Costa Rica

Quote of the Day: “I was the Mayor of Worthing last year. It rotates, and you do it for 12 months. I got to wear all the gear and the carry the gold mace (flashes photo conveniently carried in bag). And whenever I went anywhere dressed like this, I got a security officer to protect me.”



Puntarenus in Costa Rica was a bit of a dive. Not much at the end of the pier, apart from a row of craft stalls, where one person got his camera snatched. So it didn’t leave the greatest of impressions. Fortunately I went “Princessing” (slightly derogatory term used to denote taking a tour organized by the ship, rather than doing your own thing, or taking a private tour or taxi). Seeing I’m a regular coffee drinker, I thought I should go to the coffee plantation. Great decision, as it’s a lot cooler at 1200 meters than down at sea level.

ABC

The drive was supposed to take about an hour and a half, but took longer due to road works. Once we arrived, we were taken in small groups around the plantation and processing areas, where the whole process of coffee production was explained. And of course there was coffee and T-shirts to purchase. I decided to leave the brewing of my coffee to the very able barristers back in Wellington.

The plantation itself was quite stunning – hundreds of acres of coffee trees, as well as gardens and forests. Lovely to be out in the countryside for a couple of hours. The drive back took us through the town of Sachi, with its cute church, and the largest hand painted oxcart in the world. Now why is it that we humans come up with a good idea (like an oxcart), then feel the need to build a totally impractical super-sized version of it? Is it just to gain an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, or does it fill some greater need? I pondered this over a glass or two of fine wine during the evening…



Over the top!