https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puntarenas
We’ve just left Puntarenas, Costa Rica and it’s a bit of a surprise box, this port. I have the feeling there is much more to this country than meets the eye. Puntarenas is itself not a pretty place just a functional port township. We came alongside and were disembarking by 9:00am, Tuesday 22nd of May. Shane & I had an afternoon tour so we decided to have a look around the township in the morning.
There wasn’t a lot open but we got the distinct impression that people here are pretty laidback and not financially well off. After checking the market stands along the beachfront we turned toward to CBD proper in search of a phone provider. Our plan is to buy a cheap local SIM card with decent download speed and data packet to catch up on some overdue internet work like banking etc. The ship’s internet is far too expensive and our Australian SIMs are not any better.
After a while we found our new SIM card, had a Pepsi and saw most of the shops here so we headed back to the ‘Princess’. We almost got there in the stifling heat and humidity when I heard the call that all sailors live for, the chatter from a pub. We each downed a cold local beer (not a bad drop either) and then resumed our stroll back onboard ship. With 2 hours to kill till our organised tour we started our internet work by hot spotting our laptops off our old Samsung phone. Well here’s a hint. When you buy a SIM in a new country get one in your language! Eventually we got it to work and did what we needed to including updating several blog pages. It was a good idea but I think we need more prep before doing this again.
BTW – Note Shane’s great picture of the sunset in this batch of photos.
Anyway, after lunch it was time for our afternoon tour. It was planned that we would take a vintage train trip then onto a river cruise to see crocodiles amongst other wildlife. I was surprised that the bus was a very comfortable, modern tour bus and the tour guide, Omah, was very knowledgeable (he informed us he has a Masters in Tropical Science). Omah is a terrific tour guide who has a great sense of humour and a good delivery style. Amazingly we were to see around 8 crocs in a bunch basking on a river bank right next to a road bridge as we passed over it on our way to the train.
When we got to the train at Ceiba we quickly took up our seats and without delay we were away. This train trip was entirely ours. It was interesting to see the homes and farms of some Costa Ricans. Most of the homes alongside the railway are actually owned by the squatters who had resided in them for the required 20 + years to take ownership. One thing that astounded me was the fruit growing alongside the tracks. Besides banana, pineapples, papaya there were the largest avocados I have ever seen (see photo). The mangoes were also huge, many being the size of an AFL football. Not only that these trees produced so much fruit they hung like bunches of massive grapes with 20 – 30 of these monsters tightly packed on one branch. No wonder so many of them lie on the ground rotting. There was far too many to pick and eat. I reckon the rich volcanic soil of Costa Rica could grow hair on a bald man.
When we finally arrived at the destination station our feet literally did not touch the ground. The bus pulled up right beside the train door and we stepped from one to the other to be transported to the “Crocodile Jungle Boat Tour” on the Tarcoles River. The ‘boat terminal’ was a large flat roofed shed with a craft market/store under it’s cover and the access to the boat was easy and safe. Through the entire trip Omah kept pointing out things of interest and he got decidedly excited when we were lucky enough to see some endangered Scarlet Macaw. We weren’t close enough (or quick enough) to get a good picture but we were able on several occasions to see flashes of their brilliant plumage as they darted about from tree to tree.
All around the boat mooring lizards darted about. Within metres of the boarding point there were crocs basking on the banks. Birds (including several distant Macaws) were all around as the brahman bulls grazed on the thick grass along the banks. It certainly is a country of natural riches but because of their extremely high environmental ethos the Costa Ricans do not consume any native product. This includes oil and gold as well as protecting many threatened and endangered species of wildlife. This makes Costa Rica a wonderfully beautiful natural place to visit.
Finally, back on board we had another first class meal topped off with Irish Coffees before the ship cast off for the Panama Canal in 9 hours time. You can view our transit on www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-jave.html or www.princess.com/bridgecams/ and selecting Pacific Princess.
More to come on the blog (if I haven’t filled my quota of space on my ISP server)
Cheers,
Garry & Shane
What I love about following your wanderings is I get to see places from a far better perspective than some glossy mag or video…………..Really enjoying this journey……
Cheers Ian. Glad you enjoy them.