Back to the Coral Princess
We then went into the tourist office to pick up some local maps. There we learnt that Puntarenas has only a population of 4,000 and cruise ships such as ours with 3,000 passengers and crew nearly doubled the size of the town!
From the pier looking across the sea we could see now other parts of Costa Rica no longer covered in mist.
By the time we were back on board at 10.15 am the crew safety drills were in full swing. We kept cool in our cabin waiting for the time to go to the Provence restaurant to start our excursion.
An early lunch was at the International Cafe with a chicken sandwich plus Greek Salad.
Our afternoon excursion
Scenic Train Ride & River Cruise
Discover another side to Costa Rica on this fun train excursion along the historic Pacific Railroad, through magnificent countryside. Upon arrival at the train station you will board one of the newly restored cars, to travel this fascinating railroad that was once used to transport the country’s valuable coffee harvests, from the highlands to the coastal ports. Your relaxing guided expedition will take you through many delightful small towns, past incredible rural and tropical scenery. Throughout the journey, the train’s large picture windows will allow you to experience all the beauty of the countryside.At Ceiba, a region famous for its mangoes and oranges, you will transfer to your transportation and head to the stunning Tarcoles River. Here, you will board a covered river boat for your exciting and vivid journey through the tropical mangroves, a breathtaking wonderland that attracts many different animals and exotic birds such as ospreys, gulls, cormorants and pelicans.
The river shores are also home to one of the largest crocodiles colonies; some of the reptiles are three meters long and you may see some of them resting on the muddy banks. Your guide may also point out iguanas, lizards as well as herons, egrets, ducks, spoon bills and storks, which are often seen looking for food along the river shore. At the end you will then enjoy a tropical fruit snack plus a cooling beverage at the private boat station. Browse the gift shop here before heading back to port.
Once in the Provence restaurant we picked up our stickers and sat down to wait.
Our scheduled meeting time was noon and we were there early at 11.45 am. One of the excursion team picked up the microphone to explain that we should all wait for the coaches to arrive back at the quay. Danielle, it seemed, was from Montenegro. For the next 20 minutes or so she gave us a free comedy one lady comedy show. She was 6 feet 3 inches tall and only just was able to walk below decks without banging her head on the sprinklers. If her hair was up then this always brushed against them causing gasps of concern from anyone following her. We learnt about how she came to be onboard and about the team she worked with. Her chat only finished when her boss called her down to the quayside. We now waited in silence for the next 10 minutes until we were finally called.
On the quayside we were lined up 2 by 2 and finally were on our coach at 12.40 pm.
From our guide we learnt that the excursion was to be in 40 minute chunks. That is 40 minutes to the train, 40 minutes on the train, 40 minutes to the river and then the last 40 minutes back to the ship.
The coach turned right off the pier and as we went along the road I noticed lots more street art on the buildings alongside the road. The ride to the train was along a busy highway and then onto much narrower roads. Our guide talked almost the whole way to the train about the history of Costa Rica with great emphasis on the taxes tahta almost everyone had to pay. These taxes paid for a comprehensive health system. Education seemed to more of a problem as because of a shortage of teachers older kids went to school alternating between mornings and afternoons.
The train journey
When we reached the train the other coach was already there unloading its passengers onto the first carriage. We left our coach directly onto the second carriage. Rather than sit in the front of the carriage we headed for the rear right next to the open doors. The door lead onto a small platform at the rear of the train.
Our guide continues his talk as the train started to roll. After a few minutes I decided that I’d be more comfortable out of my seat and standng at the rear of the carriage. This is where I stayed all the rest of the journey.
The train stopped so that we could ‘see’ monkeys in the trees at the side of the tracks. We could hear them and see their silhouettes way up in the trees.
The tracks that we were running on did not too healthy either because of the wooden sleepers or the rusty rails. Even worse was going around bends then the carriage wheels protested with loud screeches. We crossed over many roads and paths with houses both rich and poor on either side. Waving as we past the youngsters in their gardens was fun as they often jumped in delight as they noticed our waves.
Halfway through the journey we had the opportunity to buy a drink and we chose cans of the local beer, Imperial.
These are some more views from the train journey.
After we stopped I left the train at the rear, skipping the queue for the coach. I wanted to take some pictures of the station, our engine and the abandoned engine next to the tracks.
