Eeeeeeyoooo Captain Jack

Hey all!!!

Hope everyone is doing fine!! Sorry that I didn't get round to write something before our departure with Captaaaaaain Jack!!

I am finally back on land, tierra!! Oh my God, we have been through quite an adventure!!

After we came back from Taganga, we spent about a week in Cartagena, relaxing, shopping, meeting up with our friends, and getting to know some of the craziest captains on this planet! Getting a boat to Panama is quite a hassle, cause nobody really knows who you can trust! So we had made a reservation with a luxury Catamaran, but the propellor broke, so that's why we spent an extra week in Cartagena, we didn't mind that though hahaha! But since they were really unclear about when and if the boat was leaving, we decided to look for another boat!

And that's when we met a horrible captain, Julian! hahaha He was leaving on Thursday and we could visit his boat on Wednesday, seriously, that the thing is not falling apart is something |I don't understand! Apart from that he was really rude and we read some reviews... pffff !! So after another day looking for a boat, we got into contact with an American guy, Captain Jack, who has sailed around the world and owns a boat that was used in the show Fantasy Island, and the best thing: it had a pirate flag!!! So we decided Jack was our man. And then we got into a fight with our catamaran friends, they didn't want to give us our money back and we actually had to go to the police!!! We got it back though, and as Karin and I always say, we fuck back! hahahahaha

That weekend, Andres, one of our friends, invited us for a weekend on Isla Grande, an island, with hardly any people on it and beautiful beaches. The plan was to get up at 6.00 am and watch the Dutch game, have breakfast at Andres' place and leave. But unfortunately they didn't air the game in Colombia!!! We packed ourselves some food and some drinks and we got into an illegal launch that broke all of the muscles, bones in our butts!! We spent the day at a deserted beack, all to ourselves and in the evening we organized ourselves a small party in the Cabanas, we were the only guests, a true Robinson experience!

Last Monday (last week) we left Cartagena. In the morning, I had to go to the hospital again, bacause I wasn't feeling well, but I am better now... I am NEVER EVER EVER going to eat something of which I think it's bad EVER AGAIN hahaha, two weeks without alcohol, without my favourite juice and my favourite dish....!! So it was quite stressfull day! In the afternoon we went to Sushell, also one of our friends in Cartagena, and we had lunch with her sister, mother and Andres. At a Caribbean pace, we took a cab at 17.00 (we had to be in the harbour at 17.00...) to go to our captain.

We had a blast with Captain Jack, it couln't have been better. Our group consisted of an Australian couple, a guy from Madrid, us two and a Japanese who is travelling around the world without speaking English OR Spanish!!! What a guy! The first night we took some Colombian sea-sickness pills, and man, they do knock you out! We slept for more than 13 hours in a row! On Wednesday morning we arrived in paradise!

The San Blas Islands are officially part of Panama, but are owned, ruled and governed by the indigenous Kuna Indians. Every island, every palm tree and every coconut is owned by Kuna families, and every island has its own chief. The women keep the money and decide what it is spent on, and choose their own husband. They live of the coconut trade and fish trade. It's not allowed to marry with a non-Kuna person, so as to maintain a pure Kuna race.

The first island, Coco Banderas, we visited on Wednesday was deserted. Life on a deserted island: jump into the water and cool off, do some snorkelling, walk on the beack: RELAX!!! It was amaaaaazing. That afternoon we went snorkelling and the guys on the boat spent at least 1 hour killing a crab with a harpon... Levels of testosteron on the boat got fairly high in the proximity of harpons...

The next day we went to Porvenir, another island, with an airport. Jack knows some of the Kuna families, and we got the opportunity to visit two island with a local guide. Amazing, very interesting... it makes you think about our society, cause the contrast is soooo big. A Kuna house is made out of palm trees and thei are no beds, only hammocks. The floor is made of sand and that's about it. They do have stores, television and they all own cell phones! But other than that, it's like going back in time.

And as testosteron went up.... a small octopus was killed hahaha. That evening we met one of Jacks friends, Captain Mike. Captain Mike can best be described as a rustier version of Phill Collins.... rude, drunk hahaha and with a voice of a chimney...

The next day, Friday, we went to the prettiest island Chichime where we spent another full day in paradise. That night, our boat was attacked by pirates hahaha Word was that there were two good looking girls on board of the Fantasy, so all other captains of the boats came by, some even came swimming. Alcohol was everywhere and things started to get a bit out of hand so we had to make everyone leave hahahaha

The next morning we were supposed to arrive in Portobelo and take a bus to Panama City, but things took a turn for the worse.. Around 14.00 our motor broke, and there was no wind!!! We had to use a dingy to push the boat in the right direction..., survived a huge thunderstorm, and got to Portobelo at 1.00 in the night!

Fortunately, we are save in Panama City, thanks to one of the friends of Jack, Dennis. An American of 50 years old that just had a baby with his Panamanian wife, of 26 years old, with an awful accent in Spanish! He drove us to Panama City, luckily, because it was dark, raining, and all of the hostels were booked. So now we are staying in a good hostel, in a safe neighbourhood! Yesterday we visited the famous Panama Canal and tomorrow we will move on to Boquete Panama.

I have got to go now, but I will talk to you all soon!! For those on facebook, I've posted some pictures, I will try to post more in the coming days!

Bis kisses, miss talking to you, but we will catch up when I get back!!

By the way, people here think we actually have a chance against Brasil!!

Ciao!!!

Karlijn