"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #12 Puntarenas, Costa Rica January 11, 2017 Wednesday Sunny & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 85 Pictures

We were happy to see that our port of call today was not Puerto Caldera, the working dock, but the preferred Puntarenas,a town built on a sandy point, located about a 20 minute ride away. Although we have been here many times, we found a different side to this spit of sand…much more than we ever thought was here. We don't know why, but we always take a hard left after walking the long pier, mostly due to the fact that there is a stretch of stalls selling numerous Costa Rican souvenirs. Sometimes we turn right, and walk the beach for a bit.

Today, we kept going across the busy road, following the locals who were out and about shopping and enjoying coffee and pastries in the cafes that line the streets. The main street housed many stores, meat and fish markets, pharmacies, grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants and cafes. There was even a tiny pet shop with cages full of chicks, bunnies, and parakeets. A resident cat greeted us at the open doorway. Can't believe we never knew this town was so big. One thing for sure….we were about the only cruise ship passengers strolling these avenues and streets. Of course, there were a large number of shore excursions offered today, and we heard the buses were full.

They had tours to the cloud and rain forest, a coffee plantation, a jungle safari, hummingbird and butterfly garden, a drive to Sarchi to see where the ornate ox carts are made, as well as a long drive to Poas Volcano at the elevation 8,884 feet above sea level. You could have visited the capital of San Jose, or see macaws on a mangrove cruise, or be brave, and do a zipline or an aerial tram ride through the tree canopy. We have been on each and every one of these over the years….and some of them more than once. No more cramped buses for us, as we prefer to do our exploring on foot these days.

So on our self-guided tour today, we saw the main attraction……the Puntarenas Cathedral, which may have been re-built in 1902, but their sign stated it was built in 1850. Across the street from the cathedral is a museum and cultural center. Not sure they were opened this morning. We forgot to mention that it was very hot today. Thinking the church would be cooler, we were disappointed to find it was just as warm inside, and there was not a breeze blowing through the opened windows. As a result, we did not last too long in there.

On the north side of the spit was Golfo de Nicoya, where the local fishing fleet parked their vessels. Seen better days, the fishing industry is big here. Several of the boats were shrimp boats.

Small restaurants lined the streets, but they were all closed. Perhaps they open for dinner. We passed by a big stadium, and realized the cafes and restaurants were probably busy on game days. We cut across the center of the spit to the familiar beach road we remembered. This time we continued walking until we reached the spot where we saw a ferry sailing out early this morning. A couple of piers jutted out for the ferry landing. Among the large rocks at the base of the piers, were dozens of iguanas. Different from the ones we saw in Florida, these creatures were grey in color, and blended quite well in the rocks. Spotting movement between the boulders, we discovered there were almost as many feral cats peeking out at us. They serve a purpose of keeping the vermin population under control. Friendly….they are not.

At this end of the spit, there were some nice hotels. One of them was named La Brisas, and definitely looked like a good place for some cool drinks. We were seated among the local vacationers, and ordered an appetizer of cheese nachos covered with fresh salsa. Enjoying two local ice cold imperial beers each, we were happy campers. Next to pizza, nachos is one of our favorite treats. And they did accept US dollars, as did all of the souvenir vendors. The currency here is called the Costa Rican colon with the conversion of 539 to $1. USD. It is always a good idea to bring a pocket calculator (or a cell phone) to figure the rate exchange. Or use the small card we get at every port with the math done for us from US$1 to $1000.

On our way back, we walked the beachfront road, Paseo de los Turistas, the perfect name for the long line of tented restaurants and souvenir stands chock-full of locally-made treasures. We think their nicest articles are the things made from local woods. Over the years, we have collected a number of salad bowls, ice buckets, covered bowls, and trivets made of small pieces of wood connected with fishing line. They sell the most colorful pareos, t-shirts, beach towels, and beach clothing. Our only purchase was a navy blue visor, a most useful item in this oppressive heat.

We have to mention that once we were through the xray check on the ship, there was a manned collection table set up to take alcohol or wine from guests who purchased these onshore. Sure do not remember ever seeing this table on a world cruise before. It was made clear in the pre-cruise information, that liquor would be confiscated and held until you disembark. Purchased wine would have a corkage fee of $18. applied no matter where it was consumed on the ship. Guess this is being enforced this year. Come to think of it, the security team is completely new to us. We recognized no one, and they did not know any of us.

Back on the ship by 3pm, we cooled off in our room, working on photos of course. Sail away festivities began at 4:30pm where a few hot appetizers and drink specials were offered to the growing crowd. A most wonderful breeze swept across the aft deck while we watched the sun set, and the moon rise as we visited with buddies Bob and Martha and Martin. The biggest treat was watching the pelicans soaring, then diving in our wake. Frigates attempted to steal their catch, and were successful sometimes. It's exciting witnessing survival of the fittest.

The conversation continued at dinner, where we all shared our exploits for the day in Costa Rica. All ten of us are seasoned travelers, so it was great hearing all of the various stories. Once again, we liked our custom-made entrees of mustard BBQ pork with sweet and sour veggies and fried noodles underneath. We had Slam hold the duck with this entrée, and add the pork chop. Sure was good. Since tomorrow is another port day in Nicaragua, we all skipped the guitarist, Francis Diatschenko, the entertainer in the Queens Lounge. Seems that our meals run well over 10pm, so half the show is over before we would get there. So far, all of the featured acts have been new ones to us.

Oh yes……we can report that all of the sunflower seeds have come up. Pretty good, since they were only planted 6 days ago. The light from the windowsill works miracles.

Be back tomorrow…….

Bill & Mary Ann

The perfect t-shirt