French Polynesia - Fatu Hiva & Hiva Oa

Sailing across the Pacific Ocean took us 32 days. Seeing land was great. Seeing Fatu Hiva was awesome. This small piece of land in the middle of the ocean is the stuff dreams are made of. It is steep beautiful mountainous terrain and wonderful waterfalls.

Panama City and Las Perlas Islands

Panama City is both old and new, literally. There are two cities beside each other. The old "Viejo" section of town has stunningly timeless beautiful made of masonry and wrought iron. The new city has the best of the modern skyscrapers and everything that goes with it. Whether you want to dance all night in some of the worlds best clubs or lounge seaside, Panama city has it all.
If you want white sandy beaches and clear blue water you can fly or ferry out to the nearby Las Perlas Islands.

The Panama Canal by Sailboat

In February 2016 we transited the Panama Canal. For our 45 ft sailboat the cost was approx. $900, including lines. You have to pay out, in cash, $1850 dollars, but you get half of that back if nothing goes wrong. You can look up on many blogs how to do this yourself. It is super easy and we did not use an agent. My husband did do a blog about this on his page  https://benger.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/the-panama-canal.html

San Blas Islands, Panama - Kuna Yala

South of the Panama Canal, but still on the Caribbean side of Panama, is a wonderful place called Kuna Yala. Otherwise known to tourists as the San Blas Islands. The islands there are beautiful. They are very much like the islands you would see in the South Pacific. There are hundreds of them. Few of them actually have people living on them. There are many rules here. No scuba, no windsurfing, no spearing fish, no touching coconuts..etc. The rules are stated to be in place to protect the old ways of life for the Guna Yala people. Many of them have cell phones, run businesses, spear fish themselves etc...but that is a debate for a different time and place. If you are willing to abide the rules it is a once in a lifetime experience. The snorkeling is great ! The water is warm and crystal clear. Locals will paddle up to your boat to sell you lobster or crab for a few dollars, still alive ! You can truly get lost here and just be.

Portobello Panama

Portobello Panama has a very rich history. It was a major port that housed all the important goods transported between Spain and South America including gold and silver. As a consequence it was a port under constant attack by pirates such as Captain Morgan.
The bay has four different forts available to hike and explore. It also has a small museum housed in the old customs house, where the gold was kept.
 For a more substantial history see the links below

History of Portobello on Wikipedia

Fort -Unesco site

Zapatilla Cays and Area, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

A few hours by sailboat or an hour by water taxi from Bocas Town lies Basimentos Marine Park. This park is actually two small cays, Zapatilla Cay 1 and Cay 2. If arriving by personal vessel the park ranger will come to your boat and collect $10 per person which is good fro the duration of your stay. Both islands are protected turtle nesting grounds. You will see sticks with ribbons attached marking areas of possible turtle eggs. Please respect these and do not walk in these areas.

Zapatilla 1 is sand and coconut trees. There are no restuarants or people inhabiting this island.

Zapatilla 2 has the ranger station, some bathrooms for tourists and educational facilities for learning about the turtles and marine life.