Costa Rica Expectations and Realities

Jungle and Wood

I had really high expectations for Costa Rica.  Probably too high, because I felt somewhat disappointed in the country while I was there.  In retrospect, I probably let a few things that bothered me like the dupe run down buildings and a less than enthusiastic guide spoil my view.   Writing this post I can't help but think I was too harsh in my judgements, because I actually got to do a bunch of cool stuff in Costa Rica.

The jungle and forest of the National Park are off in the distance as I enjoy my river boat ride.

We went to the Pacific coast town of Puntarenas in Costa Rica on a cruise ship itinerary that passed through the Panama Canal.  We didn't book any excursions ahead of time and were pleased to find river boat cruises near (I though inside, oh well) the jungle national park.  The price was low (especially compare to the ship), some where between $20 and $30 per person.  So we bought two tickets on the next bus and were on our way within ten minutes.  On the way to the river we made a pit stop to see some capuchin monkeys.  This band of monkeys hang out near the road looking for handouts. We didn't indulge the monkeys in any treats, but headed on our way after fifteen minutes.

A capuchin monkey we saw hanging out in trees near the road.

Once we got to the river, we were loaded onto a medium sized boat with bench seating which moved leisurely up and down the river.  This was the same company used by the cruse ship as we saw lots of shore excursion stickers on shirts of the other company boats.  As the boat quietly motored first up and then down stream we saw a wide variety of creatures Costa Rica is famous for including crocodiles, Jesus Christ lizards (so named because they can run on water), huge termite nests in trees, and many birds (including sparrows that keep the mosquito population to a minimum.  My only disappointments in the cruise was that it did not go up river enough to enter the natural park and our lethargic guide seemed to think he had other places to be.  Overall, it was a great way to seem some pretty amazing creatures.

We thoroughly enjoyed the band of monkeys.

After disembarking from the river boat, we loaded back into the van that drove us there for a couple more stops on the way back.  The next stop was at a wood working shop.  Usually I gaff at these stops made purely for shopping purchases, but I was eager to check out a Costa Rican wood working shops and made sure it would be on the itinerary of the trip before we booked our tickets.  My brother who is in the Coast Guard had been to Puntarenas several years earlier where he bought a beautiful large bowl made out of mango wood.  I wanted one of my own, and at his request was also looking for a small bowl for him to have a matching set.

The furthest into the jungle we went.  The captain turned off the engine for a while so we could hear the forest.

What I found in that shop was a treasure trove of wood carvings, each so beautiful I wanted to buy them all. Alas they don't come cheap, so I sufficed to buy the one large bowl and one small bowl I originally came for, which in itself proved problematic because there were many bowls in the sizes I wanted.  Eventually with the rest of my tour group ready to leave and waiting in the van I made a decision, and a beautiful rose wood bowl adorns our counter top filled with fruit.  I wound up purchasing a rose wood bowl instead of mango wood, because rose wood is a hard wood, while mango wood is a soft wood.  Hard wood lasts longer and holds up better to moisture.  The set only set me back $75, which may seem like a lot but is worth every penny when considering they are hand made, and I will own the fruit bowl the rest of my life.

A Jesus Christ lizard, so named because they can run on water.  We only saw them on land.  

The next stop on our little tour deposited us at a fruit stand selling smoothies.  We could not bring food back on board the ship, which is a big no no.  So I did not plan on buying anything until I saw they had soursop.  Soursop is a type of fruit.  Its green on the outside with white flesh on the inside, and it has a sweet tangy flavor.  Also according to my one time roommates from Venezuela and other people I have met from norther South America and southern Central America, it cures cancer.  Sign me up!  I don't have cancer, but a little preventative care couldn't hurt.  My boyfriend and I ordered one smoothie to share ensuring we both will live long health lives.

I realize that sarcasm doesn't come through in print, and I just want to say I am not a medical doctor and I do not endorse using soursop to cure cancer.  It's just something I have heard and thought entertaining to pass on.

One of the might crocodiles of Costa Rica poses patiently with my boyfriend.

The final destination of our trip was back at the port, but our van veered off the road once more at sighting some toucans high in treats off the road.  The flock of about five toucans were perched on the top branches of a rather tall tree (2-4 stories high), too far to see their colorful beaks, but close enough to make out the shape of them.  It was a nice final sighting of out time in the jungle.  Finally we headed back to Puntarenas.  

The port city of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

We spent some time in Puntarenas walking around after our tour ended, but not much.  Puntarenas is pretty run down, with dirty shack-like buildings.  I have always heard great things about Costa Rica and how forward looking their governments is, with the highest literacy rate in the world.  I couldn't help but feel the people in Puntarenas were reaping the benefits their forward looking government was trying to sow, because it looked like most of the people were living in squalor.  I was especially surprised since cruise ports are usually pretty developed with a lot of infrastructure to handle all the tourists, and Puntarenas despite all the cruise visitors it gets each year is not.  I would advise anyone going on a cruise to Puntarenas to make sure they get out of the city and into the beautiful natural areas of Costa Rica.

Like I said when starting this post, I felt somewhat let down my Costa Rica, but that was due to small details in our trip.  I really did enjoy the ability to see such amazing creatures as monkeys, crocodiles, Jesus Christ lizards, and toucans in the wild, something I have never seen before.  Also I got to eat some cancer healing fruit and buy a heart wood bowl to end my envy of my brother's mango wood bowl.  In all it was a pretty full day of awesome activities that are not so easy to find in other ports of call, making Costa Rica a pretty worth while place.