San Blas is a collection of 160 islands,
of which about 40 are inhabited by the Kuna Indians, They live in
communities of bamboo-sided thatch-roofed houses. Panama permits
the tribe to run its archipelago as an autonomous republic. The
Indians paddle from one island to another in dugout canoes, and the
women dress colorfully and wear strands of beads around their
legs. Married women have gold rings in their noses. They
weave beautiful molas, hand-stitched multilayered panels
that depict animals and abstract patterns. They performed some
traditional dances to the tune of wooden pipes. In the afternoon,
we snorkled on small Dog Island. We watched the Zodiacs being raised
and stowed for the last time.
--Click on pictures for full-screen
views--
(No new Bird Species seen at San
Blas) CUMULATIVE
TOTAL (BIRD
SPECIES SEEN TO DATE): 114 (72 New)
