Heading North in Central American Waters

December 26, 2012:  En Route to Puntarenas, Costa Rica – On to Costa Rica

After the excitement of the Panama Canal, cruising north northwest along the coast of Panama made for a relaxing and uneventful day.  J finally ran out of excuses for not exercising, so early in the morning (7:00am), he went forth for a 30-minute walk on deck.  From now forward, on every sea day morning, J is committed to walking 30 minutes.  Soon, he will start with the stationary cycle, the treadmill, and the elliptical trainer in the exercise room on board.  Luckily, “soon” is an ill-defined unit of time!

There were numerous activities scheduled.  We attended a lecture on Costa Rica, and one by Morton Dean, a former TV correspondent, well into his dotage.  But the best entertainment of the afternoon was a piano concert by Hyperion Knight (J even stayed awake).  Of course, there was the usual Team Trivia, which usually ends with our carry-forward, 2012 World Cruise team winning either first or, more likely, second.  We seem to have great skill at “thinking” ourselves into the wrong answer for one or two of the questions, thus losing first place.  Oh well, it is always a good way to spend 45 minutes, whether winning or not!

That evening we dined in and watched another James Bond movie (From Russia with Love).  The world can be such an exciting place!

December 27, 2012:  In port Puntarenas, Costa Rica – Avoiding Eco-tourism

Silver Whisper tied up at the Municipal Dock in Puntarenas at 7:00am, and by 8:15am, the march of  passengers down the long pier to the tour buses had begun.  Costa Rica is home of the eco-tour; however, neither of us were really enthusiastic about touring tropical rain forests, or any of the related “adventure” tours – zip lining (What is that tree doing there?), river floating (Are those two floating marbles or the eyes of a crocodile?), or jungle river cruise (Guide, that bug just carried off my wife!).  Rather than face the environment in the raw, we decided to wait until after the tour buses had taken away our eco-minded fellow passengers, walk down the pier, and look at the local crafts market stalls on the nearby beach.

Gray Pelican on Pier, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Seen Any Fish?

Leaving the ship and walking down the pier, we rediscovered one of the abiding truths -- a bright and sunny day can make you forget.  After 10:00am, it is very hot and humid in the sun at 10 degrees North.  Puntarenas is not a heavily- touristed destination; we were the only cruise ship in port.  Therefore, the market was not crowded, and we could shop at our leisure.  So long as you could stand the heat.  The handicrafts appeared to be largely locally made, or the vendors had some cunning way to remove the “Made in China” markings.  After about an hour, we returned to the Municipal Dock and took the locally-provided shuttle down the pier to the ship.

Municipal Dock, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

It is a long way from ship to shore in the hot sun.

The Beach, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

So few tourists, you can actually see the sand.

Handicraft Stalls Along the Beach, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

All items made (or possibly modified) in Costa Rica.

The Shuttle Trolley Back to the Ship

Riding the shuttle is a choice between exercise and heat exhaustion.

Once back on board, we had lunch and spent the afternoon reading, writing and playing cards.  At 6:00pm the ship sailed for Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.  All of our eco-tourist guests returned, having safely braved the dangers of the outside world.

Sunset Over Puntarenas Peninsula, Costa Rica

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

December 28, 2012:  En route Puerto Chiapas, Mexico – Lunch in Le Champagne

As we continued northwest along the coast of Central America, the seas remained relatively calm.  J continued his morning walk on deck.  Two days in a row!  A new record!  After breakfast, we attended a “Port Enrichment Lecture” by the ship’s destination consultant, who shall remain nameless, because J and E both thought his lectures were best seen as a reason to enter a darkened room and have a nap.

The Captain had invited all 24 of the 2013 World Cruise guests who had boarded in Ft. Lauderdale to lunch with him in the ship’s special restaurant, Le Champagne.  Normally, J and E do not dine in Le Champagne, because the $50 added fee includes specially-selected wines.  Since we do not imbibe, and the food, although beautifully presented, is not that much better than the ship’s main restaurant, it was a rare treat for us to lunch in this exclusive dining room.  The meal was excellent.  Both of us had the Lobster Thermidor, but the dessert was even better.  A menu is included so you can pine with envy!

Luncheon Menu, Le Champagne

It is best not to read this menu while microwaving your meal.

Following a long nap, it was on to trivia and into formal wear for dinner.  (Dinner was not really required after that lunch.)  However, we joined our friends, Patsy and Richard, reduced our food consumption to a minimum, and after dinner, attended a performance of opera arias by the six young professional singers who are aboard.  Then, it was back to the suite as we continued off the coast of Salvador toward Puerto Chipas, Mexico, where we would dock early the next morning.