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A few days with the
Kuna Tribe
San Blas, Panama
Mar.1 2008 Saturday:
We’re headed out to the small airport this morning to catch a fight to the San Blas Islands where the Kuna tribe lives.
The islands dot the Caribbean and are what you would expect; sandy beaches and coconut trees.
This time the plane was even smaller than the one that we took to the city of David. I think it’s about 12 passenger. The flight was good.
We flew over the canal and then the rainforests and mountains leading to the sea. The water was that picturesque aqua-blue. The San Blas is dotted with hundreds of and the pilot was kind enough to fly low so we could get a closer view. 
We were all surprised when we landed at the airport. It was a cement block building resembling a baseball dugout with wooden benches. There was one airstrip and the fence posts lining it had plastic bottles turned upside down on them to make it more visible.
We boarded a small but colorful boat. We had a short ride to the island we would be staying on for the next two nights. The cabins stood at the water’s edge. They were wood, bamboo, and grass with a bed and bathroom. The showers were open at the top and there was no hot water. All of the cabins had a back door with a porch hammocks and an awesome ocean view. The sunsets were spectacular.
Mar. 2 Sunday –
We had a light breakfast and headed to another island where we could watch their traditional dancing.
Then we were off to the mainland, where the men of the tribe work during the day. They harvest bananas, coconuts, etc. We traveled in dug out canoes across the ocean and then up the river. Our journey brought us to a primitive area in the rainforest where the crops are grown. I was amazed and very happy to see this agricultural area. Not to mention that I was able to eat Avocados, cocoa seeds, limes, bananas, and a plant that tasted like marshmallows. The Kuna rotate their crops every two years to help maintain the soils. After eight years they move on to another area to allow the land to recapture its nutrients. This agricultural practice has little impact on the rainforest .
Mar. 3 Monday Up early to catch our flight back to Panama City.
Copyright (c) 2006,2007,2008 The Carefree Gardener Privacy Statement
The Kuna Tribe is known for their “molas”, a brightly colored hand stitched piece of fabric that the women wear just above their waists over their dresses.
Photos
My other travels
A young Kuna girl with her "mola"
Dug out canoe
