Day #42…Friday, March13, 2015

Puntarénas, Costa Rica

Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica in 1502.  It was named Costa Rica meaning “rich coast ” on his 4^th and final voyage to the New World.  The country gained its independence from Spain in 1821.  The country was then plunged into a civil war, followed by consistent political stability.  Unlike its Latin American neighbors, Costa Rica has enjoyed over six decades of peace and has no army.

 

TWENTY FOOT CROC, 85 YEARS OLD

Costa Rica enjoys an average temperature of 82° F and is very humid. The driest months are January through March.  The country is about the size of West Virginia and encompasses a world of lush rainforests, endangered species and exciting outdoor adventures.  The country’s population is 4.8 million people.

Costa Rica is very eco-conscious and also prides itself in having the best education system in Latin America.  The country boasts a 96% literacy rate and most children are learning at least three (3) languages. 

Puntarénas, Costa Rica is located south of Nicaragua and north of Panama, off the Pacific Ocean in the Gulf of Nicoya.  The city has approximately 14,000 people and the primary language is Spanish.  The national currency is the Costa Rican Colon (CRC) and is exchanged at a rate of 534 = 1 USD.  The capital of Costa Rica is San José.

In 1519 Ponce de León founded Puntarénas and the name means “sandy streets”.  It remained a sleepy village until coffee production in the late 18^th century transformed Costa Rica’s economy.  Coffee is still the number one export of the country.

We arrived at the pier area of Puntarénas early this morning.  Bonnie started feeling sluggish yesterday afternoon and it was questionable if she would tolerate too much sun today.  So far she had been able to avoid the many infections spread around the ship.  Hopefully, she will feel better as the day goes on.

Frank and Judy still wanted to accompany us around the area so we met them at 10 A.M. to travel by tram to the city’s coastline.   We packed bottled water, bug spray, an umbrella for sun protection, sunscreen and a portable battery fan.  We had cancelled our Princess tour and it was too late to have second thoughts.  We found out late last night that there is another cruise ship in town that really adds to the difficulty in finding someone to do a private tour.  With two ships in this small town at one time, our options are very limited.

We did get lucky, though, as we stood at the end of the pier at the edge of the city coastline.  An English-speaking tour guide had a van that had room for four (4) more passengers and was doing a scenic drive and then driving about 25 miles to a river for a crocodile cruise.  We opted to take the offer by Odyssey Tours and the price was excellent.  The charge was $40.00 per person that included the river cruise fare and was five (5) hours in length.  The van was a newer model Mercedes, had free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. 

We traveled to the top of a mountain to take photos of the scenery below and then headed to the “Crocodile Man Tour” and boarded a boat along with twenty other passengers.  The trip was amazing as we saw lots of bird and reptile life along the Tarcole River.  Herons, iguanas, many bird species and crocodiles were abundant.  The highlight was when our tour guide took some fish filets and hand-fed the crocs!  Hopefully our video and photos capture the moments of tension and adventure.

We boarded the bus again and headed to a fruit and vegetable market and rest stop.  The fruit and vegetables in this country are so much bigger than those in Ohio and the prices are very affordable.  The weather today was scorching hot and the temperature was 93° F, but it felt like 113° F!

Additional country scenery was enjoyed and then we stopped at the El Jardin Restaurant and souvenir store.  We enjoyed some ice cream and got a break from the heat while we spent some time in the air-conditioned store.

Canada had recently built a toll road in the area and so much of the driving was on fairly smooth pavement.  Otherwise, we were taken to some off-beaten roads that were stoned or dirt and very bumpy.  We traveled past an all-inclusive Hilton Hotel that only charges $100.00/day/couple and was gorgeous!  We would definitely consider coming back to stay there in the future.  Our guide also told us there is a very nice Marriott Hotel near San José, about 50 miles from Puntarénas.  Our Marriott points may come in handy there.

Upon returning to the city of Puntarénas, we walked along the boardwalk and visited the many vendor tables set up for the tourists.  Then we rode the white train-like tram back to the ship and had dinner with Frank and Judy.

Showtime tonight featured Christopher Riggins for his second performance.  We opted to see a hypnotist, Matthew Fallon in the Explorer’s Lounge instead.  What a disappointment!  The show left much to be desired!

We will rise early tomorrow to take a tour in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.  We have to be at the Princess Theater as a group at 7:20 A.M.  Hopefully, it will not be quite as hot as it was today in Costa Rica!