[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zCirR5TMTbM/UVSIjg0bAyI/AAAAAAAAUMA/nwINNS5VCts/s144-c-o/P3171897.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5860459158802465570″ caption=”Beach camp in the forest before Porto Bello” type=”image” alt=”P3171897.JPG” ]

Pos: here
Loc: Playa Huertas
Acc: tent
Dist: 25 km
Start: 6:55 End: 14:20

Not a single person took notice of me on my tiny beach, as there was only one motorboat passing by from north to south anyway. The halo of Calo was lightening the horizon that much I even covered my eyes with my sleeping mask. And that there is no tide here is wrong – those maybe 20 cm of rising sea here at night made me go out into another cloud of sand flies to pull my boat up higher which I leisurely just pulled with the bow up on a log. Those tiny flies definitively can and do come through the mosquito mesh of my tent!

And that the ants are inside faster than you can get out made me eventually stuff again the hole on the junction of the three zippers with a towel and climb out through the top zipper. Not to forget my dripping sweating afternoon in my tent under just about enough shade with the blanket outside…Caribbean camping pleasures!

I had my breakfast on the water, but still in the shelter of the islands. How wise that was showed soon – the exit of the two tiny islands proved to be BIG again, and I thought I’d not paddle long today if this stays like that…I got forced out to sea due to a wide jutting out breaking reef, and it took a while paddling into the definitively calmer bay again. But there, the sea state was all right to easy. Just the constant about 15 knots headwind…

It was a little less windy and actually very nice when some heavy rain fell in the morning, and I was hoping for the rainy season being calmer and coming soon. Not sure if I’m that happy then also, but as I won’t stop I will have to take what I get…

I only saw three sail boats passing along the horizon, and only some small boat traffic began coming close to Puerto Bello. This seems to be a place where many many (charter) yachts are anchoring in the bay, about a hundred! They are probably all provided for pleasure in the San Blas archipelago, I assume!

I spotted a white sandy small beach just across the bay from Puerto Bello, and as I felt worn again from this kind of fighting continuously against the wind and seas, and knowing the next week is fortunately better, I decided to have at least a break there. Coming closer, it was not only a motorboat anchoring there, but the small beach was actually full of week end party people! Fortunately it was Sunday and not Saturday, so I had some hope they may be gone at night. I landed, and watched for a while the happy dancing of a local group of youngsters, with the guys playing the “drums” on the lids of their beer cooler boxes. They had a few small tents up, and some tarps. A few small motorboats were constantly picking and bringing people, as this beautiful small beach had no land access.

I decided to stay, and put up my tent a bit to the side under the trees, hoping the people would pack up soon…which they all eventually did! But before I had a nice swim among the happy crowd, and pulled out my mask and snorkel the first time in the Caribbean. There were a few divers out there, so there must be some kind od reef and fish…and it was. Not the greatest, but good enough for the start! Pleasant! Good to have stopped here and early, and around the corner I think I’d have hit some villages only. Now I am just hoping I am not getting unwanted visitors this night…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8nUXvralZ7o/UVSItFdoP0I/AAAAAAAAUMA/C8irKN02b4Y/s144-c-o/P3171902.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5860459323257798466″ caption=”Those small (but actually relatively BIG!) green leaf pieces are carried on the back of leaf cutter ants!” type=”image” alt=”P3171902.JPG” ]

I was fascinated by a long street of ants who were cutting those big pieces of leaf and carrying it to their place. I couldn’t find the ant’s home, as it went right into the jungle, but the size of the leave pieces compared to the size of the still big ants was impressive – and their quantity! I am just hoping they don’t decide my tent may be nice building material and to be cut in pieces, too…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hxoKDTJk5UQ/UVSI0bkHUJI/AAAAAAAAUMA/yWo18pXgpWU/s144-c-o/P3191913.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5860459449449664658″ caption=”Quite a big Bluebottle – here in violet and bright pink” type=”image” alt=”P3191913.JPG” ]

Another animal I was watching on the water was my favorite jelly fish “Bluebottle”, this time coming big about 20 cm long, and not being blue but bright pink and violet! I was chewing gum this afternoon, and I surely tried to make bubbles…the gum fell unintentionally out of my mouth with the bubble intact, and it looked exactly like a floating bluebottle…just pink and minus the tentacles 🙂