Jan. 23 Coco Banderas
We left in the morning for Coco Banderas, it was 15 miles away so we sailed there rather than motored. The islands are all starting to look alike; small with white sandy beaches and coconut palms, usually a hut or two on the occupied ones and if we’re lucky someone is selling cold beers.

A catamarn lies at anchor off Coco Banderas

We went ashore and were greeted by the matriarch, Rosalinda, an old woman with a sun wrinkled face painted and adorned in full Kuna fashion. She collected the $2 beach fee and we inquired about food and some drinks, unfortunately she only had warm beers and no food was available.

It's just one beautiful small beach after another here


Dan and Em returned to the boat to make some wraps and pack some cold ones from the fridge. The family that lives on the island was going about their daily routine; a young woman was grating coconut, probably to use in cooking their dinner later and some men were building a small block building of the type we had seen elsewhere that will no doubt become a shower and toilet for visitors.

A Kuna family's "little bit of paradise" just a couple huts nestled amongst the coconut palms

I took a walk around the island; the exposed shore had signs of recent erosion with large palms lying in the sea roots ripped from the ground. There is a reef on that side, but when I tried snorkeling I found the current to be very swift. Everyone spent the day just swimming in the warm turquoise water and lounging on the beach, we had our wraps and beers then lounged some more. At one point a couple dolphins swam by very leisurely probably on their way to the sea as they were swimming in the direction of a gap in the reef. One of the largest dugouts I had seen so far pulled up to the island with a big plastic tank onboard for the facilities being constructed. I could only imagine the size of the tree and the effort used to make this canoe.

A study in contrasts as a dugout canoe is tied to shore with much more modern yachts in the background. The dugout serves as the family car in these parts


Dan had left the dingy with us and swam back to the boat earlier, so when everyone had enough we went back to Skyelark to get ready for dinner. Jan made a large pot of chili and some rice to go with it, a new one for me but very filling. The nights never seem to change, rum or whisky in the cockpit under the star filled sky with a constant breeze to keep things cool.

We noticed that. By the time we got towards the end of the South Pacific we felt... Oh no, not another magnificently beautiful, deserted, coral atoll. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />