January 11-14

Saturday, Jan 11 – Boarding the Wind Star (Puerto Caldera)

Thankful for a leisurely morning today. Our transport to Puerto Calderas to board the ship was scheduled for 11:15. It’s about an hour and 45 minutes from our hotel to the port, which would put us there around 1:00 when we could check in. It was a beautiful day so we could actually see the countryside as we drove from the rainforest to the coast. The Wind Star is the smallest ship we’ve sailed on (max passengers 148) and check-in was a breeze. We were able to meet our room attendant, Darwis, and start unpacking and grab some lunch before the port talk at 3:15. Then mandatory muster was at 4:30.

While waiting for muster to start Bob asked one of the staff where the restroom was and about the time he walked away I took a second look, thinking, “I recognize this guy!” I touched his arm to get his attention and looked at his name tag and sure enough, he was on the Wind Surf last year when we sailed. Arden looked at me and said, “You remember me?” And I’m thinking, “You remember ME?” LOL He checked us in when we boarded the Surf and was the band manager on board. We admired that guy from the get go – he is so talented (singing and playing)! Today is his first day on the Star and he had some major jet lag going on so he was trying to get his bearings as well. He told us he was playing up by the pool at 5:15 so we went back to our cabin and finished unpacking before going back up for his show and sail away at 6:00. It is such a small world. Juliet is the other half of the duo now and it’s also her first day on the ship – and their first day performing together.

Back in the cabin we finished unpacking and got things sorted out before heading to the pool deck for the show. Juliet has a beautiful voice (and apparently is a hell of a dancer as well). During a break we told Arden one of our favorite songs he did last year was Louis Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and he said he’d do it for us again – even though he was rusty. Man, absolutely amazing. He sounds so much like Louis it’s crazy. We’ll be back in the lounge for the 9pm show after dinner. Can’t wait!

Pulling out of dock we have an almost full moon and a gentle breeze that felt so good. It was a beautiful evening for our first sail away on this cruise. We know the sails are just for looks but with the music and sails going up, it’s just a neat experience.

Our first dinner was really good and we’re enjoying all the staff. Amphora (the dining room) seems plenty spacious enough to accommodate a lot of guests at once, which is probably good since dinner doesn’t start until 7pm. Tonight we dined alone but I’m sure we’ll dine with others at some point.

After dinner we just hung out and waiting for the show at 9. Incredibly there were only a handful of people in the lounge for the show. I don’t know if it’s the whole first night thing and people are still unpacking, or just tired or what. Those of us who were there enjoyed the show and we got a chance to visit with Arden a little bit. Later during their break Juliet came over and we enjoyed meeting her as well. I know they’re just getting to know each other but it looks like they’re going to make a great team together.

I’m so glad we have an afternoon sunset cruise scheduled for tomorrow, so we will have a lazy relaxed morning.

Until tomorrow …

Sunday, Jan 12 – Playa Flamingo (Sunset Cruise)

Our lazy relaxed morning was very nice. We enjoyed just hanging out and having a slow start to our day. We didn’t have to catch a tender to the pier until around 1:00 – the boat left at 1:45 for the afternoon.

We were on the Serendipity sail boat with a crew of three: Captain Jeffrey and mates Christopher and Gerald. After boarding and getting our safety instructions we planted towards the front of the boat with another couple. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water with sails up and a gentle breeze to push us along. The crew could not have done more to make our afternoon more enjoyable. They were attentive and friendly and the food was wonderful!

We enjoyed talking to Lisa and Doug (from Canada) and swapping stories. They live in western Canada and after seeing pics we have another place on our bucket list. After our dip in the water (most snorkeled but we just floated and bobbed) we were treated to amazing chicken tacos and cowboy caviar with chips and crispy plantains – along with some adult beverages as well. Lisa and Doug are traveling with friends, Sue and Olaf, and they joined us at the front for the rest of the afternoon. What fun people!! We all have lots in common, similar personalities and got along great!

As if the day couldn’t get any better, the sunset was spectacular! There were amazing colors of yellow, pinks and oranges. And we had a full moon rising as well. Simply perfect!

On our way back to the tender we were hearing this racket of birds. As we got closer we could see a whole tree filled with what looked like small herons and egrets and holy hell they had a lot to say!!

Back on the ship we got cleaned up, went to dinner, came back to our cabin and I crawled into bed. It was a wonderful day! Tomorrow is a beach day …

Monday, Jan 13 – Playa Flamingo Beach

Coming back from breakfast this morning (FYI Avocado Croast is the same as Avocado Toast but on a croissant) there was an invitation to join Bianca (Destination Manager) and Diego (Naturalist) for dinner tonight. Hmm, that’s different. Diego had a presentation at 4pm on all things (well maybe not ALL things, but a LOT of things) sloths that was very interesting. Bianca had a port talk the day we boarded on the various destinations for this cruise and what to expect, so we had been given a glimpse of her personality. This could be fun!

We had to be back on board by 2pm today so it was a short visit to the beach but at least we got to put our toes in the sand and feel the warm water for a little bit. It is a local, public beach and boy was it hopping! There is only one bar (Coco Loco) that we could see but most of the locals brought coolers and their own food. Kids must still be out of school for the holiday because we saw a lot of families enjoying the beach.

Before we left we had a beer and a couple of tuna tacos at Coco Loco – both were very good! We picked up our first t-shirts from there as well.

Since we were sailing at 3:00 today and had to be on board by 2:00 … guess what that meant? (Insert giggles here …) What comes out at 3:00? And I missed them yesterday because we were on the sunset cruise … Ummm, SCONES!!! I’ve been dreaming about those damn scones for a year! LOL (Insert rolling eyes here …) I was not disappointed. Heavens, who needs desserts when you can get a scone? (I should’ve taken a picture of the empty plate – no I didn’t lick it, but I thought about it!)

Dinner was fun! We had a table of eight. And the conversation flowed throughout the two hour dinner about all kinds of subjects. Diego lives in Costa Rica and Bianca is from Brazil. They each had their stories to share – the most memorable one, I think, from Bianca was on the pink dolphin legend in Brazil. (Basically, there is a legend that pink dolphins – and there really are pink dolphins there – turn into very handsome men at night and woo the ladies for a one night stand. When babies come from those one night stands, they are told their fathers were pink dolphins. And you know I have to look this up, but Bianca swears it’s a true legend – fast forward, just did … son of a gun check this out Brazil’s Pink Dolphin Legend.)

Diego will be leading our (yet another) nature walk early in the morning. We leave at 7:15 so it is best I turn in and get some shut eye for such an early morning. Again.

Tuesday, Jan 14 – Curu (Wildlife Refuge)

Since we had the first excursion of the day at 7:15, Bob ordered room service for breakfast and I was up at the Yacht Club for coffee and a muffin at 6:30. Checked in with Bianca and Diego by 7:00 and boarding the Zodiac right on time. It was easier than I thought it would be for an inflatable rubber boat. The “wet landing” was also not that big of a deal either. And we both just wore our water shoes for the nature walk.

Right off the bat we saw the white faced monkeys (Capuchin) up in the trees – and ultimately all over the place. In the 1.5-2 mile walk we ended up seeing more Capuchin monkeys, Howler monkeys, a couple of deer (smaller variety than we have at home), some coatis, agoutis, another local rodent that resembled a big rat, and a King Fisher bird. Taking a tour to see wild life is always a crap shoot, so while we would’ve loved to have seen a Macaw or two, some parrots and other local wild life, our expectations were pretty low.

By the time we were back on the ship, around 10:30, I had melted a time or two and the first thing I wanted was a shower – then another latte. LOL So that’s what we did, and grabbed a snack to hold us over until lunch started at noon. After lunch we ended up coming back to the cabin – there was no wind up on deck so it was pretty stifling. I tried to read a bit but ended up napping more than reading.

There was a port talk at 6:30 we wanted to see so we got ready for dinner and got some details on some of the upcoming port excursions. Our dinner reservation at Candles (the specialty dining on board) was for 7:00 and we were ready for our filets. Thankfully, it was cooler tonight with a light breeze.

We were back in the lounge by 8:30 waiting for the Crew Talent Show to start around 9:15. The lounge always fills up fast for these talent shows. It did not disappoint! Just like on the Wind Surf last year, there’s a lot of talent on board and we love seeing these crew members show off what they can do outside of pampering us. What great fun we had!!!

Tomorrow is horseback riding to a waterfall. Can’t wait!

Part 2 …