Puntarenas, Costa Rica

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Getting to Puntarenas was more or less straight forward. The difficulty was the final stretch of about 10km. Our bus was going to the capital, San Jose, so it would only drop us off at the junction of Cruce de Barranca where the road goes down towards to promontory. I spoke to some people waiting nearby for what we presumed was the same bus as us, and they ensured we got on the right one. Several taxis passed by but they wanted $30 so we waited patiently and paid about $2 each. A massive saving! It wasn't the most picturesque bus route but once we got into the centre of Puntarenas itself we were able to get off just a couple of blocks from our Air BnB.

Puntarenas gets a lot of bad press, mostly because it's a bit tatty and needs some investment and TLC. We didn't think it felt dangerous at all though, but single ladies might not want to wander around off the beaten track quite as much as we did. It is certainly a place that has seen better days. Perhaps if more cruise ships come in then it will find itself on an upwards trajectory. It certainly has the potential to be worthy of more than a brief stop on the way to the airport, or the Nicoya Peninsula. We were over that way last year but we took a boat directly to a spot further down the coast rather than the ferry to Puntarenas. If you do opt to visit, there are plenty of buses to Quepos, as well as hourly departures to San Jose or the airport.

The southern side of town is taken up by the Paseo de los Turistas. It's not as grand as it sounds and parts of it are quite run down, but at the weekend it's a vibrant place to be as the Costa Ricans come out to play. There are plenty of murals to see and fair few statues, but for us it was mostly about a good stretch of the legs and some fresh air. The views over the Gulf of Nicoya are great, but the beach itself didn't look the cleanest and we certainly didn't feel inclined to test the waters! Close to the pier, at the end of which cruise ships may or may not moor up these days, is a clutch of restaurants. The ones we tried were excellent and reasonably priced. A street back was Bamboo Bar and Grill which was a class above, but still not bad at all for the price. There are also a few stalls selling touristy tat but we didn't find these reasonably priced at all. Keep a look out for the giant sloth waiting for your selfies day and night!!

We walked all the way along to the lighthouse. Nearby are the ferry terminal and the fishing piers. From there you can spend ages watching the pelicans on the boats competing for fish with the frigate birds. Walking back along the central avenue isn't the prettiest of areas but it did take us past the football ground. Puntarenas FC (los tiburones - the sharks) were not at home during our stay but the under-17s had a game in progress and we were allowed to go in for a look, although Russ did spend more time discussing camera gear with the club's photographer than actually watching the game! A few blocks further on we found an impressive water tower which seemed to leak as much water as it held. The birds loved it but it was really wasteful. Parque Mora y Cañas housed a tall but closed watchtower. It was surrounded by informative mosaics depicting the area's history.

Our next stop was Parque Central, home of the not-so-impressive cathedral which was not open for visitors. Next door stands the Casa del Cultura which is set in an old prison. You have to sign in (why?????) to be able to see the wooden instruments and sculptures in the main hall. This is the only place you can go, but it is worth it if only to see the collection of photos of Puntarenas everyday life from 100 years ago. from there it's just a couple of blocks to the northern side of promontory, which felt very off-the-beaten track but the river/creek would be a wonderful place for a boat trip. Maybe there is somewhere around where you can do this but we didn't find it.

As night fell hundreds of horses took to the streets for a parade of some sort. We just caught the tail end of it, but it was something of interest for the last night of our travels. that wasn't quite the end of our trip though, as we caught the bus to San Jose Airport and spent our last night in an expensive and very comfortable hotel near Alajuela. The journey back to Spain began well but we had too tight a connection in Madrid for the Alicante flight. We made it but our bags didn't! Oh well, at least they were delivered to our house the next morning. It was a great six-week trip and we could easily have continued travelling a little longer. Maybe one of these days we'll push to travelling for 2-3 months again. Next year? Who knows!!

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