Puntarenas Punt - 2/8/14

'Tis a puzzlement. Here is a paradise and the opportunity seems wasted. (Well, I wouldn't have made my paradise quite so hot.) This part of Costa Rica has a beautiful harbor, beaches, exotic jungles, tremendous Eco-diversity, majestic mountains (higher than the Chugach range), a stable government (as far as I know). So why don't the people here do something with their resources? Why don't they pick up all the trash that litters their beaches? (Why do they throw the trash on the ground in the first place?) Why are there abandoned uncompleted buildings in prime areas?

We have been to Puntarenas before, so we opted not to take a tour today. On previous visits we have gone inland to San Jose, the capital; upwards to the cloud forest; and followed the coast to the rainforest, a resort town, a river full of crocodiles, and several "shopping opportunities."

We went to the Horizon Court for breakfast, then we went down to the cafe for some good coffee. I suppose we could have gotten some really good coffee in the town, but we didn't think of it at the time. After a bit, we went out and walked around Puntarenas. There were a lot of stalls selling handicrafts and we bought a few gifts. They make very beautiful items out of wood here. It was very hot in the town so I decided not to go to an Internet cafe. We went back to the ship and had lunch.

About 30 mintes before it was time to set sail, there was a medical emergency (code alpha). We saw an ambulance arrive on the dock. Later we heard that a woman had fallen and was taken away in the ambulance along with luggage. Lucky for her we were in port when it happened.

After dinner we went to see a show with "piano entertainer" Stephen Kane. I didn't like his show. Maybe I'm not old enough to like his style of entertainment? When I was young, I used to think that when I got older I would start to like the music my parents liked. Now I know I will never like it that much. I will always love rock and roll.