[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dzynZe-1UOs/UT0MzFepykI/AAAAAAAATcQ/xJZvN2lQ2F0/s144-c/P3021786.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5853849162435119682″ caption=”My heavily armed Senafront nightwatch men, arriving at my beach at 11.20 pm” type=”image” alt=”P3021786.JPG” ]

Pos: here
Loc: Gajuala
Acc: tent
Dist: 26,7 km
Start: 7:50 End: 13:10

No paddling tomorrow

If you were sleeping already, and then there is a flash light shining into your open tent fly at 11.20 pm, displaying the silhouette of a heavily armed man in uniform, you should be better thinking “Well, that must be a Senafront policeman looking after me if I am all right!” Better you have no other thoughts in this still “peligroso” area…

Many big black and red crabs were making noise on digging the sand up all along the top of the beach, deep and airy. They were bothering me actually for a while in the first hours of the very dark night!

But I was kind of expecting to be looked up, as I guessed the five guys from the boat being not successful in talking me into launching again through the massive surf and land on that other inhabited beach in similar conditions must have told my neighbors to watch over me. And they probably thought I am a well-worth exercise target for a night walk and night watch. Would they have done the same with a male kayaker, or did they really think the guerrilla would be coming down from the mountains in the boarder area to this remote beach tonight? As soon as the moon came out at 10 pm, they must have started to climb over the hills to my beach.

They were four men, three heavily armed Senafront policemen with big guns and a civillian guy looking like a local hunter with a dog, a long huge bush knife and a hunting gun. I talked to them briefly, and realized that they really wanted to stay on my beach all night long…well, then at least I could put my ear plugs in against the heavy surf noise, not necessary to be on watch any more now! Thanks…I gave them my card, and went back to sleep. At least I tried…surely they were talking noisily next to my tent, but I was not really willing to use also nose plugs against their smoking smell waving over to me. It eventually became an interesting mixture this night – petrol smell, pee smell and now stinky cigarette smoke. Plus I was lying in my own sweat in this muggy night. Happy beach camping! I was not willing to use my extra ear plugs as nose plugs, I’d rather prefer the external version I use on my rolling practice!

I was close to stick my head out to ask them for please keep a bit distant, but I did not…and fell asleep eventually. God save the caballeros in South America!

Next morning, the only “bush” for my morning dump was found inside the closed apsis, digging a hole with my small shovel. Certainly once I got out, all my motions got watched carefully! I took my time packing this morning, keeping an eye if the surf would be changing to the better once the tide goes down on 7 am. It were still mostly massive breakers! But as usual there were lulls, but short and irregular…you just have to catch them!

I got safely in, so I will get safely out again also…unfortunately this rule is not always working…I pointed out to the men I may be flipping over on the not easy launch, they just nodded…probably looking curiously forward to my performance.

I performed well – having to do right at the beginning one perfect roll on getting trashed sideways on the meter high rolling in foam water from the biggest breakers. Once up again, surely I was sitting sideways to the coast, and had to high brace and side broach on the next foamy pile of water. But then I managed to get and to stay straight, and was successfully waiting in the shallows for endless 8-10 high breakers, pointing nicely my bow straight on each rolling in of foamy water. But then! A lull showed up, I accelerated like hell, poked through a pile of water just not breaking, and was out! Thank goodness…

I only had to paddle about 25 km, and had head winds between 0-15 knots. The 15 knots fortunately with a strong current going north, so I still could maintain 6-7 km/h. The coast slowly changed to less green mountains, becoming lower and more broken. A few nice beaches showed up, but they mostly had rocks on low tide.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wZdATsw-1ZU/UT0NXENPczI/AAAAAAAATcg/_X_sYxLQM3o/s144-c/P3031790.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5853849780568945458″ caption=”My beach at Gjuala gets cut off from the island on high tide” type=”image” alt=”P3031790.JPG” ]

My beach I was aiming for was a bridge beach to a rocky island, with a nicely protected northern entrance side. There were two bigger fishing boats with two smaller boats anchoring in that bay, but no houses. I was chatting a bit to the six men, and they couldn’t believe I was solo paddling… I mentioned briefly the Senafront and Aeronaval guys would be checking on me, not that they would be getting funny ideas…

The beach was a dream on low tide, sheltered, sandy, lots of nature, and a lagoon in the back bush. I selected a campsite at the lagoon entrance, a bit lower lying and not too easy to be seen from the water. well, as along as it is low tide…5 meter tidal range here now. I decided to stay here for at least one, maybe two days to recover a bit from the last days, as it was strong north wind tomorrow and Monday anyway. For the 50 km crossing over to the archipelago it would be not fun! And I really, really need a rest in beautiful nature! No violent noisy surf beach like the one last night….

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-n182HiPLapU/UT0M_7Gg8gI/AAAAAAAATcY/tpFeV99Mog0/s144-c/P3021789.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5853849382987821570″ caption=”The Aeronaval guys checking on me on Gajuala” type=”image” alt=”P3021789.JPG” ]

My check up visit from the Aeronaval guys came around 5 pm, I already heard and spotted the deep sound of the mother ship running out there, the same one I wa sleeping on two nights ago. The speedy boat came soon, but had to stop in the deeper water in the middle of the bay. Two men took a smaller fishing boat to be able to jump on land to talk to me. “This beach is “peligroso” – you will sleep on the big boat tonight!” Not again one of those endless “peligroso” beaches…this time they found besides the FARC would be still operating here the possibility of crocodiles in the lagoon to scare me off. Crocodiles? My favorite bed company since Australia! They may not know… 🙂

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AgtZAUMxsL0/UT0OAHF2agI/AAAAAAAATc4/kXsmMkaMAkE/s144-c/P3031796.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5853850485717887490″ caption=”My first camp at the lagoon entrance at Guajala” type=”image” alt=”P3031796.JPG” ]

I told them about my vacation plans, and was determined to stay here, on this beautiful pristine wild bridge beach area, to recover and relax my mind and soul and body from the last days and weeks. We exchanged communication knowledge, and one guy had a kind of back pack with a funny looking about 4-5 meters long antenna sticking out to the air, being able to talk via VHF- radio the mother ship out there. They were so nice to take my handheld VHF radio to charge on the ship, as I haven’t looked after it for a while, never having to use it. A mistake… see you tomorrow! Pictures, signed cards… all were happy!