Aloha Everyone,
This morning I was determined to catch the sunrise. So by 5:20 am, I was on the Promenade deck getting started with my 3 miles walk. It was well worth getting up. Here is my photo of a tug boat silhouetted against the rising sun.
Mid-morning temperature in Puntarenas must have been in the upper 80’s. High humidity with no breeze made it uncomfortable. J.J. and I walked across the bridge to get to where there are restaurants and small huts offering souvenir items.
Costa Rica is a rugged, rain-forested country with roughly 25% of its area consisting of protected jungle. Among the organized tours being offered by the cruise company, tropical forest trekking and waterfall climbing stood out. The truth is that the two of us were not ready to spend 8 hours to test our physical fortitude and courage out in the jungle. Even possibility of seeing spider monkeys and colorful tropical birds in their natural habitat did not help change our minds.
Onboard international phone call and WiFi is costly and unreliable. But we have been getting excellent reception of broadcasts from most major American television stations as well as BBC (British Broadcasting Company) in our cabin. Much of the news coming out of Washington this week has been both frustrating and disturbing. But this mornings’ news followed by retraction regarding a missile headed to the Hawaiian Islands was frightening, heart stopping, then relieving.
Interesting dinner conversation with Bill and Cheryl from Iowa. They produce corn and soybeans on their farm. We learned that the commercial grade corn they plant are sold for ethanol fuel.
Aloha -- Cathi
