on the way to Puerto Quetzl Guatamala

PUNTARENAS
The sun comes up very bright and VERY hot. We can feel the boat slowing down; the sea has been very calm for days but this is a different personality to the ship. We awoke before 6 and the ship docked at 7 am to a day that looked like it was already noon. Finally we got up and Ed did whatever it is that Ed does and then he went to the gym. I got ready and read more of my book while waiting for him. When he had showered, we went to the Panorama Café for a quick lunch and then down to the pier. I thought we might be able to get in some sightseeing on the pier but alas it was too late and the bus was right there.
Tour
We were the first on the bus but the others arrived quickly and we managed to leave earlier than expected. We made our way to the Pan American Highway. I’m not quite sure what I expected but it wasn’t what we found. It is simply a two lane asphalt highway. In a few small areas, it is wider so slower moving vehicles can move over. In rare instances, there is a short auxiliary highway running along the side. The traffic was just like rush hour in LA. Large semis labor up the hill (more on why later) and no one can get around them. There was much grumbling among the folks on the bus though we had been told to anticipate a 1 hr 45 min ride each way to Serchi, a small town noted for the world’s largest ox cart (I’ll try to post at least one photo of it).
We climbed elevation fairly rapid and at our highest point we were above 4000’. This meant aching ear drums on the way down. The countryside is tropical forest but dry. At the port area it is downright desert like but as you rise the green gets more plentiful and it isn’t long before it is lush and almost anything will grow since this is volcano country. They boast 4 volcanos in fact and I believe two are active. The main crop in these elevations of 3-4000’ is coffee and not the Juan Valdez version. Sugar cane is also grown and the woods are harvested and made into lovely furniture for which the area is known. Some areas are known for cars; second hand cars that is that are imported, spiffed up and resold here. In fact there are so many cars in Costa Rica that the road infrastructure is way behind.
The Pan American Highway is the route to the capitol of San Jose and there are no alternative routes. Railroads are not used as they are narrow gauge and take 2-3 times longer than transport via semi truck. And by the way, they have some good looking semis here. Truckers would drool. Gasoline is all imported and runs $1.10 a litre. One of the proposed industries for the future is to refine Venezuelan oil for export to China.
There is a move to put in a proper rail system so cargo could be moved quicker and more efficiently in which case it’s possible containers from ships might soon be moved across Costa Rica and to ports on the Caribbean side and visa versa.
Along the way we were told about the crops and a little of the history of Costa Rica. They have no military and the money that would be used for this is devoted to educating their people. They believe in as much education as possible.
Serchi
This small town nestled on a few hillsides is sleepy and doesn’t exhibit much activity. The Ox Cart is indeed huge and I can’t think of an Ox short of Paul Bunyan’s Babe who could pull it. It is wildly but beautifully decorated. Across the street is a lovely cathedral but we had no time to go in; perhaps it was closed up anyway.
Our next stop was a shop where ox carts of all sizes are made. One small enough for Teddy or perhaps someone’s gerbils as well. They are cute and painted almost like rosemailing. There are beautiful products made of the various woods in the area, e.g. bowls, place mats, cups, and so on. There were different kinds of hammocks but none of the right color(s) so I guess it wasn’t meant to be…again. (The last time I saw hammocks and didn’t buy them—and should have—was when we were in the Amzaon years ago). They are however, very heavy and so I’m sure that was a problem for some of the folks though a few hundred are getting off for good in LA. We presume a few hundred new folks will be getting on then. Fresh fruits were layed out for us to enjoy here as they are known for their melons and fruits: papaya (not ripe enough), watermelon, bananas, cantaloupe and such. Local coffee was available in sample size for those who wanted some. Coffee was also for sale here.
The church in Grecia made out of metal from Belgium was our last stop. It is painted a bright red and is so peaceful and gorgeous inside. There was a huge plaza next to it with folks sitting around visiting and kids playing all around. These churches are usually on high ground and include a large central plaza in front.
The temperature in these highlands was comfortable but I did find myself sweating a little and the breeze, when we had one, was a welcome treat.
Everyone in Costa Rica has a house by law. But many that we saw would have been considered shacks in the US. And most have an iron fence around them. Is this cultural for Central America?
And then we headed back down to the pier as the sun began to go down. This made for diverse lighting experiences and a orange disk dropping into the sea as we approached our ship. There was no traffic to speak of on the way down though we saw plenty going up the hill. We also saw the trailer truck that had been blocking the ascending roadway when we were going up the hill. It was still on it’s side but it appeared to have been pulled a little ways off the roadway.
On the way up, we saw a taxi with a blown tire. The lady behind us commented on the fact that they usually hire a local taxi to do their sight seeing buy were concerned about just such an event and so decided on the ship’s tour. For those who don’t know: if you go on a ship’s tour and there is a mechanical or other problem, e.g. weather or traffic, the ship will wait for you. If you are out privately and you miss the sailing, you are out of luck and usually without your passport. With luck you can get to the next port and rejoin the ship but there’s no guarantee. Furthermore, the money it will cost you to catch up with the ship will wipe out any supposed savings for a long while by going private. Also there are numerous stories of “miscommunication” and folks being stuck in a taxi and more money being demanded before they will be returned to the ship.
Dinner
We dropped our stuff in the room and whizzed down to the DR a little late but soon enough that we caught up with Jeff and Jean who had arrived at the table on time since they had stayed in port and on the ship. Lysle and Ellie were on the tour with us but it was a hassle to make it to the DR on time so they passed. Mickey and Glen were no shows so I can only assume their tour was a tiring one as well. Jean is Korean and there was a kimchee and tomato gazpacho as an appetizer which we tried. I enjoyed it enough but if I hadn’t seen kimshee on the menu, I wouldn’t have known. Ed ordered several oriental style dishes and was unhappy that there were not, in his opinion, as advertised on the menu. I took a chance on a Singapore Asian noodle dish that was delicious and full of great veggies.
Entertainment
The dance troupe did the usual fantastic job of a Rock and Roll themed show with movie clips running the background as they sang songs from various singers and groups. The Supremes skit was hilarious because their costumes were linked and they HAD to stay next to each other. I have no idea how that got into that get up so quickly!