PANAMA TO THE PEARL ISLANDS
Firstly a huge thanks to David for writing that last blog. It’s good to have a different perspective (and for someone else to share the work)!
While in Panama we left a bag in a taxi and it had Jo’s camera, my nice lense and other bits and pieces in it. Shame but our own fault!
Casting off from the Balboa Yacht Club moorings we left a hot and sultry Panama behind. Reflecting on it you see an amazing cityscape which hides as all cities do a mixture of life. There were some horrible slums on display, run down and smashed up tenement blocks, but without many saving graces. Interesting to see but I wouldn’t put it on the list of places you must go with the exception of the canal because of its historic and geopolitical importance.
Panama was, however, great for its supermarkets and we have loaded up with over 6 very full trolley loads of groceries. The boat was being carpeted with showers of dust like black ash and the hull has absorbed layers of oil and mess from the passing boats. We were pleased to get away.
We have come over to the Pearl Islands (Las Perlas) which have a sad and bloody history. Apparently when the Spanish came here they captured 15 of the 16 local chiefs and fed them alive to dogs. The remaining chief handed over a large basket containing Pearls. The Spanish thought this was good so they killed the chief and all the native people and brought in slaves from Africa to dive for the pearls – nice eh? So don’t worry too much if Francis Drake and our pirates took them from the Spanish later on!
One of the pearls ended up being owned by Elizabeth the First and is shown in paintings of her. This pearl has now found itself in the hands of Elizabeth Taylor after Richard Burton (to whom she was married twice) bought it for her!
There are still pearls here and we are going to see if we can buy one – just a small one!
