C.R. Redux

Time’s flying. Hard to believe this adventure has been going on for more than 3 weeks.

A little trip south to Manuel Antonio Beach and National Park and were able to check one-thing off the list of 1,000 places you need to see before you die.

So far we have followed some of the more adventurous Lifelong Learners into the rain forest, trekked through the canopy on a skywalk, and ventured about 3 hours south to Manuel Antonio Beach with Lillian (our most senior Lifelong Learner). It’s very different from Chile and Peru, which offered us a metropolitan base of operations amidst huge cargo ships and tons of activity 24/7.

Here we are nestled against a quiet dock in the town of Punterenas. And while the cuisine and architecture are much more limited than our previous ports, the culture, color, and peacefulness of beach life is being welcomed by all.

Each morning welcomes us with sunshine, but by mid-afternoon tall thunderheads soar across the mountains, threatening the late afternoon and evening hours. We have been witness to some torrential rains and fairly good lightning shows.

Costa Rica is the closest we’ve come to a “vacation” setting. We are the only ship docked in Putanrenas and finally are in a port where you can just walk off the ship and get a bite to eat or sit and read by the beach.

Of course, we’re doing none of that.. Today, our final day in port before setting sail for Nicaragua, we’re off to follow Ethno-Musicologist Max Brandt on his search for a local Marimba player to see what the status of the music and people who play it are. More on this later.