day 5 – puerto limon, costa rica

great day today!  tho i had a mandatory life raft drill and fire safety training at 10:30, i was the free to go ashore… the weather was hot, a bit humid, but there was an occasional nice breeze off the water – the port was a bit plain at first glance, but you could see clouds and mountains in the distance… amid the clamor of cabbies and tour guides offering their deals of the day, i made my way through the souvenir market next to the ship – they had all kinds of stuff and despite all the odds and ends mentioned in the port song below, i did end up getting some coffee… my friend the future cruise consultant was getting the cheap mani/pedi in the shade where they give you beer – most disconcerting, however, was the fact that because they buy nail polish remover in bulk, they had it poured into various beverage containers for all the manicurists, even a pint vodka bottle… that just seems like an accident waiting to happen… anyway, we made our way into the port city of limon and enjoyed the street scenes – had lunch with some other crew and guests and i took off on my own for a bit – saw a tree sloth in the park and enjoyed the interesting flora and fauna – went down to the beach where they were shooting a music video with throngs of people watching…

beautiful flower

cute tree sloth (furry blob in middle)

cute kid with coconut vendor

our ship docked in puerto limon, costa rica

photo quirk - new meaning to "palm trees swaying"

beautiful park with our ship in the distance through the trees

port song for puerto limon, costa rica

(to the tune of manhattan transfer’s “java jive”)

i like costa rica fine,

been here awhile back and had a good time

the weather is nice, so i don’t have to think twice,

i think i’ll take a break off of the ship

first there’s a boat drill on deck three –

it’s at 10:30 and it’s compulsory

but once it is done I’ll go hang out and have fun

and see wassup wassup wassup wassup wassup

and buy some coffee beans, love those beans!

those itty bitty fragrant beans, they’re cheap here, i mean,

i’m used to a typical seattle price, and 3 bucks for a bag seems pretty nice

i don’t like the java from the lido drip

it’s not very strong and it tastes like ship…

…board coffee, you see – well it’s just not for me,

cuz in seattle we are snotty bout each cup…

(should I buy) grounds or whole beans, y’see I don’t have the means,

to grind my own beans without a grinding machine

but the guitar player brought his very own press pot,

that’ll be hot!  a bag of ground will do, wait, make it two, oh!

i need an ocarina, true –

and hot sauce and wooden masks and placemats too…

there’s even a place to get your nails done

and they’ll give you beer and shade you from the sun

i waited for my friend there then we took a walk

had a beer and saw some crew and guests and drank and talked

and then i took off - to see a real tree sloth –

i watched him climb a tree so slowly up

(and some time) later this year, oh, my big brother dear

and his wife will come here with their snorkling gear

so I told him I would take some snap shots -

man it’s hot!  i’ll stay a few hours, look at those flowers!

there’s coconut vendors and shaved ice too;

they’re shooting a music video down at the beach, woo hoo!

in the fountains kids play on this limon sunday,

that’s what’s up, what’s up, what’s up, what’s up, what’s up!

ciao for now! -df