waiting for us detailed search procedure, after all, the area is on the classic cocaine trade route to North America. Every rucksack is carefully searched and then put away again by us and packed watertight using garbage bags. The big rucksacks will not be touched for the next few days. After a good two and a half hours, each of the 28 people in the group is through ready to go.
We force ourselves onto that again two motor boats with 4 rows of seats for 4 people each and drive the North along the coast. The scenery in the semi-autonomous land of the Kuna is real unique. White sandy bays with crystal clear turquoise water and coconut palms alternate with rocky stretches of shore. The jungle begins right behind it. After about an hour and a half, moderately comfortable ride we reach the first islands, where the Kuna settlement of Caledonia lies. We will stay here for the first time this evening.
However, we go straight to one uninhabited island. Surrounded by a reef where the waves break, we swim on the sheltered side paradisiacal sandy beach. After a first round Snorkeling lunch is waiting for our hungry mouths. We spend the hot midday hours in the shade of the palm trees, reading, playing frisbee and swimming a little. The kuna family, who own the island, come by to sell drinks.
At 3:30 p.m. drive a short distance to the next island. Here you can play football and volleyball and snorkel again. Here you can see some beautiful corals and associated fish, which does not add up to the splendid experiences on the Galapagos. Some even claim to have seen a reef shark.
As the sun disappears more and more behind thick clouds, we drive back to Caledonia and can move into our simple rooms. Niki and I are lucky and get a bed that is very saggy, others will spend the night in hammocks. The house is built on stilts on the edge of the island, so the Outhouse are simply built over the water. The showers consist of a large bucket of water and a cut-out water canister so that you can pour the water over your head yourself. Everything is very simple but functional!
Then we take a tour of the village, where we can see from the Child crowds are eagerly awaited. The boys prefer to be carried around piggyback, marvel at beards and tattoos. Then it's time to eat in another Kuna family's restaurant. There is a choice of octopus, mussels or chicken, along with the usual fried plantains, rice and lentils. Rum and beer flow freely, there is a lot of talk within the entertaining group with many long-term travelers.
