| 15th February 2007
Isla Provendencia and San Andres Colombian Islands We arrived at Isla Provedencia just after dark on the fifteen February and we were most grateful to Chris off ‘Kindred Spirit’ for passing on the GPS Waypoints of the buoyed channel into the harbour; he had arrived about eight hours before us. We were glad to drop anchor somewhere quite without the sounds of flopping sails and were looking forward to a good nights sleep. Our lay-in the following morning was rudely disturbed due to a small ship coming up our stern, having managed to anchor in the main fairway we had to move, and quickly! With that dealt with we took stock of what was around us and found we were surrounded by high lush mountains covered in palm and coconut trees with houses dotted along the shore line. So here we were in this very small laid back Colombian Island with a population of about four thousand, it was certainly nice to be somewhere we hadn’t been before. The whole island can be summed up as very friendly and helpful, safe, slightly run down in places, but the people are happy. We found food supplies to be very cheap compared to the U.S. and the U.K. especially bread and pastries; Coffee and cake for .95p, internet .59p an hour against £2.50 for 15 minutes in the U.S. The only way to see the Island was to hire motor bikes, so with Chris and Lynn we hired two bikes for three hours at £2.50 an hour and toured round the Island, about seven miles in total. John had never ridden a motor bike with gears before, so we jerked our way through them round the Island. He just about managed to get the hang of things by the time we returned the bike. There wasn’t too much to see except a few nice views of the reef; we did however note how lucky everyone was to have a beautiful sea view. We did manage to find a road that ended up on the beach where we stopped and had cold drinks at one of the hotels and admired the lovely view. We were not the only ones to use the road; we passed a herd of Long Horn Steers and of course we had to stop for me to take pictures. We tried twice to get the pictures, as I really didn’t like the way those guys were advancing up the road towards us with those long horns! We were most fortunate that whilst we were there the Governor laid on a concert for all the people on the Three Masted Barque also sitting at anchor in the Roads. This particular Swedish Training Ship had been coming to the Island for the past six years and all the yachts (six) at anchor were also invited. We enjoyed the performance very much; It was nice to see the local Children performing especially the dancing, those youngsters can certainly move there bodies, oh what it’s like to be young again!!!!!!!!!!! On one of the days, with another couple Steve & Hazel off ‘Oasis’, we walked up the highest mountain on the Island, Pico, starting at 07:30 so as not to walk in the heat of the day. The walk took just over an hour and found once again we were not alone on the trail. On the way down we bumped into some horses coming our way but once they saw us they shot off in the other direction never to be seen again. The views from the top were spectacular as we could see round the whole Island. Once at the bottom we went for a drink at one of the local restaurants and bar and the beer never tasted as good as it did that day! After exactly one week we had a good window to leave, so we left Providencia and sailed the 60 miles south to San Andres and what a difference we noted between the two islands. San Andres is much more upbeat and touristy with sandy beaches and hotels, a jewel of an Island in the South West Caribbean where the waters are clear and the fish are plentiful for snorkelling (not for catching however as it is a conservation area). The streets are teaming with good shops making it a shopper’s paradise where you can buy just about anything; completely different from its sister Island Isla Providencia. The east side of the island has a protecting reef that forms a natural harbour inside it; however there are a few boats which can be seen quite clearly that didn’t quite make it and lay high and dry, abandoned on the reef. The Island is much flatter and a lot longer than Providencia, seven miles (14 miles in total round the Island) to be precise and once again we took to the streets; this time on a ‘golf cart’ for the day. It was nothing fancy, at 25 miles an hour and with a loud, noisy engine, one had to hang on tight when turning corners otherwise you risked being thrown out. We found that by lunch time we had just about been round the Island as there wasn’t really anything worth stopping for or much to see. Riding round the housing estate was an eye opener, looking at all the different types of properties that were either well turned out or rather run down but we found the people to be very friendly and always smiled or waved as you passed. We felt like royalty at times with our waves and smiles and the nod of the head!! To pass the time we stopped for a cold beer and took some photos and motored round the shops stopping here and there to do a little shopping. Our bargain for the day was four cartoons of wine that worked out at just over 50p a litre. The taste took a little getting use to but after a few sips it tasted not that bad. We were also surprised at the amount of big properties that were ‘for sale’ which were the best looking one’s on the Island and the amount of large properties that over the years had been left to go down hill. We can only assume they were left from when the druggies used to use the Island which thankfully has now been cleaned up. Some things were a little cheaper than Providencia and we still managed to get coffee and cake for less than .95p. In fact the first night we arrived, after we ‘Cleared In’, we had our first meal out. Two different fish dishes, garlic bread, two beers and two bottles of water for £10.31, beer is very cheap at .47p a bottle or a lot less. We tried the ice cream which was just heaven at the time but between us the following day, we weren’t so sure………… We spent most days walking round in the mornings and once back on board John had the varnish brush out varnishing the cockpit and a few other items. The anchorage is quite good being off the hotel so we get to hear some of the ‘music nights’ and the town is only a few yards a way. Most people get round on motor bikes, one thing we found we were never asked for our driving licence when hiring the bike or the ‘Golf Cart’! We spent just over a week in San Andres and enjoyed it immensely. However time was passing by and we had to move on. Next stop Bocas del Toro, Panama, two sailing days to the south. John & Paula |
 |