We've been in the islands for over five months now and although the veggie boats in the San Blas keep us well-supplied, we were starting to run out of other important staples. Flour, sugar, meats and cheeses topped the list, but things started to get serious when our nuts supply was getting low and we were down to our last two cans of tonic! (What's a G&T without the T?).
So, we planned a trip into Panama City to meet up with Lizz on her return from a visit to the States and share a ride back via the Carti road. This is the sole [paved] road in and out of Kuna Yala that takes you over those beautiful mountains across to the other side of the isthmus. The only other options for entering the frontera are by plane or boat.
A boat launcha picked us up on Reach and took us to the Carti road, an exciting high seas ride past Punta San Blas on the way in. We got on a jeep for the 2.5 hr ride into the City and met a new friend, Claudia, and her family on their way back home after a weekend camping in the San Blas.
Surviving the many twists and turns, we arrived safely at Debby's Cruisers' Casa. Her penthouse apartment is a tastefully decorated home-base where travelers may stay in a friendly haven.
The city views are fantastic and we made full use of the fridge, freezer and high-speed internet during our stay. We were even able to file our tax returns on-line!
The next day, Lizz and Michele went on a shopping spree with the help of Roger, hitting all of the major stops: Abernathy's, Price Smart (Costco), Riba Smith and Philip Mota (wine store). As a testament to our success, Michele's credit card got shut down at the last stop due to "unusual activity" and it took a phone call to get it working again.
Now, how to get all of this stuff back to our boats at anchor??! Yes, there were moments of panic during shopping, but we kept positive with the adage that it'll all work out in the end.
It started with a loaded "jeep" that we rented as an exclusivo.
We were impressively loaded down as Debby saw us off. The strong truck made it over the steep-grade hills as we entered Kuna Yala territory and we soon arrived back at the river to our boat launcha.
Our Kuna drivers were faced with a new challenge ~ how to load this cargo into their boat with themselves and eight passengers?!
Prepared with garbage bags and wearing bathing suits, we had a very wet ride back to Reach and Kaya. The route was upwind; however, at least this time we were able to stay behind the barrier reefs and encountered more chop than high seas. Our cargo also survived, save one can explosion. So yes, it all worked out fine in the end.
But wait... exactly where are we going to stow all of these provisions??! Not to worry, as many of you already know, Michele has super secret storage areas all over the boat.
