Quepos, Costa Rica

 Our tour here started at 7am with a tender to the port and a bus ride to another vanilla farm where they showed us the whole process of making vanilla which is quite labor intensive and the reason it costs so much to buy pure vanilla in the stores. They served us great tasting vanilla ice cream, turmeric ice cream, and a cacao ice cream which we absolutely loved as the temperature was 96 degrees. They also made an incredible chocolate candy (70% cacao)   As you all know, I’m not a fan of chocolate, but I loved this one. After a bus ride to the mangroves, we waited patiently for the tide to rise enough for our boats to float in the water, but it was taking forever and we were on a strict timetable to get back to the ship. So we hopped back on the bus and headed to a restaurant that could serve us quickly making it possible to return to the mangrove when the tide rose up. Our lunch was called a “cassaba” meaning” marriage “.  Rice is for the bride. Beans are for the groom and the sides are for all the children they will have. Ha ha 

The mangrove tour was great. We saw several bird species and white face monkeys on our hour ride. Turns out you shouldn’t smile when looking at the monkeys as they take it as a form of aggression and will attack. Yikes!  

The mangrove trees are very adaptable to the salt water that comes in with the tide.  The leaves are a lush green, but one leaf on each branch will sacrifice itself for the rest of the tree by absorbing the salt, turning yellow, and falling off into the water only for another leaf to take its turn to sacrifice itself.  Pretty amazing how neater adapts itself.

We made it to the last tender getting onto the ship all hot and sweaty and ready to jump in the shower.  It was a good thing that the next day was a sea day because we all needed it  

I stopped at a pharmacy to pick up some Claritin for allergies, and would you believe it cost me $23 for 5 pills!!! I thought being in the ocean I would not have to bring any not taking into account all the lush green forests we take in at every port.

I’m told that where we are stopping tomorrow in Mexico there will be a WALMART!  I think everyone will be headed there from our ship to pick up whatever they forgot to bring.  It will be a zoo.  Not much different from normal.  

During the night last night we hit a gale force wind storm around 2am which woke up the whole ship.  The life boats had to be tied down extra tight and I’m told that paint chips peeled off and were thrown all over the promenade deck this morning.  I’m glad I was in bed.  Today there isn’t even a wave in the water just gentle swells.  The ocean has so many personalities.  

Vanilla beans drying in the sun