Continuing the live blog of our day-by-day
Panama Canal cruise, sailing round-trip from Fort Lauderdale with Princess
Cruises.
(NB: Apologies for the delay, but the internet connection at sea today has not been consistent)
Limon
This small
Central American country has become a big
name in tourism in recent years, and we are very keen to see what it has to
offer in today’s visit to its largest Caribbean port.
In truth, the
Caribbean side of Costa Rica is the ‘wet’ one, with an astonishing amount of
rain – around 200 inches – per year, leading to the rich, verdant rainforests
that cloak the coastline. Under heavy clouds, the terrain marches inland to a
string of mountains that effectively cut the country in half, the highest peak
towering to 13,000ft.
We are told
this is the first ‘dry’ day in almost a week, the town of Limon having endured five straight days of rain, which gives the
whole place a damp, rather downbeat appearance. We are docked barely five
minutes from the town centre and there is also a highly worthwhile little craft
market inside the port area, providing plenty of shopping opportunities for
those who don’t want to stray too far from the ship!
In truth, the
30 or so little stalls under one roof feature some of the most original and enjoyable
arts and crafts we have yet seen on the cruise, with some outstanding woodwork,
pottery and artwork, including some eye-catching pictures hand-painted on
neutral-coloured bird feathers. There is also plenty of high-quality Costa Rican
coffee to be had (around $10 a pound) and even a few salon stalls featuring
manicures, pedicures and hair-braiding.
Walking out
of the port authority building, we cross the street to a rather down-at-heel
park and turn left into Limon’s main street. Now, this is not your typical Main
Street; this is Central America, and not the tourist version. It is the heart
of a typical working community that probably had its hey-day in the 1950s and
is busy but not thriving.
The streets
are fascinating but slightly challenging; pavement maintenance is not high on
the agenda here and many buildings look in need of some urgent TLC. The 1941
building housing the central produce market is well worth a look as, again, it
is very much a working facility and makes for a neat contrast with the Colonial
splendour – and tourist appeal – of Cartagena.
Those who
like things neat, clean and inviting will probably not want to venture this
way, but those who enjoy seeing the beating heart of another culture will
certainly appreciate Limon. There are probably back-streets where visitors
should not venture, but the main street and market are perfectly viable. This is not
the scrubbed, tidy, identikit and tourist-inspired Caribbean but the genuine,
down-to-earth, working reality, and our impromptu walk is both invigorating and
charming.
We return via
the rather sodden pathways of the park, where some inexplicable statues hint at
former glories while we also engage a few local children – probably about 13 or
14 years of age – and are told, in excellent English, about some of the
delights of Limon, including “very good Wi-Fi,” which comes as something of a
surprise, as does their farewell greeting of “Have a good day, sir!” Clearly,
the youngsters here are a polite bunch.
Back on
board, we are a bit early for lunch so make a last-minute decision to try the
Daily Trivia contest in the Wheelhouse Bar. Much to our surprise, our
two-person ‘team’ manages 18 out of 20 and finds itself in a tie for first place.
The tie-breaker question asks how many seats there are in the Princess Theater
– we guess at 750, the other team suggests 1450. We are closest (the exact
figure is 635) and so it is victory for Team Veness!
After a quick
lunch at the International Café (which is proving a big favourite with us for
meals, snacks and speciality coffees, especially their salads and paninis), we
are off on our chosen shore excursion, a trip to a Banana Plantation and
Canal-boat eco-tour.
Before we
have gone far out of town, our driver, Bosco, spots a troupe of howler monkeys
in some trees and stops for a photo opportunity, while he also stops at regular
intervals to dive into the underbrush with his machete (every coach-driver’s
chosen accessory, it seems!) and return with some choice item of fruit or
plant-life for our guide, Erick, to explain.
It is a
thoroughly entertaining double-act that keeps us amused all the way to the
Filadelfia Del Monte plantation, where we can see huge stalks of bananas
arriving by special zipline courier (which has to be seen to be believed, as
the workmen coast in along these long overhead cable-ways), to be sorted, cut,
cleaned and sized before they are shipped out.
This
plantation employs around 500, and the bananas are packed ready for the
two-week journey to the US or the three-week trip to Europe.
After the half-hour
stop, we drive on to the eco-tour, which also offers a small craft stall and
some drinks and fresh fruit. For the next two hours, we cruise up and down a
narrow waterway that parallels the coast at a distance of just a few hundred
yards.
Here, among
the genuine rainforest for which Costa Rica is well known, our boat captain and
Erick conduct a master-class in the local flora and fauna, pointing out tree
sloths, howler monkeys, and a host of bird-life, as well as several emerald
basilisks (a genuine prehistoric-looking reptile) and iguanas.
The bird-life
includes various kingfishers, herons, egrets and other tropical varieties,
including a superb black-collared hawk, and our guides’ ability to spot this
amazing variety of wildlife is absolutely astonishing, highlighted by an
encounter with 10 tiny, sleeping fruit bats, each only a few inches across and
perched in line half-way up a tree trunk. From just a few yards away they were
all but invisible, but our captain spotted them from 20 or so yards distant.
We could
easily have spent hours more cruising up and down this intriguing waterway,
which opened out at one point to a river almost 100 yards across, and we were
very impressed by the overall picture of Costa Rica that emerged from our day
ashore.
Back aboard,
we are again grateful for a hot shower to freshen up, and we take in the 6.30
performance of the main evening show, Dance!, which is definitely the best of
the big production shows so far, with an excellent finale featuring a Lord of
the Dance type Irish ensemble.
Dinner turns
out to a be a wonderfully protracted affair on a table for 10 in the Bordeaux
dining room, as we chat merrily away until the staff are busy clearing he
tables all around us! It is Italian Night in both main dining rooms, and the
highlight is undoubtedly the special course of penne arrabiata served up by our
head waiter Marius, who mans a cooking station nearby to turn out a non-stop
supply of freshly-made pasta in a spicy garlic-tomato sauce.
Marius has
already proved to be a huge aid with our low-sodium diet at each meal, but now
he proves a dab hand with the frying pan, too!
Tomorrow – A Day At Sea.
For more info and bookings – in the
UK, call Princess Cruises on 0843
373 0333 or visit the expert cruise agents of
The Cruise Line Limited on this
link; in the US, call 1866
335 6379, or visit www.princess.com.
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