We started by heading east where the maps indicated there was a public park space. In fact this was a very narrow strip of paved areas, the odd sculpture here and there, and some twisting concrete structures that resembled mounted spines of leviathans (assuming leviathans are actually a thing and that they’re vertebrates). Coupled with the flotsam of seaweed and thin tree trunks washed up along the water’s edge and the churned-up dark sand discolouring the sea this gave the area an oddly desolate feel with just enough peace from the gentle cooling of the evening and the white noise of the small rollers breaking nearby to temper the overall bleakness.

We headed back past the pier and the queue of passengers being checked by security before they headed for the ship, making our way westwards along the shore of Puntarenas where there seemed to be more signs of civilisation. There were certainly a few interesting architectural pieces. A large concrete building that was part of the National Technical University had some clear Art Deco styling to it, and while there’s no information online that could be easily found I did see a date on it of 1930 which ties in with the right period. Opposite that, nearer the sea, there was a more modern public space comprising a stage shielded by giant leaves with amphitheatre-style seating opposite it. We like spotting amphitheatres when we travel and while this one isn’t the historic sort we typically go out of our way to look around, we’re still counting it.

Around the outside of the cultural public space there was artwork in a street art style but all themed for the general environment, touching on local people, customs, and the sea. The large open space beside it included one of those popular city signs for the tourists that it’s often impossible to take a clear photo of, although at this time of the day we were very nearly the only people there.

Finally, as we approached the pier we passed by Antigua Capitanía de Puntarenas, a preserved landmark building with some cannons mounted nearby, all dedicated to the maritime history of the city and region. This would be the sort of place we’d very likely visit on a return to Costa Rica but there was no indication that it was open at this particular moment and we were now keen to head back to the ship as we don’t like leaving it to the very last minute.

Our walk along the long pier to where Ruby Princess was docked was interrupted several times for photos out across the water, and near the gangway and security checkpoint for the ship there was some local entertainment provided in the form of carnival characters which, like all carnival characters, felt vaguely threatening.

The all aboard time came and went and we sat out on our balcony with some drinks and snacks waiting for the sail away from Costa Rica. The light faded from the sky, searchlights from the ship danced across the water, and two hours passed before Ruby Princess finally left. We never did find out the reason for the delay but we suspect that an organised excursion returned to the port late and, because it was an organised excursion, the ship waited.

In the next post in this Ruby Princess cruise travelogue series we’ll experience Halloween on a cruise ship before we arrive at Panama for an excursion we were really looking forward to and for which we’d had to get yellow fever vaccinations for ahead of time to do it. Oh boy, I hope nothing happens to spoil those plans!

It was actually a cloud forest that we visited and this one was part of the San Luis park, north of San Ramon, not quite equidistant between the cruise port of Puntarenas and the capital city, San José. The drive there took a little while around winding roads in the deeply-forested land and with numerous signs of small fires in the hills, but by the time we reached our destination there was a slight dampness to the air. For many people this meant jackets and waterproof coverings, but for us the heat and humidity was enough that we stuck to t-shirts and shorts. A jacket wouldn’t have stopped our t-shirts from getting wet; they’d simply get wet from the inside out.

A short walk brought us to the hummingbird feeders and yes, hummingbirds are blindingly fast. I kept going for faster and faster shutter shots and still didn’t really get anything sharp, but the experience of seeing these frantic little things zip in, out, around, and all over was lovely.

It wasn’t very clear from the excursion blurb provided by the cruise line ahead of this trip but we’d got it into our heads that the trip would mostly involve walking through the canopy on bridges. That was not the case. There were hanging bridges but they were fairly well spaced apart and some were low to the ground, crossing streams or small gullies, while a few were higher up the trails. When things are low down and high up then you know you’re in for more climbing than you’d anticipated and with my wife having a track record of falling nearly every time there’s a set of steps or slope somewhere we were a smidge concerned, especially given the moist conditions everywhere. I’m happy to report that there were no incidents.

In terms of plant life in the Costa Rican cloud forest, if you liked green things – leaves and moss – then you were in for a treat. Actually, we did and do like those things so that was okay, but there were a few splashes of colour from flowers along the twisting, turning, zig-zagging, ascending, and descending trail we followed, including some nice orchids.

At around the lowest point of this walk we were tracking alongside a narrow, shallow stream of water when our guide stopped us and pointed out a viper curled up by a log barely half a metre from where we could all pass in front of it. There was also a small path behind the log that people could walk instead and many in our group did but we’re not bothered by snakes and generally they’re not too bothered by us so this was a great opportunity to get up close to something like this in its natural environment.

From the lowest point then it was pretty much all up on the way back and there was one brief stop on the way which was good in that it gave us a chance for a breather – why do these sorts of things always pause a lot to point things out on the way down and not so much on the way up? – but it was less good in that the reason for this was to point out a lot of cobwebs.

“Tarantulas live in these holes,” smiled our guide. “I’ll just see if I can see if any are occupied and whether I can coax any out.”

I am incredibly pleased to say that our guide was unsuccessful here. We are not spider people.

Back at the entrance to the trail we had a chance to get some food and fruit juices and to fend off questions from fellow tourists and our guide asking if my wife was alright. She flushes easily in the heat and she was in danger of being elected queen of the tomato people (yes, it’s a democratically-chosen position) on account of the general warmth and that last bit of steady upness to the end of the day’s activity.

After a short break there we hopped on our blissfully air-conditioned bus and headed back towards Puntarenas but we stopped on the way at El Jardin for some tourist shopping. As soon as we arrived we realised that we’d stopped here before at the conclusion of our excursion in San José so it was nice to see the same artwork up and to pick up a few items to take back with us once again.

El Jardin gets its name from the beautiful gardens at its rear and we’d have liked to have seen them but the weather had other things in mind. There’s a reason why this part of the world is so green.

In the next post in this cruise travelogue series we’ll have some time to take a bit of a walk around Puntarenas before the ship leaves, something we didn’t do the first time there.