Panama Travel

San Blas

While on the subject of islands, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the San Blas area of nearly 365 islands grouped in the Caribbean Sea just off the northeast coast of Panama. The Kuna Indians, those of the famed centuries old molas, have maintained their autonomy while jealously protecting their rights to individuality and their traditions. They live off the land and sea harvesting coconuts for barter with passing ships, and selling their incredibly sophisticated molas to the tourist trade.

The molas are intricately layered materials in a reverse appliqué covered in stitching of Matisse-like birds, animals, plants, flowers, people, symbols, and abstract designs. These are actually worn by the women, or can be made into pillows, bags and cloths for hanging.

The women making the molas are equally interesting, each with a straight and narrow black line extending from the forehead to the tip of the nose. Dressed in brightly colored fabrics and molas, their heads covered in red and yellow patterned shawls, their wrists and ankles are encircled with multicolored beads while a gold nose ring is planted squarely above the upper lip. As if all this weren’t enough, the Kuna women also adorn themselves with multiple gold rings, necklaces and bracelets. Not surprisingly, one scarcely notices the men when surrounded by all this beauty.

Rustic lodging for visitors is provided on a few of the islands where the views are breathtaking, the warm sea merely feet from your door, the snorkeling stupendous ... and the succulent broiled lobster, after basking in the simple beauty of nature all day, is beyond compare.

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