The Zuiderdam arrived to the Caribbean port of Puerto Limon, Costa Rica early this morning. A steady light rain was already falling, leaving much of this town with deep puddles. We were not alone as the Serenade of the Seas was already docked across from us. Shortly afterwards, the Explorer of the Seas took another available berth. That is a whole lot of guests in this small city. The Serenade was built in 2003 and has 2490 passengers, while the Explorer came out in 1998 and holds up to 4290 guests. It was a good thing there were many excursions offered today that took many of those tourists out of town.
We were not quick enough to make a list of today's tours. By the time we thought about it, the excursions were already replaced with those for the next port in Manta Ecuador. Some of the ones we have done on past stops here included a mangrove boat ride, a train ride to the mangroves, and a visit to a sloth sanctuary. And for the young and adventurous, there was a zipline in the canopy. There may have been tours to a national park far from here, but with the all aboard time of 3:30pm, time was limited.
Here's a bit of basic info about Costa Rica. It is a country of 4.8 million natives who prefer to be called "Ticos". The official language is Spanish. This country in Central America has managed to flourish for over 60 years without an army. That is saying something because the surrounding countries have had civil problems for quite some time.
So what did we do today? We decided to have our usual breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, even though we had the choice of trying the new venue in the upper dining room. It was important for us to let Tina know that we were not among the folks that had complained about the service at breakfast in her restaurant. She knew that and was glad to see us back. However, she did say that yesterday she had almost 70 people for breakfast. It is going to take more time for this to smooth itself out.
Then we stuck around working on yesterday's report while watching guests from both ships walking to the terminal in the light rain. We left with our umbrellas around 10:45am, literally squeezing our way through the craft market at the terminal. There were so many people we were lucky to get out the opposite end.
Directly across the street from the terminal was Parque Vargas, a small quiet park with high palms and tropical trees….some of which housed a few sloths. Due to the rain, much of it was underwater today. We did see some sloths without the help of some local kids who will point them out for tips. We knew where to look and did get a few pictures. These slow-moving animals seldom travel in the canopy, so once you see them, that's it.
Other wildlife we spotted during the course of the day were flocks of terns (possibly Caspian), vultures, frigatebirds, and pelicans. There were a few pigeons onshore, but we did not see any roaming chickens today. Perhaps we did, but they were in the form of skewered chicken pinchers being cooked on a corner street BBQ. Sure smelled good too.
At the end of the park is the seawall with drink and food carts. There is a small playground for young kids there also. Turning left, we followed the downtown streets that were full of eateries and bars. We spotted the steeple of the church and the older dome. The name is Catedral Sagrado Corazon De Jesus. Going inside, we saw the typical interior that was decorated with blinking lights for the holidays. The stained- glass windows were the most colorful things we saw today, due to the rain and heavy overcast. The heat and humidity in the church about drove us back outside.
Locating the old food and craft market, we strolled past the many shops that were loaded with souvenirs, clothing, bags, purses and shoes. There was also a meat and fish market and several stands selling fresh fruit. There was a version of an outdoor mall with the street closed to traffic. We did see a few cafes, but nothing we would consider dining in. Going back to the park, we made our way to the terminal. The market was even more crowded now since some of the tours were coming back.
We had one goal in mind and that was purchasing a wooden bowl for our room that can be used for chips or pillow candies. The prices were all over the place, but we found one vendor that was reasonable. All of the wood products from Costa Rica are very nice and we do have a growing collection at home.
Lunch would have to be in the Lido. Our custom salads were fine, but getting sandwiches made was not working. The pickings were slim and there was no sandwich-maker in sight. Someone showed up after waiting 10 or more minutes, but he seemed to be disoriented. This was obviously not his area. So we gave up and had waffle cones with one scoop of ice cream and one chocolate softy. Perhaps we will have to pay a visit to the Dive-In Grill for a change.
The ship left by 4pm sharp, followed by the Serenade, then the Explorer left last. There was a whole lot of horn-blowing between the three ships. Now we are on the way to the Panama Canal tomorrow. And the best part of the day will be the serving of Panama Rolls…one of our favorites.
For dinner we had different starters. One of us had a hot bowl of udon soup, and the other enjoyed a Thai beef salad. Tiny Caesar salads were next (the lettuce seems to be getting a bit brown). Both of us ordered the breaded veal cutlet and found it to be very tasty. Desserts of a crème Brule and one scoop of coffee fudge ice cream finished our meal on a sweet note.
And we had a time change tonight – one hour forward so we will be on local time for the canal transit.
Bill & Mary Ann
