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What to Do in Providencia Island in Colombia

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

An untouched paradise, ‘donde la magia envulve el alma y el Corazon’ (in English: where magic surrounds the heart and soul!)

We have been in the Providencia anchorage almost three weeks. People here are very outgoing, and most speak English to boot, so that I didn’t feel any distance from the locals at all. Safety is another thing I like in this island, no threats at all. It is also a very clean island. Garbage trucks pick up garbage frequently. There are only about 5,500 residents here so everyone seems to know everyone. Both John and I think people who live on this island are very lucky.

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Adios Mosquitoes and Sandflies: Mosquito Net

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, San Blas, South America

Zika Virus, Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Malaria… AHHHH, Life in the tropics. When it comes to bug bites, prevention is the best policy for me. Otherwise, once I get a bug bite, I end up scratching my skin leaving ugly scars. Based on my experiences, a mosquito bite makes me itch for about two days and a no-see-ums (Sandflies) about five days. Sometimes, when I spend time in the sea water, I get bites from ‘Sea Lice’ and also ‘Jelly Fish’. These bites make me itch for a while also.

After decades of trying different products, I now use ‘Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard and SPF 30 Sunscreen’ for outdoor activities: hiking,

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Volcanic Scenery, Hiking to El Pico (The Peak) in Providencia Island, Colombia

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, South America

February 1, 2016: In order to see the island, we decided to rent a scooter for each of us (50,000 Colombian Pesos = US$16 Per Day/Per Scooter). I was a little worried because I haven’t driven a scooter before. It is the main transportation vehicle in Providencia. The road is good and empty so I was ready to learn a new skill, driving a scooter. However, the rental store didn’t let me rent one, a first time scooter driver. I was actually disappointed when we ended up renting a Kawasaki Mule, sort of a cross between a golf cart and an ATV (90,000 Colombian Pesos = US$28 Per Day) instead of scooters.

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My Experience with a Dentist and a Doctor in Providencia Island, Colombia

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings, South America

I consider that I am active and healthy. I also do regular exercise and try to eat smart even in remote islands. However, since I started sailing in June 2014, I have been seeing doctors in each country we stop at. The two main problems I have are: (1) a tooth crown that won’t stay on, and (2) a skin problem on my palms, and soles of my feet that began not long after I started sailing. The two crowns I have are not even two years old. I paid a lot of money for them back in Florida when I was working as a computer programmer.

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Sailing from San Blas to Providencia, Colombia

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, South America

El Nino, for us, means more possibility of Cyclones in the Pacific. Because of it, we were unsure of our next destination. Finally, we made a big decision postponing going to the South Pacific for two years. That means we are not crossing the Panama Canal in February, 2016. It is disappointing; however, it brought us many options. Looking at a world map, we picked Providencia Island, Colombia for now. Providencia is far away from mainland Colombia. It is near Nicaragua. We read good things about it, especially about the nature.
It is about 270 miles to sail from San Blas to Providencia.

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No ATM, Bring Small Dollar Bills to San Blas/Panama

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, San Blas

Panama uses US dollars. I brought lots of small denomination bills before visiting San Blas as we had read to do so in another cruisers blog. It was helpful to buy coconuts, vegetables, and lobsters from the Guna Indians because they usually don’t have change. I still have a plenty of small bills left. Some of them are almost worn-out as they go from hand to hand, and never make it to a bank to be replaced. Some dollar bills might be salty as if they were splashed by waves on the canoes. I sometimes paid after putting the money in a sandwich bag so it doesn’t get wet.

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Kite-boarding at Eastern Lemmon Cays, San Blas/Panama

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Kiteboarding, Sailings, San Blas

My phone alarm, the sound of a rooster crowing goes off at 8:25am daily! It is about time to listen to the Panama Connection Net (Frequency 8107 USB).

At 8:30am every day, the cruisers in San Blas announce the weather and discuss various matters. The topics vary. One day, someone was looking for a 22mm socket which we loaned him. Today, John asked a question wanting to know where we could buy an ‘Internet Prepaid Refill Card’. A cruiser responded that he has extras we can get from him. We decided to move our boat to a new anchorage where he is anchored.

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Fish and Lobsters in Holandes Cays, San Blas/Panama

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, San Blas

The water in Holandes Cays is the prettiest in San Blas. We liked the BBQ Island anchorage area. It is John’s favorite anchorage in whole San Blas so far. The anchorage is sandy and not so deep with good holding. BBQ Island is very well-maintained with green grass and palm trees. What we were told is that the cruisers cleaned the island and gathered together on this island for BBQ’s so that’s how the name came about. Now, the Guna maintain the island and charge US$3/person to visit. There are many charter boats that bring the tourists here. We did some snorkeling,

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Stunningly Beautiful Coco Bandero Cays, Good-Bye My Cat ‘Sesame’

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, San Blas

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe ‘Moon’ Panama travel guide book is correct. ‘Coco Bandero Islands are stunningly beautiful!’ It is the most gorgeous set of islands I have ever visited.

We are in the East Anchorage of the Coco Bandero Islands in the middle of four islands. It is easy to swim or kayak from the boat to the islands. The sun shines much better here than those islands close to the mainland, water is clear, and no bugs.

Many charter sailboats stay here one night or a couple of nights. It seems it is somewhat easy to visit this place.

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The First Day in Year 2016 at Green Island, San Blas/Panama

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings, San Blas

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThere are four well-known places in San Blas for cruisers and tourists: Green Island, Coco Banderos Cays, Holandes Cays, and Lemmon Cays. These islands are even called in their English names rather than something ‘tupu’ or ‘dup’. (Meaning ‘Island’ in Guna language.)

Clear water, blue sky, and a white powdery sand beach! New Year 2016, ‘Year of Red Monkey’, Cheers from Green Island (Kanlildup) in San Blas! On New Year’s Eve, I counted a total of 35 sailboats in this anchorage including some charter boats. It’s very pretty. It reminded of the British Virgin Islands seeing so many sailboats.

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