Kelcey Chandler-Yates and Jim Yates present...

UnderSeaPhotoVideo.com

Subject: a little update from the Chandler-Yates clan in the San Blas Islands, Well finally got caught up with receiving e-mails!! got 24 of them this am!! sometimes the radio wave gods just won't let us receive mail! anyhow this is a great place and we eat fresh fish daily speared by one of the macho me on this boat!!--if not that crab or lobster but the other day I cooked up some burgers, potato salad and slaw---YUMMMMM it was the best ever--you just don't know how good burgers are when you CANT have them when you want!!--and I made my dads good old fashion recipe! also invited the chief of the islands "grandson" who is also sick of seafood. He speaks English and gave us the history of the San Blas Indians and told us of their culture, marriage rituals etc. It was really informative, interesting and well you get the picture!. The native Indians here are very tolerant of us as they have gotten to know us as well as my digital camera--Instead of asking me for a dollar for their photos they now beg me to take their image as I always return two hours later with a copy of it for them--I have so many great images it's great! even of the albinos. They are quite prevalent here--in fact the most percentage per population anywhere in the world!--the chief has taken our family under his wing and even set us up with a master mola maker to make a mola of "Lady Starlight" the logo I drew on the bow of the boat. The other night the ladies of the village made me up into a Kuna woman with the mola dress, sarong etc all the way down to the black "beauty" line down the middle of my nose! what a kick--the boys were rolling on the ground.!! not to mention the women doing it--guess they don't run into too many gringo women that are willing to be the laugh of the village!!--after a month here we are still not ready to leave. Lots of new experiences and just now gaining the trust of the village population. Our friend Jules was here for a week and we explored the other islands and some wonderful dive spots only to have it rain from then on so we have stayed in one anchorage until this morning when we moved to where friends are. This allowed us to get to know the village we were in but by moving we have a great dog to play with as well as a 70 year old surfer who is teaching the boys the same. Everyone seems to love the boys and the experiences they are having are priceless. We wish we could be home for Christmas to share in the joy of the season but it is so peaceful here none of us can fathom the hassle involved in getting to home--and where is that anyhow--we now suppose it is right where we are here on lady starlight although we miss dearly our friends and family. Here gift giving is of the personal not physical realm--one can look forward to gifts such as a massage or breakfast in bed or perhaps the laundry or the floors being done for you. Life is much more simple and the rat race we once knew is no more. The islands where we are right now are inhabited by two families who "farm" the coconuts each season. They are actually from a village on the mainland and are very pleasant and allow me to take artistic pictures of the beautiful women with my still cameras. We are gathering information as well as images now for an article we plan on submitting to National Geographic as the Kuna Indians have not been in that magazine since 1912 from what we could find. The culture, although in tact is being influenced by the world and is beginning to show drastic changes. Glad we are fortunate enough to experience it before it is homogenized. ---well so much for an abbreviated version of life in the slow lane!--love to all--and Merry Christmas--remember no attachments or bulk mailings here as we can't receive--so make it personal!--and I will do the same in return--!!-if you have an e-mail you are sending for the holidays to many please send it individually to us so we can receive. the multiple addresses eat up all the radio time we are allowed!----thanks for all your notes--enjoy your holidays and keep us in your thoughts as we will you!

kelcey, Jim, Chris, Nick and Loreeto the parrot!