We got up fairly early as we wanted to make a stop at Ustupu on the way to Mono Island AND we had to pull up the second anchor. It took us an hour to pull up the second anchor. It is useful to have two anchors and gives you peace of mind when you use, it, but it can be a pain in the A$$ setting it and pulling it up. We had a muddy bottom, so we turned on the wash down pump to wash off the secondary anchor and our main anchor chain before it went into the locker. It was a slow process purging the mud from the chain, but worth the effort. Almost 2 hours later we were on our way.

Ustupu is the most populated community in Guna Yala. As we neared the village we encountered a tremendous amount of trash in the water, shoes, bottles, bags, etc… Perplexed, we anchored in the little bay across from the police station where locals were loading two large boats were loading trash. Maybe pieces were coming from there?

Just across the bay is a sacred islet where they have buried the great Nele Kantule, a very important spiritualist.  He lived from 1868-1944 and was a famous chief and medicine man of the Kuna indigenous tribe of Panama and Columbia.

We were certainly a curiosity for the locals as many dug outs came close to Sugar Shack to say “hola.” Matt made an excellent migas style breakfast and we scampered ashore. We had high hopes of finding somewhere to dump our trash, but until we were certain they had a way to dispose of it we left it on the boat. Ashore, everyone was equally welcoming, very friendly, and a few shook our hands.

The two-story building found as you approach the island is the official administrative building of Ustupu which houseschief’s secretary, Panamanian police, and administrative offices. Evidently, there is a fairly busy airport and a few shops/huts selling local wares.

A monument was constructed honoring Nele Kantule on Ustup.

We passed by several restaurants, a few stores, a church, school, and many communities of huts.

After a quick exploration, we headed back to the boat. It was clear they don’t get many visitors and we stuck out like a sore thumb. Some children anticipated our next turn and met us on the road which was fun.

Unfortunately, we witnessed several Gunas dumping their trash directly into the ocean. They boys had to shuffle me along as I gasped in horror. I know I don’t understand their culture or traditions and I need to learn that it is not my place to judge. Thank goodness, we did not bring our trash to shore.

MONO ISLAND:
Mono island is a mangrove line bay, quiet and protected. As we approached this little island, we saw for the first time on this trip, another cruising boat through the inlet. That’s ok, this bay is big enough for the two of us. Matt at the helm, was watching our chart and depth gauge, while Wayne and I were at the bow watching for shallow spots and coral heads. We maneuvered around a few tricky spots and found a place to anchor away from our neighbors.

After we got situated, we packed a picnic, hopped into the dinghy and headed over to what we affectionately called “Two Palm Island.” Its real name is Sutedup and it is about a mile away from Mono Island.

The island looked picturesque and we were soon giddy with excitement to have a picnic on our new private island. We pulled Sweetie up on shore and were faced with a lot of trash. It was heartbreaking to see this small piece of paradise covered in plastic bottles, shoes, and debris.

Matt proclaimed this “the island of the wayward flip-flops.”  Yet, we only collected shoes from half of the island – so sad.

Determined to make the best of it, we cleared a spot, put out our towel, turned on the music and opened a bottle of rose!

You can choose to look past the trash and see the beauty in anything:

As the sun was setting, we hopped back in Sweetie and headed to the boat for some dinner. We didn’t go ashore on Mono Island, but we read it has footpaths that can be explored between the mangroves.