It is rainy and overcast, a dismal morning as we slide silently out of the fog. The mountains in the distance are pretty, with clouds hanging around the foothills and valleys, much like the Great Smoky Mountains of the eastern US. The floor mat in the elevator says “Monday,” so we must be in Limón, Costa Rica.
The port town of Limón is just the opposite of Cartagena. From a bustling, urban center to a rural, coastal town that would normally intrigue us, they are two different worlds. Puntarenas, Costa Rica, on the Pacific side was a great place to visit, and we spent the day walking the whole area when we were there just the year before. Even though Puntarenas suffered from a loss of tourism since COVID, it was still fun to see and meet the people.
We unfortunately watched the on-board video about what to do in Limón. We probably would have disembarked if we had not seen the video. The rain certainly did not make it any more attractive, so we went to the dining room for a leisurely breakfast. Besides, Ilse is a little under the weather so we decide to rest and take it easy. We spent the day reading and touring the ship, checking the nooks and crannies, and even the decks we hadn’t seen yet.
We find the MS Vasco Da Gama - she was docked in Cartagena with us - already moored on the other side of the pier. The Vasco da Gama is on a world tour, but being an older ship, she does not have a water distillation system and must take on drinking water in port. Several of the water tankers back cautiously through the departing passengers to meet the boat. On the adjacent pier is another cruise ship, with gaudy German advertising slogans oddly emblazoned on the hull, the TUI Cruise's MS Mein Schiff.
We watch people scurrying down the pier to board their respective buses, umbrellas and rain gear everywhere.
Reading on the balcony was an odd pleasure because the port has a small, square tent right at the edge of the dock where a gentleman plays a guitar through a very, very loud amplifier. His music carries all the way to the ship’s stern. He is a very good singer, and his repertoire included the old Caribbean cruise-ship standards like Yellow Bird and Red, Red Wine, and we actually enjoyed the music. He even played my personal Caribbean favorite, One Ton Tomato, but when he finally repeated Yellow Bird, that was that.
There are hundreds of new cars and trucks in several lots scattered around the dock area that belie the poverty stricken image of the area, but we still aren’t enticed to step off the boat.
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| The Vasco da Gama slips quietly away, resuming her 118 day world cruise |
Passengers returned to the ship during the late afternoon and early evening hours, but darkness gently overwhelmed the oddly colored daylight, and soon we had an empty, quiet dock. Even the musician finally closed his tent flaps and walked out carrying his guitar, but we remained moored securely to the pier.
Our scheduled departure time came and went while we remained docked. An eerie quiet fell over us as several ship’s officers walked around the dock area, seemingly powerless, one of them looking at his watch occasionally. Twenty minutes turned into forty minutes and the Captain finally announced we were waiting for a tour to return from the mountains that had been delayed. The longer we waited, the quieter it got.
The mist-shrouded hills showed some auto traffic, but too far from us to be recognized. Sirens could faintly be heard up in the hills, obviously getting louder as they came closer, and soon red and blue flashing police lights could be seen coming down toward the ship. Not a few lights, but many lights, and with many sirens. By the time they came into view, half of the ship was on their balconies.
The tour bus sped onto the parking lot at the foot of the pier led by an entourage of five, highly visible police motorcycles. It was followed by a police pickup truck, its lights also flashing.
The passengers all seemed quite amused by the spectacle as they stepped off the bus and headed for the gangway. I’m sure they appreciated the police escort through traffic and whatever else that caused their delay and were happy to get back to the ship safely.
Even though we have another sea-day tomorrow, I’m sure the captain was happy as well, time to leave for Grand Cayman, our last stop of the cruise.
Next; Coming Soon - Grand Cayman
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