San Blas and one last time Panama City

9.4. Early in the morning we are picked up by a man in camouflage clothing with his pickup truck. The journey begins towards Port Dibin. The road gets worse and worse the longer the journey takes. After 2 hours, there is a snack and toilet stop. All shuttles stop here, so the rest stop is crowded. The queue for the women's restroom is impressive. When I finally managed to physically get into the "holy halls", I see that 2 out of 4 toilets are out of order. There is concentrated silence. Some ladies also have no sense of the urgency of certain businesses and use the 2 cabins to calmly put on their bikinis! In such moments, when 15 women are waiting, I have extremely little understanding. Item. After another 2 hours drive, we finally arrive at the port in the land of the Gunas: Guna Yala or San Blas. It's raining and windy. Thanks to the many reviews we have read, we are well prepared and know that the Gunas have a completely unique organizational system that seems extremely chaotic to outsiders. You don't know what's happening, so it's best to just let go, not to understand or want to know, and just go with the flow.

So we wait for quite some time until someone suddenly comes up to us and says we will be on his boat. The backpacks got a little wet on the pickup truck, so we think it's better to keep them on our laps with the rain cover. At the boat, the guides think that it will be very wet and therefore give us black plastic bags.

A short time later, we find out that "very wet" was a complete understatement: during the 40-minute crossing to the 1st island, we are "constantly showered"! It's as if a strong shower head is being held towards us from both sides - accordingly, despite the rain protection and bags, we are all soaking wet to the skin. On the island there is a small Kuna settlement and two accommodations. We move into a pretty little house and briefly explore the island before we are served fresh fish. Then we go on the first tour to two sandbanks where you can swim. The underwater world is sparse and not very interesting. Our house island is more suitable for snorkeling and we discover lobsters and various fish. In the evening, we chat with the German guests and enjoy the next fish dish.

10.4. Shortly after breakfast, we are picked up for a tour to the mainland. Rika is very open and tells us a lot of interesting things about his culture during the around 4-hour trip. During our meal, it seems we have found each other and exchange comprehensive information about it. The beginning of the path leads us through ankle-deep mud and puddles inhabited by crabs. Quite adventurous, especially since Amelia is walking barefoot. We are also allowed to visit a Kuna cemetery where the deceased are buried with all their belongings and receive visitors every Saturday. We also meet three people who want to build a new boat from a tree trunk. The waterfall is small but nice and invites you to jump in and swim.

After a few pieces of watermelon, we set off back and pass by the tomb of a seer. These people are chosen from birth to locate the diseases of people and tell the medicine men which medicine is the right one.

The islands we pass by on the outward and return journey are not as picturesque as postcard islands where tourists stay. They consist only of houses, without vegetation, and give a rather neglected impression.

Today we also go snorkeling and discover a huge school of fish that you can swim through. In addition, the corals further out are super intact and colorful! In the afternoon, we are picked up and taken to Aroma Island, a real gem. We move into an even simpler house with a sandy floor and drink fresh coconut cut open by the elder of the island.

11.4. After breakfast, we are picked up for island hopping. Perro Grande Island is only designed for day tourists and therefore has almost no infrastructure. Many boats are anchored in the shallows. We meet a Canadian who swims from boat to boat to get a job. The island is not very suitable for snorkeling, there are not many corals. We continue to another natural pool where we can observe many starfish. For lunch, we are taken to Perro Chico where we will stay for the next two days. The wreck in the shallow water is great for discovering fish and we dive through parts of the wreck back and forth. In doing so, we touch parts of the ship, which gives me painful burns on the palms of my hands that will still be inflamed for days afterwards. We make friends with a German couple and meet at the table for meals. The bungalow with terrace and sea view is large and even has light!

12.4. We spend today leisurely on the beach or in the water. We change the island once, which is worthwhile because of the schools of fish and the large coral banks. We end the evening with a beer and music on the beach.

13.4. We are already picked up at 8:00 and drive back to the port without getting showered much. Just like on the outward journey, you just have to wait for something to happen and we are picked up after almost an hour. The two Canadian passengers are nice and we chat for a while as we drive back to the junction through the bumpy road. From there it is about two more hours to our hotel in the city. We wash our clothes in the hotel and go to a BBQ-Resti restaurant in the evening, the owner lived in Switzerland for two years and takes care of us lovingly.

14.4. We make a last attempt to send things home by mail, but it seems impossible to send small parcels to Switzerland, either because of the size, the contents or the destination. We give up. We have reserved our antigen test at the nearby laboratory at 15:00. At the entrance door, we are signaled that it is closed. But since we have a reservation (very likely they forgot to change the online reservation because of the Easter holidays) we can still do the test. We receive the negative results by email 20 minutes later in the Thai restaurant. I can only say plum sauce with coconut milk, it's amazing!