Monday we were docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Before we go there, let's talk about our champagne tasting the day before. We were invited to participate in the Moet and Chandon tasting where we were treated to 3 different champagnes.
We had done this on a previous cruise which resulted in one of our favorite Oceania stories. As is often the case (and is perfectly acceptable in a wine tasting) Linda did not finish one of the champagnes. The woman sitting next to her looked at Linda's glass and asked if she was going to finish it. Linda said no and the woman reached over and poured what was left in Linda's glass into her own! Unbelievable.
Now, back to Puntarenas. This was our third visit to the port. This time, we opted for a ship's excursion that would take us to an area of Costa Rica we hadn't visited. The anticipation was wildlife and flora. The first stop was at a bridge overlooking a river island inhabited by crocodiles.
As we walked back to the bus, we heard howler monkeys behind a business along the road and we were able to spot a few of them moving about the trees.
Crocodiles and monkeys on our first stop - already a successful excursion. The next stop was the Parque Nacional Carara where were greeted by iguanas in the parking lot.
We then walked through the forest where our wildlife sightings were limited. We heard macaws and saw millipedes, leaf cutter ants, and a single frog. Sadly, no snakes.
We did see many interesting plants along the way.
Most interesting was the variety of mushrooms in the forest.
Next up was the Pura Vida Gardens where we started with a traditional lunch of rice, beans, fish, and fried plantains.
We then walked through the gardens - more foliage plus a view of a waterfall.
In our wandering, we did spot a couple of macaws. Trust me, there is one in that tree!
Our last stop was for the dreaded souvenir shopping. At least it was colorful and we purchased our usual nothing.
On the ride back to the ship, our bus driver was really good at spotting birds so we saw more macaws, a toucan and a variety of other birds.
It was a long (7 hours) and very good excursion.
Today is a day at sea before we stop at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.
Peace, blessings, and crookedness,
Linda and Larry
No crappy souvenirs for me? Thanks!
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