Saturday, November 7, 2009

Rusty Cargo Boats to Darien





One trip that I recommend for those who insist on traveling in parts of the Darien Gap is to buy a cheap ticket on board one of the rusty cargo ships that load at the municipal dock (muelle fiscal) in a part of Panama City known as Salsipuedes - which translates literally to "get out of here if you can."

When I first arrived in Panama, I made a number of trips into Darien aboard different cargo boats. However, the one that I used most often was the Dona Flor. With that crew I travelled down to Jaque on the Pacific Coast, surfing in a number of villages while the boat was loading and unloading, and staying for a number of days in Jaque with the family of the crew mechanic. On another trip, we entered the Rio Sambu to unload at Sambu and Puerto Indio. From there we continued up the Tuira, stopping at La Palma, Chepigana, Yaviza, and then Mercadeo for a number of days.

The captain ran aground regularly, and we were stuck on a sandbar for a day and a half in the mouth of the Rio Sambu. The crew drank cheap liquor until they were blind in Yaviza, ending up in a brawl on shore with locals at a bar, followed by an all-out fight amongst the crew members once they were back on deck. The youngest crewman fell off the dock while trying to board. His foot misjudged the distance in the dark and he disappeared between the dock and the hull, cracking his head on the rusty steel as he went down. To make matters worse, the tide waters had receded so that instead of a six foot drop into the water, he fell about twelve feet landing crumpled and broken in the river mud and rocks.

It was a sad and penniless crew, nursing their wounds on the trip back. To make matters worse, the captain is night-blind, and he misjudged the direction for the return to Panama City. In heavy rolling seas, we ran out of fuel at two in the morning. No idea where we were. Heavy fog in the morning kept us confused until a large ocean cargo ship pushed through the haze and narrowly missed us before disappearing again. Dona Flor's captain asked me to call the ship (in English) on their radio to get our position so that we could radio to shore for fuel and assistance.

A beautiful cruise through Darien. Eleven dollars, including meals and a place to hang my hammock. Never a dull moment for the two weeks. Five stars.

5 comments:

  1. It sounds like a great trip.

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  2. Here is another account of the Darien Gap: Crossing the Darién Gap (2013).

    That documentary was filmed on March 2013.

    Happy travels!

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  3. Sorry, but that crew member died??

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  4. Sorry, but that crew member died??

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    1. hey nina, I haven't checked this blog for a long time. no, the crew member did not die. He was back working by the time we reached Panama City. Thanks, martin

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