The Costa Rican port of Quepos today is a new one for us. But first of all, here is a snippet of info on this Central American country. Costa Rica has a population of 4.8 million Spanish-speaking people. The capital is San Jose where the coffee plantations are situated as well as the volcanoes and rainforests. This country has a little of everything such as waterfalls, crater lakes, jungles, and beaches. The locals are friendly and enjoy the "pura vida" or good life. Compared to neighboring countries, there is very little poverty here as the standard of living is high. Their secret lies in the fact that education is a top priority. Another interesting fact is that Costa Rica has survived without an army for over 60 years, relying on their police and national guard.
The shore excursions were different here compared to the usual ones out of Puntarenas. We were anchored off of the town of Quepos, located near the Parque National Manuel Antonio, the smallest park, but the most popular area. This park has howler monkeys, white-face capuchins, tropical birds, sloths, and iguanas. A tour to this park (the only place you will see these critters) was $140 for 4 ½ hours. A tropical forest aerial tram was $160 for 7 hours and included a lunch. Savegre River floating adventure for 5 hours was $170, while a dolphin and whale watching tour with lunch was 7 hours and $200. And a most interesting fact to remember, is that there are 8 species of poison-dart frogs that may be beautiful, but they have skin secretions that can cause paralysis and death if they get into your bloodstream. Don't touch! Ever!
Today's temperature must have been the hottest yet, around 88 – 90 degrees with a very high humidity. In other words, it was extremely uncomfortable. The breeze was almost non-existent, which did not help. There was a sun haze that enveloped the entire harbor and hillsides all day….almost like a thin veil of fog. Not the best friend of the cameras.
This was a tender port as well. During breakfast, one of our waitresses told us that the line to get tender tickets was stretched from the Rolling Stones Lounge to the back end of the ship. We had arrived at 7am, so many folks wanted to get off early in hopes of booking independent tours ashore we assume. And there was another ship in the harbor……Windstar. Although smaller than us by a lot, there were still many guests looking to do the same tours.
We stayed onboard until the thundering herd got off, which was about 10am. The tender boat ride to the marina was only about 10 minutes. It became quite apparent what this town is all about when we saw the number of deep sea fishing boats in the Marina Pez Vela. It is renowned for world-class sports fishing for blue marlin and sailfish. This complex is very modern and filled with restaurants, bars, stores, and boat- related facilities. And from the signs we saw, there are competitions here. The actual town of Quepos was about a ¼ mile walk to the left. The park was about 5 miles away and the closest beach was about the same distance to the south. Due to a powerful undertow, there were no usable beaches in town.
As soon as we left the marina complex, there was a wide promenade walkway along the beach and water below. The rocks holding up this embankment were full of iguanas of all sizes. They were just starting to appear on the heated rocks to warm up. This walkway was really the highlight of the town, which was basically essential shopping for locals. The only thing touristy about it had to be the bars and restaurants. We walked the whole area, passing the supermarket, a few fruit stands on the corners, and plenty of shoe shops. The biggest attraction was the firehouse, where some folks were admiring the fire engines. There was a church nearby, but asking some locals where it was did not work as they did not speak English. And the only monkeys, toucans, and sloths we saw were the stuffed animals for sale in the toy store.
Back to the promenade walk, we did spot every bird that lives here such as the pelicans, shore birds, herons, grackles, pigeons, doves, and a vulture. We got back to the marina by noontime, and boarded a waiting tenderboat. And yes, it was great to get back to the coolness of our room. All aboard was 3:30pm, and the ship eventually left the harbor by 4:30pm. We watched for dolphins and whales, but had no luck. All we saw were the brown boobies that re-appeared once we got out to sea.
Dinner was good with curried chicken empanadas for starters. One of us had chicken "spaghetti" soup and the other a Caesar salad, which arrived without the dressing. Our waiter quickly brought one of those tiny square containers of dressing. Mains were the everyday herb roasted chicken and a chicken scaloppini with mashed potatoes and a savory gravy. One of the head chefs, Hari, stopped by and asked how we liked the chicken. Very good for the scaloppini, which was a new entree for one of us. The chef described the process of the mushroom gravy making with added cognac and heavy cream. He knew it would be a hit tonight. Desserts were opera cake and sliced pineapple.
There was a show tonight with the return of Chris Pendleton, a comedian who promised to be hilarious. We are not sure how many people would attend the late show, since it was such a long, hot day, most of the diners had left the dining room by 9pm.
Now we have a few days at sea before arriving to Mexico. Hope it cools down a bit by then.
Bill & Mary Ann
