Day Eight - Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
At 6am the metal ship door below our room wakes us up again, as we are heading into Costa Rica. By 6:30 we are docked in Puerto Limon, gives us some time to grab breakfast and watch some dolphins, before we head out on our most exciting excursion yet.
At 7:30 we are loaded onto a bus for the 2 hour drive deep into the rain forest for a canopy tour via zipline and the big finish a 700 meter line called the AdrenaLine. Two great things, because of the physical nature of the tour the "I need assistance" count is way down, and our guide is much more low key and informative about Costa Rica... This is going to be a much better day.
Along the way we pass one of the other tour buses that has been in a car accident. There is a couple ambulances, hopefully everyone is ok, and it doesn't ruin their day.
The countryside is amazing and it gets denser and greener the further we go.
When we finally arrive, we transfer in smaller groups that take us up the hillside higher in the canopy, and we climb a series of paths to the prep area where we will be strapped buckled and carabeenered.
Up several flights of stairs and we are ready to be clipped in for the first of 7 zips. Each lines starts in a tree deck and traverses that section of forest to another tree platform.
It's a thrilling experience to glide along the treetops looking out across this vast forest. One hand on the carabeener to prevent yourself from spinning, and the other free to hold my video camera.
After the 7th line we get back in the small bus and are taken back up to the top for the AdrenaLine, this would be the ultimate zip, taking you across the whole valley and over a river... Absolutely amazing.
We get some time to refresh and grab a snack/ shop for some souvenirs before getting back in the bus for the 2 hour drive back to the boat.
A couple areas have yellow Caution tape as there is 2 small very poisonous snakes curled up on the edge of the trails. The fer-de-lance has come to be regarded as the most dangerous snake in the Panamanian jungles, chiefly because it is the commonest of the vipers. The speed of its strike it so fast that the eye can hardly follow it, although its striking range is very short (6 to 10 inches). It is said that the mongoose which invariably masters the cobra, has only a 50-50 chance with the fer-de-lance. Good thing they have that Yellow Caution tape tied to the bush above them.
The driver has a few words as we unwrap our boxed lunches and we get an hour of quiet time on the way back to chat and nap. Some more info about Costa Rica for the last hour of the drive and we are back at the Zuiderdam... Now that is what an excursion is supposed to be!
The view from our balcony is pretty spectacular tonight!
For the second night in a row I somehow ended up with 2 dinners, I asked our waiter Deka for the braised short ribs, and he tells me some guests said they were fatty. So I changed my order to spiced prawns, and when the meal comes I have both delivered... So I pick and choose the best off the plates between them. I am seriously starting a new fitness plan when we get back, or at least limiting myself to 1 dinner a day.
Feeling much better we head to the 10:00 show, tonight is 'Strings of Fire', a Polish violinist with a band. He does a variety of variations on classic pieces, and has a sound similar to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Good show, but probably one of the most awkward performers when he has a mic in his hand, he needs to take some of our Presentation Skills classes.
How does happy hour last all night long? can't wait to see our bar bill. Back to the Northern Lights for a while to tear up the dance floor until the music goes south, then we wrap up at the Piano Bar, and sit around the Piano with Terry & Joe until its last call, listening to classics by the Beatles, Elton John, Billy Joel and Bob Seger.
Last days at Sea
The time we gained as we moved from Curaçao to Costa Rica is now being taken back as we head Northeast from Limon to Ft. Lauderdale. Before we got to sleep, we moved our clocks ahead 1 hour, another hour tonight, but it's not so bad when you can sleep in.
The winds came up, so it was a refreshing bouncy day hanging on the back deck in the sunshine... It's our last 2 days of this warm weather so we have to take advantage of it, even if your towel would blow off the boat if it wasn't tied down or wedged under something. In a span of a couple hours, 2 towels, 3 chair cushions, a carrying bag and a bright pink Croc blow past me.
We were a little late for dinner as we had some photos taken on our last formal dinner night. Tonight's meal was awesome as usual, surf n' turf, prime rib and lobster... Seriously I need to start working out. We had some good laughs with Joe & Terry, before heading to the show, a song and dance number featuring the costumes of Bob Mackie.
Our dinner friends, Terry & Joe
A crazy Dessert Buffet started at 10:30, all the chefs on board create a huge assortment of pieces-of-art that are made of cake, chocolate, all kinds of baking. If we weren't so full from Prime Rib & Lobster, maybe I would have had more than a few fruits dipped in chocolate.
We caught a couple songs by a great band, Regina and the HALcats, then spent the rest of the night at the Northern Lights before heading back to the room and turning the clocks ahead again. Greeting us in the room tonight, a towel monkey hanging from the ceiling, maybe the best creation yet.
We had a good sleep-in on our last full day at sea, before heading up for lunch. I have this elder crowd figured out now... Eat lunch at 11:30 with no lineups, then at the stroke of 12, the grey hairs rise like zombies and head to the lunch buffet. At 12 we head to the pool and have our choice of pool-side chairs that have been vacated by the zombies... perfect planning!
This afternoon was a wonderful show by the Island Magic Steel Band. Today's show was a mix of Beatles, Abba, and even John Denver all played to the unique sounds of the steel drums. So glad to have experienced this band twice.
The Caribbean Sea was much calmer today as we spent the rest of the afternoon on the top deck enjoying the warm sun and winds.
The view from our dinner table is pretty spectacular tonight!
Our final dinner was a mix of dishes from around the world, dessert was also a mix, but the highlight was the Baked Alaska parade, as the staff all danced through the dining area carrying flags, twirling towels, and the waiters had the baked Alaska on platters. Our waiters Deka and Dika make our last meal another fantastic experience... I'll miss being waited on every night, right Norine?
The last night, so we reviewed our ship photos and picked a few to purchase, and the photo girl threw a couple extra into our package. After that we hung out with Terry and Joe at the Piano Bar singing along with classics, before we had to pack it in to "pack it in", as we had to have our bags ready to go outside the room by 1am.
One more Holland America breakfast, and we find some comfy seats in a lounge while we wait for our call to disembark. Better to hang out in the ship lounge for a while than the airport lounge... And then it was time to go.
A little quality time in the airport, then we are on our US Airways flight to Phoenix, then Vancouver. A fantastic getaway from the cool rains of Vancouver, some very unique ports of call, and now it's time to start thinking about our next destination, hmmm... New Zealand, Philippines, Antartica, Russia, cross-Canada, so many places to go, and some more great places to cross of our list.