Feb 7th: Just Round The Corner

 

Trip Log:

Distance: 6 KNM

Weather: Sunny with light winds

Dinner: Chili with Beans

Story:

Waking to a cool morning, with a beautiful vista of the layered Islets across the mouth of the bay, we packed in no great hurry. After walking the boats out quite a distance to the edge of the sea, we loaded and then pushed off. The day was becoming a hot one, as usual, and we paddled for a couple of hours passed many houses and developments; which lead to a twang of remorse in my heart. After our journey around Coiba it was hard not to reflect on how developed the area is becoming and how wonderful it would have been before all the houses where here.

When the heat seemed too much we pulled up on a beach that looked like it had a lodge on it. We were hoping to be able to get fruit drinks and maybe relax in the shade, though we were only to find a gated retirement community that was set up by Panama’s president Toto Martinelli. Toto was also partially behind the protests that had been happening in Panama over the last few days, so we had heard. We moved on and found another beach to rest, one tightly packed with Palms and Flotsam. Amongst the coconut palms in the shade, well out of the way of falling Coconuts, we drifted off to sleep.

That evening we paddled on and found a nice little quite beach where we could set up our tent below a large almond tree on the sand, I hung our solar shower from a branch and Allie began cooking a dinner of Chilli. We took turns stirring the Chilli while the other had a shower. It was a bitter sweet night, we knew we would return to Santa Catalina tomorrow (the town being just around the next headland now) and we looked forward to restaurant meals, cold drinks (beer) and a real shower; though we were also sad to be leaving the simple life of journeying along the coast self sustained and free to explore. It was a full moon that night and the tides were covering all most all of the beach, but we had about 10 meters of space for the boats and our tent. In the that little space was where we were too sleep, with the waves lapping seemingly close to our feet, as we gazed through the mesh tent walls at the moon reflected on the water.

Tomorrow is a simple paddle around to more points back to Santa Catalina, and the surf isn’t big at all for our landing. Another kayak adventure finished and what an amazing one it was!

 

J