Limón, Costa Rica

The vessel arrived in Limón, Costa Rica in the early morning. The crossing from Jamaica to this area was a little rougher than we have had on any of the two cruises. We had following seas and swells of 10 feet or more. The captain explained that this causes the ship to rock much more than usual due to the swells lifting the stern and the bow digging into the ocean. All this motion made for great people watching at dinner. Port to starboard, grab the handrail, all the cruisers staggered and bumped.

At breakfast we bumped into a Danny, a fellow from Texas that we had met on the Cuba tour. He and his wife Cathy were walking into Limón to find a grocery store and buy some souvenirs. He invited us to join them and so our Post Falls pack met them at the embarkation area and we walked into the down town of this city.

It was quite the task to duck past all the taxies and hawkers at the exit from the port, but we all held our ground and made the transition. We spent about an hour looking around; I purchased some local hot sauce that everyone says is amazing. Can’t wait to give it a try!

Hustling back to our room we picked up some needed items and then we grabbed our next tour bus which proceeded out of town and to the Tortuguero Canals. From the bus we loaded onto a large pontoon boat which took us up river and under the canopy of the fain forest. Our guide reminded us that we were exploring during the hottest time of the day and that most of the wildlife would be hidden in the shade sleeping.

Within a hundred yard of the tours start we were lucky and the boat operator spotted a Two Toed Sloth. Everyone was able to get photos as the critter moved about his resting place. Actually the sloth moved its head a bit, probably annoyed at the invasion of its tree hideout.

We wandered up river and our guide explained about how bananas grow and pointed out several birds that were feeding in the water. We were able to see some fruit eating bats, and there was a crocodile head spotted, but I was not able to get a photo.

About an hour and a half later we were back at the tour dock and loaded into the bus. It was a pretty interesting, just enough to perk your imagination about what is living in the rain forest. If we return we will definitely find a canal tour that leaves in the early morning and goes deeper into the rainforest.