On Tuesday we headed in the 10 miles or so it took to go outside the dangerous areas leaving Low Cay and into the anchorage in the Providencia Harbor where we called the agent, Mr. Bush, on channel 16. Within an hour or so we were checked in and could raise our Columbian flag, yellow, blue and red. On our entry we noticed some waving banners on the port side of the harbor and discovered when we dinghied ashore and walked across the Lover’s Bridge, walking toward an old fort supposedly used by the Pirate Morgan, that the banners marked a lovely unpretentious “typico” Columbian restaurant. As it was very hot, we stopped for “cervesas frias,” and of course stayed for dinner of fish cooked “as you like it”, with creole, or garlic sauces. Very tasty! We also were served “helados de maiz”-corn ice cream, a typical dessert made right on Providencia. We made faces as we ordered, but gobbled it right up.
By that time it was time to return to the boats, but we planned to rent motor scooters to explore the 4 mile by 2 mile island as soon as Jamie was able to make welding arrangements for his boom.
Wednesday, we walked through the town streets, being careful not to interfere with or get in the way of the motor bikes that are used for transportation on this busy island. Providencia groceries, three different markets, allowed for easy provisioning so that didn’t take long and we had lots of time to play and explore. We hiked up to Fort Warwick in fort Bay and saw some old cannons and walked along the edge of the overlook or Pirates’ Walk to Morgan’s Head, then returned to our dinghies and circumnavigated Santa Catalina Island, this time traveling under the Love Bridge, dinghies almost touching the sides.
The next day we rented motor bikes, with the guys feeling like Marlon Brando. Allison and I just hung on the back of Dan and Randall’s bikes until later in the day after touring the beaches, the mountains, the side roads and byways and having a flat tire or two on Randall’s bike, Allison took me as a passenger. She had really wanted to try driving a scooter on her own, and was very adept! We drove around the island, visiting all the beaches, swimming and people watching.
Later in the afternoon, the sun was beating down unmercifully, and a few drops of rain fell, then a short shower. Allison and I were descending a hill when-WHAT???- we came upon hundreds of black crabs covering the road from side to side, their pincer claws full up and at the ready to defend themselves from passing motor vehicles. Allison carefully threaded her way through and we pulled off the road waiting for Jamie and Randall to appear on their bikes. They worried us as they had stopped to take photos!
Shortly after, when we attempted to return to town by the same road, we found an Army blockade. We happened to be driving on the day the migration of the land crabs to the sea began. I don’t know what kind they are or how long the migration lasts. I got the impression it was a very short time period. The crabs leave the mountain, go into the sea and molt and then if the currents do not sweep them away they return to the mountain. The short rain had triggered the migration; the crabs were crossing a paved road that has lots of truck and vehicle traffic and some hadn’t made it when we passed. We had to return to town the opposite way, since the road circles the island and was blockaded to protect the crabs.
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| Providencia-2009 |
The following morning our two ambitious travelers, Allison and Jamie, climbed the highest peak on Providencia, and to celebrate we again went to Rey’s Restaurant for a fantastic meal and she recommended a few places for us to eat in San Andres when we got there. Jamie picked up his welded gooseneck and reinstalled it, then we felt ready to sail on the another Columbian island, San Andres, after checking out with Mr. Bush who was our agent to the Port Captain.
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