Near the pier, we joined a group with Odyssey tours. (about $80 per person) We drove through an area where monkeys are known to frequent, but the monkeys did not get the memo.
Our group stopped at a roadside market for fresh fruit smoothies. Mine was pineapple-coconut. I also found my Costa Rica postcard here. There was no trouble spending US Dollars.
We drove to the Tarcoles river and took a river cruise with Crocodile Man Tours to see a variety of wildlife.
They gave us a helpful card identifying the different species of birds we might encounter.
We saw turtles……
and many birds…
and our crazy crocodile man got out of the boat to hand-feed a wild crocodile. We also met another crocodile named Elvis. Both were over 10 feet long.
Next, we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch.
I had some tasty fish.
When we left the restaurant, we made a stop for souvenir shopping where I found my usual purchases at each port: locally produced coffee and a Christmas ornament.
Odyssey tours dropped us off near the ship and we wandered through some local vendors. I found a beautiful necklace and had my picture made with the local artisan who crafted it.
If I ever return to Costa Rica…
I hope to find those elusive monkeys. I would also like to go to Monteverde and see the cloud forest and the orchid garden. The orchid is the national flower of Costa Rica, and there are supposed to be over 1400 different species blooming all year around.
Next port: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
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