4 August 2013 Puntarenas, Costa Rica

We docked at the port of Puntarenas in Costa Rica this morning.  We had full day tour booked so had to be in the Vista Lounge at 6.30am to start our tour. 

Puntarenas was discovered by Herman Ponce de Leon in 1519.  It is located south of Nicaragua and north of Panama and sits off the Pacific Ocean in the Gulf of Nicoya.  The Puntarenas peninsula has a population of about 14,000 (2011)  average temp of 82 degrees F. (28 degrees C). 

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has a six months long rainy season and a six months dry season, but its Caribbean coast has a rainy season twelve months long.

Coffee production has always played a key role in the country’s economy.  It is a very poor looking place, its people appear to be very downtrodden, whether they are paid properly for what they produce I do no know, but I guess it is its location in the world that perhaps keeps it how it is.  They appear to be lovely people but I felt very sad for them. 

Our guide was a very lovely and informative girl, we first drove into the country to a rainforest where we did the aerial tram.  We then did a guided tour of the rainforest floor and had a typical lunch before we went to the Tarcoles River where we boarded our flat bottomed boat for a meeting with the crocodiles.  I have always been very nervous of being near a croc but I went, I must say they did not scare me nearly as much as I thought.  They came up to our boat, pretty much gave us a show, there is one fellow, lost his mandible in a fight over a lady croc about a year ago, poor darling he must have been in so much pain when it happened and there he is with only half of his face.  Anor chap they call Osama (as he is quite elusive) but he was there too and he is now 60 years of age.  We saw all sorts of wildlife. The crocs were by far the most fascinating.

We drove home (to the ship) boarded just in time to sail. We then had five sea days before LA.  

Everyone seems to have their routine for their sea days, I do the stretch and abs class every morning, have brekky chat to whoever is at the bar, Sam lags behind a bid as he always sleeps in.  I am in the choir again this leg and it is a lovely program.  Alana and Alan do a great job teaching us and making us sound not too bad.  About 130 people rock up every day at 12.15 for practice in the Vista lounge.  We then normally have lunch, Sam has been to many enrichment lectures about all manner of different things as I have too, we then get ready for dinner either upstairs at the buffet or in the dining room.  Lots of very good entertainers for us to see too.  It is very communal, no one really wants to go home, funny one would think by now they would.

Hope all is well.  Love Sabine and Sam  XXX