Photos: The Islands of Colombia

                                            A rare sunny afternoon in Providencia Island, Colombia


    After finally shoving off from Shelter Bay, Panama, we headed north to finally explore the islands of the Caribbean Sea. After a rough passage we arrived at Isla San Andres, one of the two islands of the nation of Colombia.

                                              The dinghy dock at Isla San Andres, Colombia

       
                                      Scooters are the main form of transportation on San Andres


   This is an adorable, working island with a few thousand happy residents. Both San Andres and Providencia are prime vacation destinations for mainland Columbians, who fly here by the droves.

   The islanders are a mix of Latin and Afro-Carribean cultures, and both English and Spanish are spoken.

           Meet a typical San Andres family -- and yes, they DO drive their toddlers, chihuauas and even INFANTS around on their motorcycles just like in the photo. No helmets. No laws of any kind in this area, evidently. And YES, there IS a hospital on the island... (YIKES)

   
                                       Fishing boats on the shore of San Andres

                 We can only assume that this enterprising Columbian was hoping to glean off of the success of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" ("Kent Touch Fry Chicken"). Sigh. I guess he just tried to sound it out. And the average Columbian has probably never even heard of "Kentucky."
 

  From a cruisers standpoint, the weak link of Isla San Andres is the anchorage. It's too shallow and the holding is poor.

                                   These guys had a bit of trouble in the San Andres anchorage


    But we enjoyed our days there, and heartily recommend the island for a visit if you should be passing through.  Next stop: Isla Providencia, the other Colombian island about 90 miles north.

                     Isla Providencia: a taste of the South Pacific in the Southwest Caribbean


      Unfortunately, during our stay there was a potential war brewing between Nicaragua and Colombia over who actually owns these islands, which are actually closer to Nicaragua than they are to Colombia.

               A Colombian battleship patrolled the harbor upon our arrival in case Nicaragua should get any ideas. I'm not sure if that was a comfort or not...



      Anyway, the islanders assured us that Nicaragua would never invade because the Colombian military is so much stronger and larger. So, if the islanders weren't scared, then why should WE be? We decided to settle in and explore the island.

                                                             A typical island home

                                                    A forest of palms right to the waters edge

        We rented this scooter and explored the island.  No helmet required. No rear view mirrors (see above). But at $20 for 4 hours rental, we weren't complaining!  "No worries, mon!"

  
                     Most homes here have corrugated roofs and wood window covers

                                                                   A good catch


    After a fun day and a good night sleep aboard Espiritu, we awoke to this sight off our port bow:

                                      Two Colombian battleships patrol the harbor


     Slightly alarmed, the locals continued to smile brightly, waving off any concerns with a happy shrug. "No problem!" they said. Well, OK, if the locals aren't worried...so we went on a nice hike with our friends from "Liberation II,"  our buddy boat from Shelter Bay.

           The crew of "Liberation II" from Modesto, CA. These guys were part of the team that prosecuted Scott Peterson for killing his wife Lacey, which made them pretty cool in our book.

      Scott Peterson sez: "Damn you, Liberation II! I rot in jail while you are sailing the Caribbean!"


      Sometimes, thankfully, justice is done.      :-)

                          A heavenly Providencia beach. Did I mention Scott Peterson is NOT here? ;-)

                                            Coconuts sell for coconuts

                               There are more upscale dwellings here too...

                                         A charming boardwalk rings the anchorage


  The anchorage here is much more secure than the one at San Andres. There were 10-15 sailboats here during our stay, half going north, half going south -- all waiting for a good weather window. We all settled in and got to know each other.

             I played "Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit" with these cute cruising kids. Needless to say, I failed miserably, as I am not the target demographic. I answered "Dumbledore" to every question, which brought fits of laughter from the children, delighted by my ignorance of all things Harry.   :-)

                                                Another Providencia scene

                                 Warm, sunny days like this were a rarity here.
                                 Most days brought squalls and 30 knot winds.

                                                       Room with a view

                                                        Humble dwelling

             Simple tree sticks stand in for scaffolding on a typical island construction site

                                          Chris rests during a hike on the island

                                                            Fred Flintstone's weight set?

                                             A herd of cows ambles through downtown

        It rains and rains here. This photo shows the importance of proper and creative drainage. Note the rain catch running from left to right, in front of the window and on around the house. Noone will ever die of thirst here on Providencia!

Uh-oh. On day 3 we awoke to this sight:

                                THREE Colombian battleships now patrolling the harbor.
                                            More trouble brewing with Nicarague...

       And now, the people of Providencia were uprising in the streets. Accurate information was tough to come by, but as near as we could see it, a ruling from the Hague was about to come down on the dispute over the islands.

    There was now an extra-large military presence on the island, which was reassuring, I guess.

                             Colombian military police peruse the local donut shop.
          That settles it: no matter where you are in the world, it's a fact: cops love donuts!


     Well, once again the crew of Espiritu (and the other 10 sailboats in the harbor) found ourselves in an interesting spot. One thing was clear: noone was going anywhere. If there was to be a battle at sea, anchored safely in the harbor was the place to be.

   Might as well find ways to distract ourselves.  We enjoyed an evening of billiards in the local pool hall with the boys from "Liberation II."

       Scott Peterson sez: "Wait...the boys from 'Liberation II' are hanging out in a Columbian pool hall while I'm rotting here in JAIL?"   Yep, that's pretty much the situation, Scott. You should have thought of that before you murdered Lacey!

                 Turns out Columbian dogs like to play pool, as opposed to American dogs,
                                             who -- if the painting is true, prefer poker.


       The good news is, the next morning the Hague came down with a determination that settled (for now) the military situation between Nicaragua and Columbia. The battleships went back to Cartagena. The populace heaved a sigh of relief. And the cruisers got our weather window which sent us all to sea again where we belong.

 
            After 3 days and night at sea, Espiritu is happily anchored at Roatan in the Bay Islands, Honduras. It's a world class SCUBA destination, so we couldn't be happier.

    And near as we can tell, there are no impending wars of any kind here.

    So, we're happy.     :-)

The seas were angry that day, my friends...

                         
                                    Seas so angry, even a fake marine biologist would be a little freaked


               Well, the good news is, Espiritu is safely anchored at Providencia Island, Colombia.

                              Heading north from the Canal, we first visited Isla de San Andres,
                                        then our current home, Isla Providencia.


     It´s been a squally, wet and wild couple of weeks since we first left Panama and headed north. We bashed into 10 foot seas and squalls, which have been pretty much unrelenting. Right now, you can practically set your watch to them. They blow through about every 3 hours around the clock.

   What made our passages extra challenging was the mechanical problems which plagued our motor. First we blew a gasket at 2AM in the middle of a squall south of San Andres. Chris tried to fix her, but unfortunately the motor would not run. So we had to sail into the anchorage at Isla San Andres without a motor, in the middle of a squall, in 27 knot winds. No problem! We got her in and the anchor down.

   After buying and replacing the gasket in San Andres, we headed north to  Isla Providencia. As we were again bashing into north winds and taking breaking waves into the cockpit, the fuel tanks got flooded with sea water, so we had to again sail into harbor under sail, with the motor going in and out, this time in pitch blackness and again in the middle of a 25 knot squall. Fortunately our friends on Talaria and Liberation II came to our aid by jumping into their dinghies and leading us into the anchorage at Providenia by flashlight.

  Let´s hear it for the Brotherhood of the Sea!

  Chris has worked very hard finding the seawater access point and has repaired it. So now, we´re waiting out the squalls and storms here at Providencia Island with several other boats. We are all so very tired of the rainy season.

  We´ve been in the thick of the rain, lightning, squalls, waves and wind for more than 6 months. When will it end?  Staying positive is challenging. But we know that the key to keeping a positive attitude is focusing on the little things. Like bacon.

 
                                                              Bacon is good


   For reasons unknown, we were priced out of the bacon market in Costa Rica and Panama.We´re talking $10.00 a pound. Lord knows why -- we certainly saw enough pigs sitting by the side of the road in Central America. Anyway, we haven´t had bacon for months.

  To our happy surprise, here in Colombia, a big-ass package of the good stuff is 5 bucks!

   Yee Haw!

    This morning, as the latest squall rumbled and blew around us aboard Espiritu, I cooked bacon. Amidst the happy sizzling sound, and the tantalizing aroma, Chris and I literally danced and cheered with happiness.

  You know the scene in "Swingers" where Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau are excitedly driving to the Nevada border, and they cry excitedly: ¨Vegas, baby! VEGAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

        Well, this was us, except we were yelling excitedly: ¨Bacon, baby...BAAACCCOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

  Yes, it had been that long. And yes, it was good.

   I believe it was Bertrand Russell who said that it is impossible to live a happy life without being without something you want. So learning to live without, and learning to make do, has been a big part of our journey so far. And anyway, we all know you simply can´t eat bacon every day, right?





  

Are you cut out for rainy season in Central America?

                                         A tropical thunderstorm as seen from the space station


     Well, Espiritu and her crew have been in the midst of the tropical rainy season for nearly 6 months now. Without a break, just like the locals.   Hundreds of inches of rain have fallen on us. Thousands and thousands of tachycardia-inducing close bolts of lightning have violently invaded our space.

                                 Yet another tropical weather system looms black on the horizon


  By the way, in addition to ourselves, the tally of our friends on sailboats who have been struck by lightning this year in Central America has now risen to SEVEN.

  We're so ready for it to be OVER.

            I was a big Croc-basher in my former life. But my pink Vans/Croc squeakers have
                              taken very good care of me in these very wet months.

   
                        Just another sizzling, crackling, grumbling, anxiety-producing night
                                             in Central America during the rainy season

       
         This photo of dark storm clouds moving in over Shelter Bay marina shows why none of our friends have been struck by lightning in marinas. The numbers are on your side here. You are surrounded by lots of other targets. At sea or in an isolated anchorage, one solitary mast may be the  highest spot for miles around.
       

           As the last weeks of the rainy season go out like a lion (lightning crackles above and around me as I write this), I ask myself the question:

 Do I recommend sailing through Central America during the rainy season?

 Sigh.

 Well, you already know the downsides. The constant layers of mold which blanket the inside surfaces of our floating home anew the morning after scrubbing her clean the night before. The extreme challenge of living in such close quarters day in and day out,  extreme heat and humidity, wind, waves, lightning and squalls adding fear and arguments about how and where to proceed to the mix.

   Looking at the whole thing as the adventure that it is, rather than a slog, can help.

               Having a sense of community is always good for the morale, as we did on
            election night when 25 of us gathered in the cruiser's lounge to watch the returns.

            And, I suppose, being a Democrat meant election night was good for the morale as well...

       
                                        Bonding with animals also helps:

                       Meet Cooper, the overly-friendly marina dog. He's sweet, but...(and there's no nice way to say this)...he really, really needs a girlfriend. Badly (I'll just leave that up to your imagination to fill in the blanks of this scenario).


  And then there are days like the one recently where we shook off our malaise and frustration with mechanical issues and took off into the rainforest which borders our marina.

                                           This was our reward:

                                          A chestnut mandibled toucan sighting!


       For all of the downsides of these months down here, in the end the huge reward is simply being immersed in nature.

                                            A muddy bog after the days rain



   In the 21st century, the balance has shifted so far that for all practical purposes, nature has nearly completely disappeared from modern society. In modern life, we are completely surrounded by man and his creations.

                                        Great leafy vines creep all the way up this tree


In modern life, nature is but a fantasy -- a dream of the past long gone. But down here, we're literally swimming in it. I have a feeling that after we've survived the rainy season, I'll have the attitude of one who has prevailed through anything hard -- say a triathalon, or childbirth, or obtaining a college degree -- and say yes, yes, YES! It's hard but it's worth it! And it changes you. Forever.

  But first, we must survive the rainy season.  Espiritu's electrical system is repaired, so our plan is to sail North to the Colombian island of Providencia on saturday.

      It's a trip of about 260 miles, which should translate into a 2 or 3 night trip. Looks like we're finally saying goodbye to Panama, our home for the last 5 months. We'll never forget you, Panama.

   Onward!   :-)