After going through the Panama Canal, (yes, I know I need to add a posting for their, so stay tuned…) our ship stopped at a popular port called Puntarenas or Puerto Caldera.

The big highlight was to take a river cruise.  It was a nice drive out into the countryside where you get a good feel for the local life combined with the rich retired and vacationers that live right next to each other.  It feels odd when you see one home with fancy yard work and 5-series BMW only 25 meters away from another home with no door or glass in the windows.  This is the popularity of Costa Rica, but I digress…

They do not sound fun and appear to be very touristy, but you really get to see very real and very local wildlife on the river cruise.

You have to love the famous Halloween Crabs that you can see along the river banks!

And the bird lovers will love the wild parrots that you get to meet and see in quite large numbers in the trees.  Recommendation: bring a zoom lens with a DSLR camera!

along the way, I learned about cashews.  it is kind of weird to see in real life as the “nut” or seed is outside the fruit and is distinctly separate.  They are native to this part of the world and is surprising to see one in its true fruit form.

The best part was the run along the beach.  It is was one heck of a workout, but a great way to end the day as the sun was going down.  It was a nice cool breeze and a great way to enjoy a beer on the beach with some locals before heading back to the ship.