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Published: February 4th 2020
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After everyone boarded our floating city in Cristobal, our mighty vessel sailed onward to our next port: Limon, Costa Rica. Here all of our group ventured off (except for Sam) to ride the rail into the banana plantations. Some of us took the early morning ride, others selected the afternoon tour. Our initial transportation was on a big bus. Our tour guide was Rosie. She was most knowledgeable and kept us informed about all the sites as we traveled. ??The wheels of the bus go round and round?. Where’s Judy when we need the full rendition? Leaving the town, we ventured deep into the Rain Forest on the bus. Bumpy! Bumpy! BUMPY! The narrow, dirt road was a mass of deep ruts, deep ridges and bottomless potholes. At least you couldn’t get a blood clot with all the jostling your body took; circulating your blood furiously. At a transition point, we boarded an old, open-air train. Choo-Choo! Deeper and deeper we went, keeping the coastline to one side of the train. The pathetic, poverty stricken shanties were depressing to see. You could not imagine that humans actually lived in some of them. Well, they did....and with families, as children came out
Colon, Panama
Limon, Costa Rica to wave at us as we passed by. Too sad! Skinny dogs were tethered near their shacks. I had to turn my head away. Awful! We rode for a long time. Why it didn’t jiggle some of my body fat away, I have no idea...it should have done the trick! Rats!
In the trees, we could see and hear “holler” monkeys, catch a glimpse of a sloth and see big, black mounds attached to some trees. These were termite nests....above ground so their enemies (red ants) couldn’t get to them. Rosie spoke of many poisonous snakes in the area (which we were fortunate not to see). I didn’t hear her response as to what happens to the locals if they get bit and there are no medical resources anywhere around for miles and miles! Must be they just suck it up and die! Eventually, the tall vegetation ended and we rolled past miles and miles of bananas growing on large plantations. The many blue bags caught your eye. They are used to cover and protect the bananas as they grow and ripen. Flat sheets of foam are placed between the layers of bananas inside these bags to protect them
...from bruising. Rosie went into great depth explaining the process of growing bananas and how they were watched and tended while they grew. You will have to Google it or use YouTube to find out all the details. Very interesting.
At some point, our train ride ended and we transferred back onto our big, blue bus. What a time moving out. A police car had broken down on the narrow, dirt road making it a challenge for our bus to maneuver around. At the same time, a huge semi truck came past us going the other way. It was 1/2” from side-swiping our bus....unreal! Our bus took us past more shanties and then thru the town with many run down businesses. Rosie said the local money come from tourism....must be they don’t get that much of either! We just don’t know how lucky we are until we see how horribly others have to live. It’s a real shocker. Of course, the banana industry is the biggest business for export. One of the best nutritious foods you can eat! Be sure and eat bananas! Salmon is the other food that ranks at the top for keeping you healthy.
When
our excursion ended, we were dropped at a touristy shopping area. Many items reminded me of Lulu....bwaaaaa. People were getting pedicures, manicures and full length massages.....out in the open. We passed! We bought a couple T-Shirts and a tiny, wooden, hanging parrot (fits in the RV). It was fun! All of this is fun! Back onboard and we were ready to eat.....our normal ritual! Gobble, Gobble!
Cutting this blog short again....see...I am considerate towards your needs. Plus my eyes don’t get so blurry and my typing finger doesn’t swell up like a flesh-colored balloon. Don’t leave us yet. Next blog will take you into our last port. It was a beautiful one. Cory even spent some of his winnings! For what, you ask? You have to read the next blog to find that out. See you there. P.S. 26 photos this time!
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DeAnne McKay
non-member comment
Banana tour
Looks like a great trip!!! Love those bananas!!!! And the monkeys ?