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Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

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2011 Incan Empires Cruise

Sunday, November 27, 2011 – Day 7 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Although this is my fourth time visiting Costa Rica, this is my first time in Limon. I came closest to Limon on my first trip to Costa Rica when I took a boat up to Tortuguero National Park to stay in the jungle for a couple of days.

I signed up to take a shore excursion today, but I’m glad it doesn’t leave until 9AM because I am having a tough time getting motivated this morning. After having some breakfast and my cappuccino, I am finally ready to get out there. When our group leaves the ship to go on our excursion, we discover we will be transported in a big, honkin’ tandem wheeled bus that is so high off the ground, we have to climb a set of stairs that folds down out of the back of the bus. It is air-conditioned and the seats are quite comfortable. There are big windows, and I’m happy the bus is only about half full, so there is lots of room to spread out. Another bonus is the weather – no rain, but overcast so it’s not too hot. The locals tell us the last few days have seen pouring rain, so we are lucky, since the good weather holds for the whole day.

Female Golden Orb spider
Female Golden Orb spider

Eric is our guide and Jose is our driver. They are business partners, and built this vehicle from scratch on a GMC truck chassis. We head south along the coast and then turn inland, traveling along the Banano River past the little community of Bomba, which is where the pumping stations are located for Limon’s municipal water supply. We driver further along the Banano River and then stop for a walkabout. Eric points out all sorts of flora and fauna, include the Golden Orb spider, a Balsa tree, and a red Poison Dart frog.

JoeTourist: Puerto Limon &emdash; Ticos swimming in the freshwater near the Caribbean coastal beach

We carry on along the river and then turn off the road into a banana plantation, where we stop to have a snack and listen to Eric as he explains all about the banana business. Eric mixes a drink called a “Missile”, which is a local liquor called Guaro, a squeeze of local (sweet) lemon, and topped up with Fresca. I prefer to have a local Imperial beer, but those who try the Missile say it is very smooth and refreshing. The good weather is still holding as we return to the ship by 1:30PM. As we travel along the coast there are many Tico families swimming and playing along the shoreline since it is Sunday. Of course they all stop to wave when they see our bus – a bit of a contrast from my experience in Colombia, where the locals either ignored the tour bus or just stared at us.

It is a welcome relief to get back on board the ship, which is really starting to feel like a home away from home. We depart on time, with the First Officer piloting us this afternoon. We now head for the port of Colon to transit the Panama Canal tomorrow morning.

Puerto Limon
Puerto Limon
14 photos
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San Jose to La Ensenada Lodge

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Feb 22, 2009 – Sunday – Tour bus from San Jose to La Ensenada Lodge, Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

Our bus driver Walter at Restaurante Caballo Blanco in Costa Rica in 2009
Our bus driver Walter at Restaurante Caballo Blanco

After a sumptuous breakfast at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, we board the bus and leave for our journey to the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Unlike last year, the upgrading to this section of the Pan American Highway appears to be finished, so we make good time to our lunch stop at Restaurante Caballo Blanco (the White Horse restaurant). As we experienced last year, the meal at this restaurant introduces everyone to the wholesome food Costa Ricans typically prepare for their guests at every meal. Lots of fresh fruit juice, a choice of chicken, beef or fish, vegetables, rice and beans, and a nice dessert to finish. The only downside to this part of the trip is when we find out that our new bus is hermetically sealed, so the engine is kept running the whole time we are in the restaurant in order to keep the cabin from overheating. Some of our group find this to be environmentally irresponsible.

Our guide Jorge tells us a bit about Costa Rica and its people, and what to expect for the next few days as we drive toward La Ensenada Lodge. La Ensenada is as I remember it from last year – a working ranch and farm, raising both cattle, a variety of crops, as well as producing salt from ocean water. It is about 40 degrees Celsius in the hot afternoon as we arrive, and the owners and staff are on hand to greet us and to give us some cold drinks to sip as we are assigned to our cabins. We are also greeted with howler monkeys and iguanas, the other local residents!

Howler Monkey eating cashew fruit
Howler Monkey eating cashew fruit

I have a quick dip in the pool and a shower, and then it is time for dinner. The meal routine for the next few days is: breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, and dinner at 5pm. We are eating dinner earlier than what is normal for Costa Ricans so we have time to setup equipment and get out on the observing field before it gets too dark. As anyone knows who had travelled to the tropics, the sun sets promptly around 6pm, and it gets dark rapidly when there’s no light pollution around.

Clouds cover about half the sky this first night, however a fellow Canadian from Calgary brought down one of the biggest telescopes ever used at this event, so I try out his new 15” Obsession Ultra Compact Dobsonian. The views of M42 Orion Nebula are nothing short of astounding – the blue colour was visible in the reflection nebulae, and the view is very bright with lots of detail. For those who either stay up or wake up around 3am, the clouds mostly disappear by then, giving some of us observing opportunities in the early morning.

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Cape Town

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Southern Africa 2008 – South Africa

November 7, 2008 – Friday – Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Before checking into our Cape Town hotel, Craig and Phineous take us up to Signal Hill. The views of Cape Town’s shoreline and the mountains (including Table Mountain, the Apostles, and the Lion) are spectacular (see above banner image). We then check into the Hollow on the Square Hotel, and I say goodbyes to our guide Craig and our driver Phineous.

One of my fellow solo travellers on the tour and I take the hotel shuttle (R10 each) to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. It is a happening place – the locals are obviously out for dinner on this Friday evening. We manage to get the last unreserved table at the Wang Thai restaurant. It is wonderful Thai food. I have prawns and stir-fried vegetables with steamed rice, a corn meal appetizer and a cappuccino to finish (200 Rand, US$24).

Useful information about Cape Town from our guide

  • The Red and Blue open-top buses offer good self-guided tours of Cape Town. Tickets cost 100 Rand (US$12) for the whole day. Buses run from 9am to 2pm. Buy tickets from the Clock Tower at Victoria & Albert dock. The Blue bus covers the beachfront area, and the Red bus covers the inland area (city & Table Mountain).
  • Robben Island boat tour is closed right now, but it is a 4 hour tour when operating.
  • If restaurants list “SQ” in place of the prices, ask for the price before you order, otherwise you will probably be in for a rude shock when the bill arrives.
  • The red Excite taxis offer the best rates and service in town. Call them on 021 448 4444.
Cape Town
Cape Town
7 photos
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Return to San Jose from La Ensenda Lodge

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2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 9, 2008 – Saturday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge to San Jose, Costa Rica

We spend our last morning at the Lodge comparing observing notes from the night before. Several of the group pulled all-nighters, since the sky was so wonderful. I think it was perhaps the all-time best observing evening I’ve ever experienced. It was warm, the magnitude 6 sky was steady and crystal clear, and of course the temperature was very comfortable at about 25 Celsius. The bonus was virtually no mosquitoes. I don’t know where they went, but it was a welcome relief.

During our time here, I visually observed more than a dozen southern sky objects visible from this latitude of 10 degrees north. Observing from here has driven home the point that I must travel to the southern hemisphere (South Africa, New Zealand or Australia) sometime in the near future. Observing from those locations will reveal a whole new sky to me. After my trip to New Zealand and Fiji in 2004, I’m convinced that the southern hemisphere has more than its fair share of superb celestial objects, and I must add some of them to my observing log within the next few years.

Before leaving the lodge, we have a group photo taken with our guides and lodge staff, settle our bills, leave some tips for the staff, and then climb aboard the bus bound for San Jose. It is a long drive over the mountains, however we stop for lunch at Sarchi. This is also the tourist trap: t-shirts and caps, knickknacks, and the painted ox carts and furniture Sarchi artisans are famous for. After we check-in back at the Courtyard Marriott in San Jose, it’s nice to have a hot shower and get the dust washed off. It’s also wonderful to connect to the Internet, catch up on the news, and post to my JoeTourist travelogue.

We attend a farewell dinner at the nearby Laguagua Cuban restaurant this evening. It is very noisy with a band playing and the service is slow, but it’s nice to have one last meal together before most of the group return home. Some of us are staying in Costa Rica for a few more days to continue on with the Volcanoes and Rainforest tour (starting tomorrow).

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San Jose to La Ensenada Lodge

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Feb 4, 2008 – Monday – San Jose to La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Costa Rica

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

The buffet breakfast in our hotel this morning is included in our tour, so I have a nice Spanish omelet and some very good coffee and juice. There is no rush, since we don’t leave for La Ensenada “Star” Lodge until 10:30am. Our Tico Guide is Diego and Walter is our driver, both from Swiss Tours. Our Travelquest Host is Chuck (from Phoenix), who I met at breakfast as well as Gary Seronik, who is taking care of hosting the astronomy activities. Gary is a Contributing Editor for Sky and Telescope magazine, lives in Victoria, and is a member of RASC Victoria Centre. Rick Feinberg, the Editor-in-chief for S&T is also with us on this tour along with his wife.

Everyone is on the bus on-time and ready to go, with the first stop being a large mall. We have a chance to shop in a local AM/PM and also exchange money for those who need some Colones. We then cross the Central Valley and the hills to the Pacific Ocean, passing through Palmares, San Ramon and Esparza along the way. We stop just past Esparza for lunch at the Restaurante Caballo Blanco (White Horse Restaurant), where we have our choice of beef, chicken or fish. The folks who order the beef tenderloin say it was good, but I saw them chewing a lot! I have the grilled fish, which is served with vegetables and mashed potatoes. I’m resolved to try to avoid eating beans and rice as much as possible on this trip!

Joe on the porch of his cabin at La Ensenada "Star" Lodge
Joe on the porch of his cabin at La Ensenada “Star” Lodge

After being welcomed by the staff at the lodge, settling into our cabins and enjoying some dinner, we get out under the dark skies we came here for. I take a half dozen photos of the Orion area of the sky using my dSLR, which has been modified to allow more infrared wavelengths to hit the sensor. Orion is laying down on his side due to observing from about 10º north of the equator from this location. We are used to observing from our more northern latitude of 48.5º where Orion appears upright.

Widefield night sky centred on Orion