March 2017

Our program for this month of February ...

This bastard who robs us for two or three days each year ... :

Panama et les îles San Blas, Carthagène et l?île de Providencia, en Colombie et beaux coins de la République Dominicaine.

Our trip to Panama began with a pilgrimage of a few days to an archipelago where I spent many months fifteen years ago: the San Blas islands, the domain of the Kuna Indians, now called Guna The archipelago has changed a little since a fairly rugged road connects it to the huge city of Panama, and some islands have seen their surface area decrease and the number of their coconut trees diminish as a result of the rise of the oceans; But we found there a few magic spots, and Indians who retained their traditions.

In Panama, we enjoyed the renovation of the old town called Casco Viejo, and were shaken by the immensity of the modern skyscrapers which rise in the Centro, and appreciated the colors of the folk costumes and of the roofs of the Biomuseum designed by Frank Gehry.

After a quick look at the locks of the Panama Canal (which I have crossed notclose to a dozen times), we headed for another city that had always triggered my dreams, Cartagena de las Indias, in Colombia; And what a wonderful ancient city, surrounded by an imposing fortification, still vibratings with the memory of attacks by pirates and other filibusters. The imposing sculpture by Botero stretched in front of the cathedral of Santo Domingo was really worth a look.

Also belonging to Colombia, but closer to the coast of Nicaragua, we also found with pleasure, very little changed, the island of Providencia, with its "bridge of love" and rocks known as " Morgan?s head? (The pirate) "and" Morgan?s butt ". I trained with our new drone above the island?s beautiful beaches.

And then we made a stop in the Dominican Republic, where the small town of Las Terrenas has unfortunately become too agitated to our liking; We found a bit of its former tranquillity at the very end of the Samana Peninsula in Las Galeras and in a small Bed and Breakfast perched on a nearby hill. Still as spectacular, its karst area, the Haitises with its peaks rising from the sea and its caves bristling with stalactites.


And then we returned to Paris for three weeks, I will return to the Tuamotu and Banana Split in a little less than two weeks, my April letter should reach you from the Pacific Ocean.


I widh you a great month of March !


Antoine.