PUNTARENAS

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Docked 5a.m. in Puntarenas, we dock at some weird times - at the end of a very long pier - overlooking dark sandy beaches - bit like Seminyak. Teamed up with Jim and Rae and hired a driver (Phillips) to take us to see some sights for a few hours - worked out very reasonable between 4 of us - $150.00 for six hours. We drove into San Jose, the capital, through lovely, green, lush countryside - we laughed a lot Phillips was a very funny man, spoke very good English but a heavy accent. Costa Rica is very big on education - 90 percent literacy rate here - not like other Central Amercian Countries - disbanded army and put money into education. In San Jose took a walking tour of Metropolitan Cathedral, National Theatre, also around the suburbs and saw their big stadium where a bit match was on today - Phillips team won. Then onto Grecia to see the old metal church - then to Sarchi - up into the mountains with coffee plantations on every slope you could see- home of Costa Rica's colourful art, very brightly painted ox carts. The temperature had dropped considerably up here, very mountainous here but Phillips told us on the other side of Costa Rica there are lots of open plains. Bought some Costa Rican coffee beans. Phillips told us from the start he likes to talk a lot!! He wasn't wrong we had a very lively narrative all the way on our trip - he hardly drew breath - but extremely proud of his beautiful country and on our way back as we passed through Esparzo, his home town, he took us around to his house to meet his wife and daughter - that was so sweet. When we arrived back in Puntarenas Phillips dropped us at a local restaurant for lunch - had lovely fillet of fresh fish with some salad and a few cold beers - was stinking hot again down in Puntarenas so beers went down a treat, local brew Imperial! Back on board and heading to LA 2500 miles away.

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Photos

MANY ROADSIDE FRUIT STALLS
Stopped to buy some yummy cashews and plums??!!

NATIONAL THEATRE
Closed sundays but this is foyer

PHILLIPS GRANDMOTHER
Bit like some on the ship!

CATHEDRAL
Phillips church

SARCHI
Colorful ox carts

SARCHI
Gramps trying out the rocking chair!

COFFEE PLANTATION
Costa Ricas gold!

Comments

[traveleam]

Puntarenas, costa rica
Good post. We've posted a similar puntarenas, costa rica profile here: http://traveleam.ca/puntarenas-costa-rica/