In 4 days.....Las Perlas Islands

Tomorrow we start the final push to the Perlas Islands via Punta Mala.   Punta Mala is aptly named as it is a pretty rough stretch of water plus there is the Panama Canal shipping, and about 80 miles of rain and lightening between Mala and the Perlas.  Should be fun.

1961 Miles from La Cruz......Islas Secas

We're currently anchored off Isla Cavada, a private island in the Islas Secas group of islands located in the Gulf of Chiriqui.  The Gulf is the body of water lying off the western Pacific coast of Panama.  The Gulf
 of Panama is off the eastern Pacific coast, and is our eventual destination. 

I'm picking up the wifi signal of a high end resort located on Cavada.  For a mere $1000 one can spend a day in a yert buried in a splendid coastal jungle.

The resort does not have password protection on thier wifi probably because they are so far away from everything.  Except predatory sailboats.

Days here have been nice.  The water is wonderfully warm and clear with beautiful coral and sealife, it's like swimming in an aquarium.  We hate to leave, but we need to get around Punta Mala, the single most congested turning point for all ships from North America and the Pacific bound to or from the Panama Canal.  Punta Mala also has weather and current issues that inspired the early Spanish explorers to name it.....Punta Mala. 

Kris has been practicing his rock piling hobby in some remarkable locations.  They never last long, being brought down by winds or waves.

Hasta la Bye Bye Costa Rica

We've had a nice two weeks or so here in Golfito tied up to the one and only slip in the marina.  The rest of the boats in our little group that has been buddy boating down the coast are tied up to mooring balls.  The marina has one slip and 20 mooring balls.  Being tied to a ball is nice, but not at all different then being at anchor, and being at anchor means going without 120 volt power and dock water.  It also means you have to dingy back and forth to shore,  In Golfito, the wettest place in very wet Costa Rica, one often arrives drenched to the skin..

Marina Tierra Mar has been run by a couple of very cruiser friendly ex-pats for the last twenty years.  Marina fees are affordable, the Cruiser Club upstairs is comfortable, the showers are nice and Tim and Katie are great hosts.  If you're bringin' your boat to Golfito, stay here.

   

Tomorrow afternoon we start a 90 mile overnight leg that will finally bring us to Panama.  We will drop the hook off Isla Parida in western Pacific Panama, the first of many, many Panamanian islands we will be visiting this summer.

Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica

We've managed to get to Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica, the most lovely place imaginable.  Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow for points south.  We should be in Panama in about five sailing days.

We have been barraged almost every night by thunder and lightening.  It's really quite frightening to be surrounded by bolts of lightening striking all around.  The gravity of this is pulling our spirits down a bit.  Morale is sagging.

The Perlas Islands of Panama, according to some reports, are not subject to
almost nightly storms.  We are very eager to get there.

Bahia del Sol

We left Bahia Del Sol Tuesday, May 28th.  It was, for us, a lightening quick stay lasting one day short of two weeks.  If it were not for the necessity of getting south before the rainy season becomes fully established we would have loved to stay for months.

We were the last participant in this year's El Salvador Rally for Cruisers to visit.  Jean and Bill, the rally organizers, were at the dock to greet us, escort us through checking in to El Salvador, and give us a gift bag of swag including a very well made El Salvador flag.  Jean, a nurse in her former life, brought us an attitude adjusting medication that made the beauacratic check in process a piece of cake.  Rum and coke just can't be beat for establishing tranquilo  Checking into El Salvador here was super easy, as all the officials share an office in the hotel.

A word about Jean and Bill:  They are fabulous hosts, quite often going way out of thier way to make our stay in Bahia Del Sol as pleasant as it was.  I wish we had more time to spend with them. 

Also, the hotel/marina is the most cruiser friendly between here and Seattle.  The marina fees are fair, the facilities are nice, the food is good and the staff are great.  Plus, for $14 all crew become members of the hotel's Cruising Club.  All meals and drinks are reduced 30%.  It didn't take us long to break even.  Best of all beers are a buck each.

If you are a cruiser heading south from Mexico, join the Rally.

Bill and Jean

Jean and Bill are building a home near Bahia Del Sol.  Veeery nice place.

Portrait of a Salvadorian
titled Guanaco

Salvadorians have a nickname for themselves: Guanaco. Guanaco is the name for the South American beast of burden, the llama. That's how they see themselves: beasts of burden. And that's how they are. The hours of work for the hotel staff was: all day. Five or six days a week. For about $8 a day. With no complaining. I admire them. A lot......Wouldn't wanna be them though.

The hotel bar.  Conveniently located
at the head of the dock.

Taking Flight, our friends
from Seattle, crossed the bar last year.

Finally, I should mention the bar.  One must cross a bar at the mouth of the estuary.  It can be an exciting time.  However if the pilot (the guy that guides you in) feels conditions are good, there is virtually no risk.  Hundreds of cruising boats have crossed the bar without incident.  That doesn't mean your heart rate won't elevate.

Speaking of elevated heart rate, we are leaving our current location, Puesta Del Sol, Nicaragua this morning.  Our plan is to sail south as far as we can, perhaps even all the way to Panama.  Between us and Panama lies a region of intense gap winds and thermal convection that produces squalls with intense lightening, thunder and micro busts of gale force winds.  We will be passing very close to Cano Island in Costa Rica.  It gets hit by lightening more than anywhere else in Central America.  Should be an interesting trip.

San Salvador

Capital of El Salvador, home to about 600,000 people and location of the
best shopping in the country.  It is about a four hour round trip bus ride from Bahia Del Sol.  Four hours in an El Salvador bus is a bit of a challenge comfort wise, as they are almost identical to US school buses, with the same crappy uncomfortable seats, and like Mexico, there is always room for one more person.  However, experiencing this beautiful country up close makes it more then worthwhile.

Boqueron Volcano
Dominates San Salvador's skyline
Last active in 1917

Dome of Metropolitan Cathedral

Most of our time in San Salvador was spent driving in a Taxi from one vista spot to another and from one church to another.  I don't know why it is that we don't feel we have seen a town until we visit it's churches, but that's how it is.  So we did the church circuit.  This time there was a surprise waiting.

Inside Metropolitan Cathedral
Mass was being celebrated

Walking to Iglesia El Calvario
Built in 1660

Iglesia El Calvario is surrounded by

very busy and very noisy markets

The din of the market surrounding the church did not penetrate the cool tranquil interior, helping me understand the importance of medieval churches as places of peace and serenity.

Last church stop, Iglesia El Rosario.  Not a promising sight from the outside.
 

Inside, what beauty!  Light streaming through stained glass set in the high ceiling becomes a rainbow arcing over the central alter.
 

Opposite the entry, to the right of the alter is a blue sanctuary with the stations of the cross around the three sides.

The lighting was too dim to photograph all the stations.  Those that turned out give a sense of the drama of the sculptures.



Christ Falls



He falls again

He is nailed to the cross

I think Iglesia El Rosario provides the reason we always check out the Churches.  They are usually a best effort of the community.  Sometimes they are stunning.

Having completed the church circuit we retired to our "sanctuary", Starbucks, located on the second floor of La Casona. The La Casona mansion was built in the 1950's by a very prominent El Salvadorian family. During the 60's and 70's it was used as the seat of the Organization of Central American States. It was purchased by the mall developer after the civil war of the 80's. They decided to preserve this beautiful historic home and built the mall around it.

The mall is very high end even by US standards, filled with great shops, including oddly, North Face.  On offer, aside from a token backpack or two, is clothing including fleece jackets.  Go figure.

Liliana and the Yaxche

Two of our Tapachula favorites.

We had the pleasure of having Arturo and his esposa, Liliana over for a very pleasant dinner  just before we left Puerto Chiapas.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Liliana is just back from an English contest held in England, where her pupils placed second in the world.  She apparently impressed folks over there, as she has been invited back to discuss being the Chiapas representative for a large language school.  We hope it works out.

Another Tapachula favorite: the  Mayan Yaxche Tree, known now as the Saba Tree.

The Yaxche was the Tree of Life that spaned the Mayan cosmos, the underworld, the earth and the heavens.  The Tree of Life in the movie Avatar was modeled after it.  The Yaxche is still revered.  It may not be cut down and one should never show disrespect by turning one's back to it.

We are now in Behia del Sol, El Salvador, a lovely, verdant country populated by vibrant hard working people.  This place rocks!