Subject: Report # 128 Puntarenas, Costa Rica May 7, 2016 Saturday Chance of rain & 84 degrees Part #1 of 2 87 Pictures
Today's port of call was Puntarenas, Costa Rica, home to 4,253,877 Spanish-speaking people. They live in 19,725 square miles, with the capital being San Jose. Costa Rica is tourist "gold" these days, with numerous national parks, and an array of creatures from gorgeous butterflies to howler monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, and some of the most spectacular birds in nature. The ones we have seen are egrets, herons, kingfishers, pelicans, iguanas, hawks and kites.
The top things to see are the most diverse place on earth – Parque National, Corcovado, and the wilderness beaches at the tip of Nicoya Peninsula. Monkeys having fun raiding picnics, and the thousand year migration of leatherback turtles to Playa Grande are worth seeing.
Top things to do are go on a zipline ride in the canopy of a cloud forest (at your own risk……), or take a night hike out to Arenal Volcano to see luminescent lava flows. Or try soaking in a local hot spring. Attend a surf school, riding the first wave at Witch's Rock. Boat through a maze of jungle canals loaded with wildlife.
What is there to eat? Try casado – a plate of meat, beans, rice, and fried plantains. What is there to drink? Palm wine called fire water by the local farmers. Try coffee everywhere and anywhere.
A statement heard everywhere is Pura Vida - the pure life.
Trademarks are dripping rainforests, active volcanoes, soccer, and foaming waterfalls.
A random fact: Costa Rica proudly tops the list for ranking the happiest nation. Current news has it that the locals rank the happiest of all nations. The civilians outlive all of their North American counterparts.
The Amsterdam arrived to the sheltered harbor by 7am. Although the original port was scheduled for Puerto Caldera, we were happy to hear Captain Fred announce that we were going to dock at Puntarenas. So much better for the crew as well as the guests. The commercial port, Puerto Caldera, is 14 miles away, costing about $30 for a round trip ride to Puntarenas.
Even though Costa Rica is one of the smallest countries in Central America, it is the most naturally diverse. The country has been smart to focus on eco tourism with their rainforests and beaches. Thousands of visitors come here annually seeking adventure. This democratic country has been without an army since the 1940's. The people have been quoted as being the happiest folks in the world for the last two years.
They also have the highest level of education and excellent health care compared to neighboring countries. The main shopping and dining area of Puntarenas is on the Paseo de los Touristas. This walkway is filled with souvenir and craft vendors, which leads to shoreline bars with fast food type cuisine.
To really see this part of Costa Rica, you need to get outside the town, and head inland or to the mountains. Tours offered today included some long ones which included lunch. There was a visit to San Jose, the Capital for $80, Costa Rica favorites for $200, Discover Costa Rica $90, a zip line and aerial tram for $140, original canopy zip line for $100, or a walk in the clouds for $100. We have not gone on the zip line tours, but we have seen the gardens, the butterfly sanctuary, and walked in the clouds and canopy. All fun, but very long days and at least 4 hours of driving coming and going.
Shorter tours were 5 hours on an eco tropical mangrove river cruise for $70, or tropical train ride and mangrove cruise for $90. We have done both more than once, and highly recommend doing either of these.
Back to today…..it was going to be one hot and sticky one. Although rain had been forecasted, it never did happen, at least not down on the coastline. Would have felt good, but since it was a Saturday, the beaches were filling with local families enjoying the surf.
We had breakfast, did some packing, then waited until the many buses filled with guests going on the tours. There were a few independent guides offering excursions for smaller groups, van-size for 8 or 10 folks. Their prices were not as reasonable as we thought they would be. One fellow tried to entice us with a 4 hour tour for $135 for both of us, but we said no thanks.
Not too many other passengers were walking today, so we had the beach to ourselves. Mostly families with small kids were setting up their spots for the day. One mom had brought a plastic blow-up kiddie pool, filled it with some water, and let her little ones play in it. Smart idea, and the kids stayed out of the dark brown sand. This beach is not exactly white sand, but typical Pacific Ocean dirty-looking sand. It was cleaner than the last time we were here two years ago. With several bars along the roadside, there tends to be broken glass from beer bottles in the sand. So we hiked from one end near the ship to the very tip of the spit. There were a few hotels with casinos and many bars that probably look better at night.
Food trucks were setting up on the roadside, where groups of young locals were lingering under the shade of some trees. We saw chunks of pork cracklings, chicken skewers, fruit, and lots of drinks. One big trailer was blasting marimba music, drawing a crowd. It was fun checking out the numerous colorful souvenirs along the way. One of us collects sun visors, and there was about one stand that had some. A light blue visor with an embroidered frog on it worked fine. And as with all of their souvenirs, it says "Pura Vida" – a good life. We had been searching for a leather eyeglass case, but none exist here. Shall continue the search tomorrow in Nicaragua.
We were out of our bottled water, so found it was a good time to head back to the ship. The heat had taken its toll on one of us, and we can say that we found no suitable place for lunch. The most "normal" restaurant was a Pizza Hut, and they were not opened until later.
Saved by the air-conditioning and several ice cold sodas, we stayed in our room working on photos and continued packing. A good movie, The Help, popped up, so we ended up finally watching the entire movie. Yes, it was a repeat, as are most all of the movies now. If they were good, we don't mind watching them again. One day, if they see fit to provide on-demand movies, we can watch a film from the beginning, pause it if we want, and continue when we want. But these new perks come with a price, which would be passed down to the guests.
All aboard was 4:30pm, but it did not happen. As always, several buses were arriving late, as were some crew members, on the run from shore. Around 5pm, Captain Fred came on the speakers with his departure talk, then fired up the engines, spewing black smoke into the already hazy air. We watched the sail away with friends from the aft deck, enjoying the antics of the diving pelicans all around the ship. At least, it had cooled down somewhat as the sun slipped behind the grey clouds and mountain tops at 5:51pm.
This evening, we had an invite to an exclusive Officer's Reception in the Crow's Nest from 7 to 8pm. Curious as to who was invited, we attended. We were greeted by Gene, our cruise director who has stayed on from the world cruise. He in turn introduced us to the newly-boarded hotel director, Craig Oakes. Then we were escorted into the room and offered drinks of our choice. The only place that is comfortable to sit for one of us is the bar chairs. So we took a couple of them near the cordoned-off section.
That turned out to be a good move, because Craig decided to join us for the entire hour. Gave us a chance to get to know him, and share info we have gathered on this long voyage. There are so many angles in the cruising industry, and Craig seemed very up-to-date with the changing industry and how it is affecting the HAL group. Explains why the cruise experience on HAL trips will be conforming to a different standard in the future. Just hope these changes will still fit our needs.
Dinnertime came quickly, and for us, that was in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. Last time we ate here, Tina promised we could order the veal chop, and we were pleased to find it worked. The meat was cooked perfectly, seasoned just right, and one of the best we have had on this trip. Maybe we can do this one more time before we leave next week. We suggested that the veal chop should be back on their menu, replacing the pork chop. Tina said it has been suggested and they are thinking about doing it.
We missed the show, running late eating dinner. But we have seen it before, and it was excellent……Dance, the Amsterdam singers and dancers doing their thing, and doing it well.
Tomorrow's port is Corinto, Nicaragua. Hope it is not as hot as today's port.
Bill & Mary Ann
Coming into the bay at Puntarenas, Costa Rica
The long pier
The brown sandy beach at Puntarenas
Surrounding hillsides
Ship on the left, buses on the pier
This pier is so narrow, buses have to back up all the way
The tent gave the crew some shade
The buses loaded and are gone on tours
We're alone today, but there is room for one more ship
A new pavilion on the beach
A seabird
Saturday beach-goers
The security gate at the end of the pier
Long stretch of beach
Some trees for shade
A park near the pier
Locals gathering here
Stands were setting up for the day
A lot of sand, but rather dirty
Amsterdam docked nearby
Birds have the right idea
Must be fish here
No one uses this side
Except a few
Deserted street…..it was just too hot
Modern art on the seaside road
"Airplane" art on the beach
Clever designs
Made into wind-catchers
Each one had a "wing-walker" figure
Airport Park
A bus stand with food and drinks
Coke is the drink of the day
Convenient benches
Looks cool right? It was not……….
Outside patio dining
A few of the nicer buildings
A cantina
Very little traffic on this spit
Ice cream shop
Cooking roadside
The menu
Beach toys for the kids
Pork cracklings
The newly-built arena
Hats and clothes
Not quite open yet
What a cool place for a concert at night
Very modern
Room for parking
So much to see
Too many earrings
Clever seashells designs
Chicken skewers on the grill
A hotel
A place to dine
Good spot for the locals
Food and beer places
Setting up for picnics
Colorful and useful hats
Grass and trees
A portable food truck
Serving lunch and dinner
BBQ on the roadside – sure smelled good
Restaurant/hotel upstairs
Open-air diner
Like the palms
Picnic grounds
Best place for shade
Bet it is busy at night
More street art
The best hotel in town
Waiting for customers
Pork treats and mystery food
More cafes
Looking for a place in the shade
Getting towards the end of the spit
A nice hotel
Like the colors
They found a great table
Not sure why they paint the trunks
Many little kids in the water today
Our friend Konnie said the water was almost hot
Sandy beach, but had to watch for broken glass
Not too crowded today
But we heard at Christmas time, it was totally full of sunbathers
A pelican
