Journeys are stories, best written slowly and carefully, rich with rhythm and intricate detail.
Sunrise found us well west of the Panama Canal, on the wide waters of the Gulf of Panama on the fringes of the Eastern Pacific. As for so many voyagers in the past, this great ocean will be our path along the west coast of South America, to Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and beyond. It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step, like boldly putting pen to paper for the first phrases of a novel. And though our voyage will be considerably longer, we still began with that first short stride, those first few words, cruising a few miles across the Gulf to Las Islas Perlas, the Pearl Islands.
In the cool of the morning as the sun began to burn off the tropical haze, we jumped into the Zodiacs for an exploration of a pair of small islands: Bona and Estiva. These are important seabird breeding sites—a fact that was immediately obvious. Thousands of magnificent frigatebirds soared like kites in the sunrise breezes over the rocky summits of the islands, swirling, dipping, chasing and simply hanging in the air, suspended on their beautiful sharp wings, riding the winds like their nimble namesake sailing ships. At the same time more thousands of brown and blue-footed boobies poured off their roosting ledges, circled briefly and set out for their morning fishing excursions. As we approached the cliffs along the waterline of the small islands we soon had good views of these comical birds and their lovely azure feet.
In the best spirit of travel, our journey will be a slow one with plenty of time to explore along the way. In contrast to the great majority of modern voyagers who soar over patterns of green and brown and never see the detail within, we will immerse ourselves in the landscapes and cultures we encounter, building an experience of the these tropical coasts that will encompass a great deal more than simple distance, a story that will tell much more than just the way we came.
Consequently, we were out in the Zodiacs twice more before moving on from this beautiful little archipelago: once in the later morning for a quick swim from a gorgeous golden-sand beach on Isla Pacheca and again in the afternoon for swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking from another pair of small islands: Mogo Mogo and Chapera. Each time we put our feet in the water we discovered another pleasant aspect of the Pearl Islands—clear water, rocky reefs with bright fish, palm-fringed beaches where our hotel staff set up an impromptu bar, and quiet shores lined with mangroves that are home to herons and shorebirds. Everyone immersed themselves in their own fashion: in the water, in conversation, and in the drama of the approaching thunderstorm that brought our afternoon to a close.
Last night we made our transit of the Canal, coming through that magnificent portal into the Pacific, opening a door to what lies ahead. Today we hit the road and took the first footsteps of our long journey. The first pieces of the puzzle are falling into place and the first strokes of paint are on the canvas. The story that we will tell is just beginning.
