Costa Rica

Yesterday was spent in Costa Rica at the Port of Puntarenas. Puntarenas is very sheltered in a very large bay. As we approached the dock the captain informed us that he had ordered two tugs to standby. The pier juts out into the bay; although there are no swells or surf there is a constant current of about 5 knots. A 5 knot current against the side of the ship has the same effect on the ship as a 65 mile per hour wind would have. He docked the ship without assistance from the tugs. They used extra lines to hold the ship steady against the dock and all went well.

Costa Rica is a typical tropical land. The weather is constant with no real seasons other than "dry" and "wet". The wet season ends at the end of November and returns in about June. During the dry season, the foliage is still green. It is during the dry season that they plant watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. Mango trees grow wild and provide more fruit than either birds or men can eat. While we were there, we saw rain squalls in the distance, but none came while we were in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is the second smallest country in Central America. Only El Salvador is smaller. Nearly 30% of the land is either in a private or public park or preserve. Naturally speaking Costa Rica is very attractive. Besides natural beauty, they have a 93% literacy rate, free health care and a very low mortality rate. After World War II, Quakers came from the U.S., to escape perceived militarism and purchased 3,000 acres in the moutains and established a city called Monteverde. Subsequently, the area has evolved into a very popular preserve for the public.

There are many nice condo developments along the coast; many Americans have moved to Costa Rica for retirement. The national language is Spanish, but they are quick to point out it is Castillian. They have many African people, mainly on the Atlantic side of the country which speak a mixture of Spanish, French and English. They abolished their Army in 1948. They still have domestic forces similar to our CHP, sheriffs, local police and FBI.

I had scheduled the Skywalk in the Forest described as "the 90 minute Sky Walk consists of a number of trails and 5 suspended cable bridges that show some of the wonders of the tropical forest. Trails may be muddy. Minimum age 8." The 90 minutes should have given me some clue this was going to be at least a 5 mile walk. The bus took us to the top of the trail and then went back down the hill to meet us at the end of the walk. The trail was indeed muddy (although it did not rain during our walk) and was also very narrow with many individual slippery concrete steps. You would assume the trail was downhill; it did eventually go down hill but it also had many ups as well as downs. We saw many interesting plants, trees and insects, but saw no birds. We did see leaf ants which bite off a portion of a leaf and carry it back to their nest where they let it decompose for food. I took some videos of them which should be interesting to watch. The suspension bridges spanned valley which were 50 to 150 feet below. The bridges were narrow and swung with every step. The deck was a perforated metal which you could look through. No one in our group of about 20 seemed to be bothered.

About half way down I started having difficulty making my legs work. The constant up and down on steps required leg and thigh muscles long dormant. The tour guide and several participants had to help me the last mile or two. I have never experienced such weakness in my life. Thankfully, all turned out well. This morning my muscles remind me of the walk. At this point in life I am not prepared for hilly, five mile hikes.

We left Puntarenas about 5:00 PM last evening and are about half way to Balboa on the Pacific side of the Canal. We arrive at about 9:00 PM, where we will bunker. Originally the Captain had planned to refuel in Aruba, but found they did not have the type of fuel this ship requires. I assume we will dock overnight and transit the Canal tomorrow morning. I understand there is a Webcam view of the Canal on the internet. If you have nothing else to do, you can watch us transit the Canal. During the night we had a Force 4 wind which made for a bumpy ride.It was at about this location we experienced a 'Force 7 nor 8 storm when we were with my parents in 1976. Ruth continues to do well and is enjoying her time.

Later today there will be a lecture on the Canal transit, with particular emphasis on features to look out for.

If you want to view any ofmy still pictures, you may access them at http://picasaweb.google.com/jacobsen.robert.

The temperature is currently a very pleasant 78 degrees. Our position is about 7 degrees north of the equator and 82 degrees 01.76' W, which appears to be.at the same longitude as Stow,OH.

Costa Rica would be a very nice destinatin for a vacation. There was far more of interest to see than our limited time allowed.