Our next port was Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
We had been here once before, on our previous Panama Canal cruise in 2009. The last time we and a van full of family went on a tour to see scarlet macaws in the wild; it was a great experience! This time, we decided to be a bit more relaxed and check out the town and the beach near the cruise port.
Puntarenas is focused primarily on tourism. The city is on a long peninsula with beaches and a waterfront walkway.
Because this is a long journey for us and not really a “vacation,” sometimes we have errands to run at the various stops. We discovered shortly after the cruise started that some of the walls in our cabin are magnetic. We decided to hang our maps and some of Kevin’s art on the walls, so we started our time in town looking for magnets. This gave me a chance to use my Spanish and us a chance to see the town and talk to some of the locals. Several people suggested various places to check for magnets, and we did eventually find some.
After our shopping mission, we walked the beach nearest to the cruise ship to the end.
We walked back on the waterfront walkway, or malecon.
We then found a place to hang out for a few hours enjoying some food and beverages and watching the world go by. We went to Kiosco Costa Azul, one of several restaurants not far from the cruise ship. We started with shrimp ceviche, which was different than in Mexico but good; eaten with a spoon, and served with plantain fritters rather than tostadas. I then had the house fish plate and Kevin had chicken fajitas.
After lunch, we headed back to the ship.
