COFFEE IN COSTA RICA

AT SEA—RELAXATION
Thursday, February 11, 2010
We decided to have breakfast in the buffet again. TK is getting into Eggs Florentine. After breakfast we went to the lecture about Puntarenas, Costa Rica. I truly appreciate having someone knowledgeable provide specific information about the ports of call.

Because of the heat (90s+), I stayed in the covered pool area with wooden padded chaise lounges to read my next book, The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer. Apparently the Supreme Court Justices’ law clerks are the 10th Justice. Intrigue, blackmail, go figure. I finished The Shooters by W.E.B. Griffin, a book with 650 pages of background and 70 pages of action. Later we went to the open pool deck and I read while TK watched the movie (I told him that he should have gone to see it when I took B1 and her friend L.

For dinner we had ham/ricotta flan, cucumber soup, Hawaiian fruit medley with crushed macadamia nuts, prime rib with corn on the cob, New York cheesecake, and lemon and lime souffle.

Tonight the MUTS was Star Trek XI. Since we already saw it, we watched the last half hour.

Observation: Sea days are relaxing and that is what we do! Not really much to report.
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TK’s Takes: He pointed out an U.S. Navy AWAC plane flying by quite low near the deck. He said there must be an aircraft carrier nearby. This is the kind of plane that has a radar dome. He came in 4th place in the Slots tournament and won a baseball cap. There were about 40 players. It is very hot. He likes the fact that someone pushes a cookie cart around the pool deck mid afternoon offering warm chocolate chip or double chocolate cookies and milk.


Friday, February 12, 2010 / 90s and sunny with clouds in the distance
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
I love Costa Rica. Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America, is a small coastal town on the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica, population about 4.5 million, is known as the “Switzerland of Central America.” There are tall mountains with some peaks as high as 13,000 ft. above sea level. It is also known for its agriculture---rice, coconuts, mangos, bananas, cashews, sugar cane, coffee, cattle, and orchids (800 varieties). It has the perfect climate for vegetation—ornamental plants like ferns are exported, too. Costa Rica has 750 species of birds, 150 species of frogs, and 2500 species of native plants. It is illegal to cut down any tree unless it is a plantation tree. It seems like these countries are very aware of the environment and ecology.

We met Daniel of SwissTours early this morning and boarded an air-conditioned mini bus with about 20 other people. Daniel’s English was impeccable—he lived in New York City as a boy for 10 years. He was extremely knowledgeable and loved his native country. We traveled the country side for the next three hours and he narrated. He said that the Costa Rican people are very happy with the new lady president, Laura (I did not catch her last name). He said that Costa Rica has no military and children go to school 200 days a year. People pay 9% of their salary for health insurance and the employer pays 12%, all citizens are fully covered by this universal health plan. Unemployment is 5%. If someone wants a job, jobs are available. They have no welfare system. Sixty-five percent of the population is considered middle class. Roads have been improved and things are looking up for Costa Rica.

We passed a very large tuna factory and then traveled the PanAm Highway for a short while. Daniel said it goes from Chile to Alaska. When we passed sugar cane fields, he told us that harvesting sugar cane is very dangerous and does not pay well. Harvesters wield machetes to cut the cane. They can get sliced on the sharp leaves and the velvet pit python, the most abundant poisonous snake in Costa Rica, lives in the fields. A good worker can collect 8 baskets of sugar cane a day, but he faces danger. Sugar cane is sold for $7 a ton. Another snake that is not quite as abundant is the poisonous bushmaster.

Interestingly, when we were talking to one of our waiters at dinner about the sugar cane harvesting, he (Praba Karan from India) said that in India sugar cane goes for $22 a ton. The field worker in India faces cobras in the cane fields.

We passed many many black termite nests in trees alongside the roads. Average size was about 18 inches by 12 inches-they were mostly oval or round shaped. Daniel said that termites were a “blessing”—they only eat dry old wood and turn it into compost. Also, monkeys and other animals eat termites, they are part of the food chain. We also saw howler monkeys and a keel billed toucan in the trees.

There are two seasons in C.R. wet and dry. This is the dry season and trees were flowering. We saw yellow, white, orange, magenta, red, and pink flowering trees in abundance—so absolutely beautiful. The yellow flowering tree is the yellow Cortez and the orange flowering tree is the Pora Pora, the coral tree. We saw lemon trees too as we passed on the road.

During one bump in the road, Daniel said that it was a repaired “fault” from a 6.4 Richter scale earthquake 8 months ago. Forty people died. There are 6-8 active volcanoes in Costa Rica. The worst eruption in recent history occurred in 1991. There are virtually no hurricanes here, only the residual rain.

We stopped at for a coffee tour at a small factory, Britt (www.coffeetour.com). We walked through the coffee trees and the factory for an explanation of how the coffee trees are grown and the beans harvested. TK was selected to do “cupping the coffee,” a job that requires tasting from batches of coffee to ensure that it is good. He was very good at this job! We purchased coffee here, of course, and TK is anxious to share some with daughter in law C.

After the tour we had a delicious Costa Rican meal of lettuce and tomato, tilapia, beef, chicken, rice, beans, and fruit (melon and mango) with superb coffee.

On our way back to the ship we stopped at one of the nicest souvenir shops I have ever visited. Of course purchases were made. When we passed an estuary not too far from Puntarenas, we saw wood storks, white herons, a great blue heron, a needle duck/snake bird, a multicolored heron, and a yellow bellied bird.

Dinner tonight was French: escargot (TK), fruit kebabs with poppy seed/yogurt dressing, roasted pumpkin and turnip soup, French onion soup, Cordon Bleu veal escalope, and raspberry crème brulee.

While I was reading on the balcony late this evening, I heard a splash and thought someone threw something overboard. Then I heard a big splash. I looked down at the sea and saw a big fish, about 8 ft. long. TK thinks the water is too warm for a whale or a dolphin. I’m just glad that no one was jumping in!

TK’s Takes: He could live in Costa Rica. The coffee was superb. His name was announced on Princess TV for his response to who invented the first flushing toilet.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Today was a busy sea day. I went to the port show about Puertes Amador, Cartagena, and Aruba. It did get tiresome because of the details about all the ship-approved shops. From there I headed to the “Emerald Event” for some insight about emeralds. TK went to the lecture about Panama City. Then I made two posters for the Panama Canal passage—probably they will not be very visible on the Internet, but the ship’s videographers and photographers will catch them. I also went to the lecture about Cartagena and its history. I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing my book, The Tenth Justice—a very predictable ending.

Dinner tonight: potato latkes with smoked salmon, artichoke bisque “Gremolata,” chilled orange and Lipton tea soup, broiled lobster claw with Louisiana style crab cakes, banana cream pie, and chocolate brownie with roasted macadamia nut mousse.

TK’s Takes: The first day of rain, although the sea was calm. The foghorn was blowing. He does not like formal nights and could survive without them. He noticed that lobster tails were served at the Lido Deck buffet for dinner too.