Isla
Providencia (AKA Old Providence) and Santa Catalina Island, Colombia
Sunday
16 March – Sunday 30 March
We
arrived to Providencia around 3 PM Sunday afternoon, greeted by
JoAnne & Bill who were out snorkeling as we were coming in the
channel. Informing us the agent Mr. Bush, who you have to use to
check in, was thought to be off island and that dinner would be on
their boat that night. We tried to hail the Bush Agency on VFH 16 a
little after 4 once we were anchored, and were glad we got no
response. Cleaned up the salt water from the dodger and hand rails,
sorry we had just missed the short rain storm that we could see cover
the island as we approached, it would have given the boat a good
rinse.
Over
to Ultra for dinner along with friends Gina & Bruce on S/V
Dream Catcher and Hinnerk & Kinga from S/V Paulinchen.
It was a great way to be welcomed to the beautiful island of
Providencia.
Monday
morning we tried to check in, calling Mr. Bush several times on the
VHF. The Port Authority answered us and said they would also try to
reach him and call us back. Since we were “stuck” on the boat
not being allowed on shore until we could check in, Steve
decided he would make dinner for the group that night on Ocean Star.
After lunch and still not hearing from either we tried again
to reach the Bush Agency, still no answer. This left us not knowing
if he was back on the island, and if we should try to go check in.
Bill & JoAnne were going into town, so they said they would stop
by his house/office and check for us. They called us back and
confirmed that Mr. Bush was still off island BUT his housekeeper
Adella could help us get our paper work started.
We
wanted to get checked in since there was a planned hike on Tuesday
with a group of cruisers that we wanted to go on. We met B&J at
the dock just before 3, and they showed us to Mr. Bush's pointing out
the different stores & bakeries along the way. We had a nice
visit with Adella as she has lived on the island over 20 years and
had lots of stories to share. Finally the port authority guy showed
up and took some of our information. Customs & Immigration never
made it so we left our passports with Adella to have them stamped the
following day. Even though we had been told by other cruisers that
we might have to leave our passports at the office, and that this was
a common occurrence here, it was still a strange feeling leaving our
passports behind. We were told we could come ashore as we wished and
that the rest of the paperwork would be completed by Mr. Bush.
Picked up some SIM cards for the local phone company so we can get
internet, and back to the boat by 5 to finish getting dinner ready.
Good thing it was a main course salad, with minimal cooking required.
Another fun evening.
Tuesday
one of the boats Baros with
Linda & Hans, who have been to Providencia many times so know the
island very well, were leading the way on a hike to the Peak. This
was the 14th
time for them to do the hike but a first for Shirley & Tom on S/V
Rio Nimpkish, Hinnerk
& Kinga on S/V Paulinchen,
Bill & JoAnne on Ultra
and us and we were glad to have their knowledge of the island and the
trail.
We
met at the town dock at 9 and caught a van taxi to the park entrance
to start the hike by 9:30. Stopping along the way to read the park
signs about the local flora & fauna and take pictures we reached
the peak 90 minutes later, and were rewarded with spectacular views.
Rested for about 30 minutes up on top enjoying the views before
starting down. The heat of the day was bringing out all the lizards
and we spent some time trying to get a good picture of one of the
many Blue Lizards we saw. They are skittish little guys but their
bright neon blue coloring makes them a sight to see amongst the green
& brown of their landscape. Once we were all down our “guides”
Linda & Hans had us go over to Southwest Beach for lunch at
Restaurante Divino Nino and a refreshing swim in the ocean. A huge
fish platter was had by all and not much went uneaten. Too full to
go far we walked down the beach to Richards Beach Bar for another
drink to enjoy while we continued the conversations. We were joined
by Laura & Russel S/V Luturna II who
also know a lot about the island as Laura is from here. Called the
taxi van driver, Nelson, to bring us back returning to the boats by 6
after a great day.
Wednesday
tried reaching the Bush Agency on the VHF to see when we needed to
come in and finish clearance. No answer until later when another new
arrival entered the harbor and called in. They were told to come in
then and we were told to come in at 4, freeing the day. We have
limited internet with only Steve's tablet, the Movistar SIM card
would not work in my Tigo USB stick, so trying to get caught up on
some emails. The watermaker was started, and a few minutes later we
got the system fail alarm, so Steve shut it down. After lunch we
went to the fore-peak where the watermaker lives to see what the
problem was and discovered another small problem – a container of
Stabil
(a gasoline additive) which
is greasy leaked so we needed to clean that up before looking at the
watermaker. Mess cleaned up and Steve gets to the watermaker and it
is NOT good. A hole was blown out of a crucial fitting. No clue as
to how it could have happened, not going to be an easy fix if at all
possible. By now it is time to get ready to go see Mr. Bush to
finish our check in. Stopped by the internet place to check options
to get my computer connected to the internet. Finished our paperwork
with Mr. Bush so he can clear us and the boat into Colombia, and
getting our Passports back. Back by the internet place to drop off
my Tigo (Honduras Internet) USB stick so it can get unlocked to be
used by Movistar the internet provider here.
Thursday
morning I picked up Shirley so she could show me where Alitea, a
woman on island that does laundry for the cruisers, lives. NOT an
easy home to find, climbing stairs and hiking a path we finally get
to her house, and she agrees to do some laundry for us. A quick stop
at the internet store to pick up my now unlocked USB dongle and back
to the boat to see if it works and to get laundry. I can't get
dongle to work so go back in with my computer and Daisy at the
internet store fixes it. Back to the boat and internet now working
on my computer. Need Steve's help to bring our 2 loads of laundry
in, and climb back up again to Alita's house. Steve continues
working on the watermaker problem, finding how to take it apart and
finding a replacement part. Luckily friend Gina on Dream Catcher has
her brother coming to visit in 2 weeks so we will be able to get the
part brought in. Join most of the other boats in the anchorage 8 out
of 10 for happy hour drinks at the Bamboo Bar on Santa Catalina
Island.
Friday
Steve & I met up with JoAnne & Bill, and Gina & Bruce at
10 to rent motor bikes to tour the island. We rented from the
grocery store, $25 for the day, no deposit, no form(s) to fill out,
only Bruce showed an ID and we drove away. We had a great day
circumnavigating the island on its main road and exploring many of
the side streets of the tiny island seeing the beautiful beaches
along the way. Lunch back at Southwest Bay, opting for smaller
dishes this time, before continuing on around the island. After a
full day we turned the bikes back in by 5:30, no one wanted to be
riding around at night and no one thought they would come back in in
the morning to go for a ride. Steve & I made another hike
up to pick up our laundry before heading back to the boat for the
night.
Saturday
few jobs on the boat and in to town to pick up bread (they have two
good bakeries here, not like the French islands but pretty good) and
to hike back up to the laundry house to pay as she was not
there the day before when we picked it up and her husband did not
know the cost. You need to look at the pictures of the TRAIL to the
house for laundry and think about that next time you do laundry at
home. Bruce & Gina hosted a group dinner of Lasagna for 8 on
Dream Catcher, we brought garlic bread, Ultra brought a salad, and
Paulinchen brought Baileys liquor and pastries for desert to go with
a desert Gina made.
Sunday,
lazy day spent relaxing on the boat.
Monday
was a holiday on the Island , but no one could tell us what holiday.
Some stores said they would be closed and some were open, not much
different from any other day that we could tell. At first we had
heard that maybe they would have one of the island horse races that
we had heard is a fun event to see. But Linda from S/V
Baros found out there was a
Black Crab Festival & Cat Boat Racing on another beach. Black
crabs are small land crabs that migrate to the sea once a year to lay
their eggs, then go back to the forests. She made the announcement
on VHF 16 to see who wanted to go, 8 out of the 10 boats did. So
Steve & I along with Linda & Hans from Baros
Shirley & Tom on Rio Nimpkish,
Hinnerk & Kinga on Paulinchen,
Laura & Russel Luturna II, Bruce
& Gina on Dream Catcher, John
& Lucy on Mate, and
Bill & JoAnne on Ultra, piled
into Nelsons taxi van again to go over to Manchineel Bay for the day.
We had stopped by here the other day when we rented motor bikes, but
it was a different scene today. Full with people, and vendors set up
selling food & drinks, watching the locals set the sail on the
Cat Boats is always a sight to watch. Another great day hanging out
on a beautiful beach.
Tuesday
3/25 was Bills B-Day so there was a big party planned onboard Ultra
for that night. Russel & Laura had left to sail over to San
Andres so that just left 7 boats / 14 people for the party. Good
thing they have a big Trimaran, so we had a wonderful night filled
with great food, drinks and fun. We even all sent off messages in a
bottle, supplied from B&J's left over wine bottles.
Wednesday
everyone was moving a little slow so not much was done. Since our
watermaker is broken and we are waiting on a part to fix it. Bill &
JoAnne were making extra, so we went over and got another 25 gallons
in 5 gallon jugs to put into our tanks. Paulinchen left late
in the day to sail over to San Andres and then on to Panama.
Thursday
easy day, Steve worked on cleaning off some of the rust spots on the
boat. When we were in the boat yard where they are grinding and
welding on other boats small little shavings wind up on our boat when
mixed with salt water make little rust spots that need to get cleaned
up before they get worse. Cleaning up requires rust remover, a
toothbrush and a small pick to dislodge the metal specks. Tedious
mind-numbing work.
Friday
morning it rained for the first time since we arrived, it did not
last long but it came down heavy and gave the boat a nice rinse. It
cleared up in plenty of time for the days planned activity of hiking
& snorkeling. Over on Santa Catalina Island (the little island
next to & connected to Providencia by a foot bridge) is one of
Pablo Escobar's homes, OR what remains of it, which is very little.
The home is on top of a hill that the main path has long since been
overgrown. Bill & Joanne had been over to the beach and saw that
it looked like an easier path up from the beach. So along with
Bruce & Gina and John & Lucy we all took the dinghies around
to that side of the island. The path was in much better shape then
what we expected. And even though there is not much left of the
house you can tell how impressive it must have been back in the
1980's. Just the logistics of getting the material to these islands
and then to the top of the hill with no road access would have been a
major ordeal, but then he sure had the money to pay for it. It was
very interesting to see, back down to the beach for a picnic lunch
then snorkeling on the way back to the boats.
That
night we planned to go into a pizza place in town. Shirley had gone
by the day before to make sure they would be open and ready for 10
people. So after meeting at the town dock, stopping at the “corner”
for a beer then going up there at 6:30 we were very surprised to see
it closed ! Some how she forgot to mention that she might be having
surgery that morning and might not be feeling well that night and
might be closed. There are no other dinner places in “town” so
Shirley knew of another place called Martins that is good with good
prices. But we had to try to get a taxi for 10 people to get there.
None of us knew Nelson's #, so we stopped by the internet store and
Daisy helped us. First she called the restaurant to see if they were
open then made the reservation then called to find us a taxi. The
first taxi to show up Jerry in a nice van but only 7 seats, we tried
to tell him we did not mind squeezing in (we are all VERY use to
overloaded vans) but he said no he could not do it. By this time we
are all very hungry, so he says he can call his cousin Larry who has
a truck to come get us. We negotiate a round trip price over the
phone and a few minutes later Larry shows up. A nice 4 door pick up
with bench seats in the bed, we all climb in and he brings us to the
restaurant where we all have wonderful meals. The restaurant calls
him as we are checking out to come and bring us back. On the way
back we mention the horse races again and he says that there will be
one on Saturday. He stops to ask a friend on the way to confirm and
we are told yes it will happen on Saturday afternoon around 1. We
have his card if we need his truck for another big group, not sure
who will be going at that time.
Sunday
morning John & Lucy on Mate head out for Roatan. Bruce &
Gina have boat projects to work on before guest arrive. Linda &
Hans have friends that have just arrived so want to spend time with
them and help them check in. Shirley & Tom said they were going
to rent a motor bike for a ½ day and ride over seeing a few more
things before they leave on Monday. Steve & I picked Bill &
JoAnne up with our dinghy and walked down the street from the dock.
Under the “tree” locals with motor bikes hang out and give each
other and tourists taxi rides. We negotiate another fare and hop on
4 different bikes to be driven over to Southwest Bay arriving around
12:30. Shirley & Tom arrive a little while later, and the places
along the beach are filling up. Confirming that yes there will be a
horse race that day maybe around 2. We enjoy another great lunch at
Restaurante Divino Nino. Finally
see one guy walking a horse down the beach, and that horse is ready
to run, just a beautiful animal. We had been told that only 2 horses
race together at a time, it's a narrow beach. We were also under the
impression that several different races could take place on the same
day, just not on this day. The 2nd
horse finally shows up and they go down to the starting line past
Richards Bar. They have several people around warning unknowing
people to be aware that a couple of horses will soon be tearing down
the beach and if you are in the way you will get trampled. The 2
horses come running around the bend and down towards where we are
watching from, fly past us and down to the other end of the beach.
We are not sure which if either won ?? Apparently / maybe one of the
horses turned to wide and pushed the other too far into the water?
Both horses continued to the end and then a LOT of people from both
sides who had been placing bets were following down the beach doing a
lot of yelling. Unable to understand all that was being said and by
which side we never did know the final outcome. We still enjoyed
another fun island event. Went to catch a ride back to “town”,
our motor bike guys said they would be around but we did not see
them, so we flagged down a car passing by and asked if they could
give us a ride, negotiated a price and the 4 of us fit in the back
seat of a Buick La Saber. We had a very slow (but safe!) ride with
very loud music back to town. Most of the time the driver's hands
were clapping or eating iguana that a passing motorbike handed
through the window. Dropped Bill & JoAnne off at their boat
picking up 5 more containers of water.
Sunday
another relaxing day on the boat, enjoying this beautiful anchorage
that has a wonderful breeze blowing through it almost all day, every
day. Not a bad place to be stuck waiting on parts, glad for the
extra time to do more exploring of this unique island.
It
has been a great two weeks in the island of Providencia, where we
passed our 4 year anniversary. Cruising in our floating home, Ocean
Star, we have traveled via the sea to 24 countries plus the US Virgin
Islands & Puerto Rico. Lost count of how many different islands
and cays / keys we have been to. It has been a remarkable journey so
far one that we hope to continue. A lot of hard work mixed with a
lot of fun and exciting adventures and many really wonderful
friendships formed along the way. So thankful to be living this
lifestyle and for the love and support from family whom we miss
dearly everyday.
Link
to Pictures; https://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/ProvidenciaColombia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLTpvPTC6-WdhgE&feat=directlink
