Costa Rica Again

 

Costa Rica.  Again.

As we traveled SE toward the Panama Canal, we stopped again at Puntarenas.  About 1/3 of the guests currently on the ship boarded in Miami in December as we did.  So that means that this was the first time for there.  We were in the harbor for the day, so most of us disembarked for a tour.  We had scheduled a four-hour tour into Carara National Park, then to a botanical garden with a lunch, then to see crocodiles on the river.  “Carara” means river of alligators (crocodiles) in their native language.

The first sound as we stepped from our bus in the parking lot of the park was a deafening high pitched shrill of armies of cicada.  I had troubles hearing anything but this sound in my hearing aids.  But I’ll share what I caught: This particular national park was a tropical DRY forest (as opposed to a RAIN forest).  February through April is their dry season, yet they go for almost no rain for 6 months in this area.   There are trees, vegetation, etc., but not as lush as in other more rainy parts of the country.  We had a guided hike on the bottom of the jungle, learning about the plants and such that live where the sun doesn’t often shine.  All the life in this type of forest and the rainforests, is up in the canopy, about 100 feet straight up, where sunlight encourages the activity of birds, wildlife, and leaves soaking up light and water.  In the photos, you’ll see a close up of a poison black frog—where poison darts got their neuro-toxin.  


We also learned the difference between lines and vines. Vines go up from the ground and wrap around the vegetation, sometimes taking nutrients to the hosts, whereas lines extend down from the trees to slurp up nutrients for themselves.  Tarzan swung on lines.  Within the area of this park are over 3500 species of plants and animals.


Next stop was to a botanical garden and restaurant which was actually a large parcel of land owned by a man from Texas who invested when prices where low over 20 years ago and he has planted hundreds of blooming bushes, trees, and flowering plants along a ridge overlooking a waterfall. The fan-shaped palm tree is actually NOT a tree; rather it is related to the Bird of Paradise flower. 



We enjoyed a traditional Costa Rican meal: beans, rice, and freshly caught fish.   Our guide said that for supper, they change the location of the beans and rice on their plates so it becomes a new meal;  rice and beans.




We were treated to sightings of macaw, a toucan, a woodpecker, and later, some alligators.

Happily, the air conditioning of the ship and a cold diet coke helped leave behind the 95 degree temps.

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