Costa Rica

My first time in Costa Rica! We docked in Puntarenas, one of several towns by the same name in Costa Rica, this one sort of on the northwest side of the country.  It is less than two hours drive to San Jose, the capital.  I went on a tour that took us out into the rainforest, as where we docked was surprisingly dry.  I learned that this country has quite a bit of diversity for all its small size (about the size of West Virginia, around 4 million people), over 900 species of birds, and even has a 12,000 foot mountain from the top of which it is actually possible to see both the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean to the east at the same time.  My tour took us about 45 minutes away and into one of the nature reserves (about 25% of Costa Rica is protected land), where we went on a walk through the rainforest and across a few "skyway" bridges suspended in the forest.  It was beautiful.  We spotted some interesting birds, iguanas, leaf-cutter ants (straight out of the Discovery Channel, I know!!) crocodiles and even monkeys (howlers and white faced monkeys, from quite a distance).  The air was full of the sounds of cicadas.  My find of the day was a lucky spotting of a poison dart arrow frog, this one was small, black and green.  My guide was so excited he hugged me and said he would kiss me if he could.  He also said he used to see dozens of them every time he visited the forest, but they have been disappearing as more land is developed, and a day where he sees even one is a really great day.  So it was a great day! Glad I could help.  After our walk we stopped in Hotel Villa Lapas, a small hotel out in the rainforest on private land, where we had some wonderful fresh tropical fruit.  It was a really nice afternoon, and gave me a nice introduction to this new country.  Back on board as twilight fell and we started to spillway, we sat out on deck 4 on the bow and listened to the sounds of so many birds floating in from shore.  

The Panama Canal

I finally got to transit the Panama Canal! I made a point of getting up early so I didn't miss anything.  I was outside by 6:30, in time to watch the sunrise as we made our way toward the entrance.  Just before we entered the canal, we spotted a crocodile swimming along the banks.  We had heard they could be sometimes seen, but weren't really expecting to see one.  We entered the first lock around 8am.  We had taken on (by way of little boats coming alongside) our official Panama Canal crew, who have to be present on every ship that goes through the canal.  The ship is tied up on either side to "mules", little train-car contraptions made by Mitsubishi that help to stabilize the ship and keep it centered in the middle of the canal, avoiding scraping the sides.  We did bump the side once that I felt, there is only a few feet of clearance on either side.  Our ship is nearly the absolute maximum size allowed in the canal, and as such paid a hefty fee to transit - around $350,000.  Cruise ships are charged per berth, so per possible passenger capacity, whether the berths are full or not.  Before you enter, you wait in front of a huge set of gates, that are holding back the water as the ship in front of you is raised up.  While you wait a bridge is opened right in front of the ship to allow traffic to cross the canal, then just as you are about to move, they stop the traffic, retract the bridge, and clear the way.  Once the water level has returned to normal, those gigantic gates slowly open (A la Jurassic Park) and you can pass through.   On top of every gate is a narrow walkway used by crew carefully timing their crossings before the stairs and guardrails disappear as the gates open.  Once inside the lock, you wait and wait while the water level is raised enough, then another set of gates open and you pass into the next one.  There are actually two parallel canals, so we were watching several ships ahead of us and to our right slowly making their way through the locks.  After the first set raises you up, you then sail through a river that was widened to form a sort of man-made lake through the countryside for a few hours, then two more sets of locks slowly lower you back down to sea level.  At the end is a hotel where crowds gather to cheer the ships as they clear the final lock.  It was really a fascinating day - incredible that the system works so well and was created nearly 100 years ago.  The genius behind it is amazing.  It was hot!! And I have half a dozen bug bits to show for my trouble, but it was worth it!