We docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, but immediately booked a private excursion to see the countryside. The van carried 9 passengers, a driver, a guide (Larry) and a guy who seemed to be along for the ride. We visited a monkey farm where the spider monkeys were wild (it is illegal to hold a monkey in captivity in Costa Rica), but they come to the farm because they know they will be fed crackers and bananas. There were quite a few in attendance, which I hear was unusual – we later heard from several fellow passengers that they went to the same farm later in the day and saw no monkeys at all.
We stopped at a local vegetable and fruit market where we saw some very exotic stuff.
We then drove to the Tarcoles River and walked the bridge to view the crocodiles below. Lots of crocodiles basking in the sun. This was followed by a 1-hour lunch break where we had shrimp cerviche. Larry took Marlene for a walk on the beach and they found a nice rock.
After lunch we made a quick stop at a souvenir shop that had lots of interesting local crafts. Marlene bought some magnets and I bought a couple of gifts for people back home. When we got back to port Marlene did some additional shopping and found some nice jewelry. Then Larry invited us and another couple from the ship (Dean and Leona) to join him for a beer. Which turned into four beers. Great time and, yes, we made it back to the ship. But I didn’t make it to dinner – Marlene had to go by herself. I recovered enough to dance with her later that evening.
