Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

We’re not leaving today. Very strong chance we’re leaving tomorrow morning. Just not today.

First order of the day was getting to the customs depot in San Jose by 8am. I left the boat around 6am and made it to the region of the airport in good time. My instructions were to look for a named building/address (not sure which) about 1.5km from the airport. I must have looped back some because I had to stop to ask directions and found I had to go back the way I came to find the building.

Using the piece of paper the marina manager had written on for directions I was first directed to the Fed Ex customs office where I was told to go somewhere else. Following these new instructions I walked to the warehouse where I present my paperwork. Within 10 minutes our package was visible inside the building. I asked if I could take it but was told to wait for customs to arrive at 9am – another 45 minutes away.

I walked off to find somewhere to eat and found one of the many ‘Sodas’ which sell food. I picked a fried cheesy thing (tasted as good as it sounds) and a coffee. Having used up all my small change on tolls I gave the lady 10,000 colones. She couldn’t change it so she gave me the food and coffee for free. Nice.

Back at the warehouse I waited until 9am and the arrival of the customs agents. I chatted to a ‘Canadian Tico’, Carlos, identified by his Canada tee shirt who now lived here and spoke the local language perfectly. Carlos proved to be an asset as the morning progressed explaining to me what what going on. As we were both in a similar situation we ended up staying together all the way through.

Once the computer switching on / jabbering to each other ceremony had been completed the paperwork began. Our biggest threats were the agents with piles of items to clear but fortunately we seemed to work our way through reasonably quickly. We were soon taken into the warehouse where our packaged were open and the contents inspected. Then the officers went back to their computers and their paperwork. After another wait I was presented my bill. I had to pay the customs 72 colonies. 72!!! The US$ exchange rate is something above 500 to the dollar so that amounts to something a little less than 14 cents. In UK terms that’s 9p. 9 pence!!!! Of course they couldn’t take the money directly and it had to be paid so Carlos and I had to go to the nearby (short driving distance) bank to pay our 9 pence in.

Returning to the warehouse area we then went to the office that ran the warehouse which was a private company. There was a fee to pay for privilege of having our stuff detained by customs. We took tickets and waited our turn only to be told we needed proof that customs had accepted the proof from the bank that our 9 pence had been paid in. So we went and rejoined the scrum in the customs office to show our stamped papers from the bank so that they could in turn stamp them to show they had looked at it and confirmed the 9 pence payment.

Back at the warehouse office we again took tickets to wait our turn to pay for the forced storage. Being a private concern the warehouse had a different idea of enterprise charging me 3,300 colonies for holding the parcel (about 6 bucks). With proof I had paid for the privilege of having my goods withheld to extract the 9 pence from me I was able to go back to the customs office to get some new paperwork (duly stamped) that enabled me to have the package released from the warehouse. I thought I was home free except for being stopped by security less than 10 seconds after having been given the package to double check (and stamp our papers to confirm the double check) that I had the right package.

At the exit to the compound I said my goodbyes to Carlos thanking him for all his help, got in the car and drove back to Puntarenas reaching the marina about 11:50. I asked the girl in reception for directions to the immigration office – a difficult conversation when neither of us spoke the others language. I ended up with a map scrawled on a piece of paper which was almost right – enough to find the place. On the way there I picked up our propane. Processing our passports took a while but there were no obstacles.

The next stops were customs (for clearance) and the port captains office for our international zarpe – the one thing we really need. Both these were 20km away in the port of Caldera so off I went. The customs office was a bit slow and took a while to print out my clearance. They checked every piece of paperwork I had and fortunately found nothing wrong. Next stop was the port captains office. They again inspected everything and discovered that the customs office had put the wrong date on their paperwork and refused to process me until I’d gone back. Back at customs the guy who dealt with me had gone but someone else reworked everything and gave me a correct form which I took back to the port office.

The girl there inspected everything again and then told me (I think as it was all in Spanish) that the port captain wasn’t there and that I could either pay some more money to get my papers a 6 this evening or wait until 8am tomorrow. Leaving well after 6pm was not an option so it has to be tomorrow.

On the way back to Puntarenas I stopped off at the DoubleTree resort to pick up the guy who I had to take to the marina who would return the car. He was due to return in 5 minutes so I sat down to wait. I fell asleep. I think it ended up being around 45 mins but I have no idea really. I eventually got back to the marina and onto the boat and related my days tale to Helen and John over a much needed beer. As with this blog entry I left the worst til last. On the way to the airport I had really tried to be good with the speed limit. As far as I could tell it was 80km/h most of the way. However, coming out of one toll booth the speed limit (I learned from the officer with whom I had a long conversation) was only 40km/h and he’d clocked me doing 92km/h. A large part of me thought I’d just take the ticket and not pay but I was not in a mood to risk much and so let the policeman lead me into the direction of an on the spot fine. He’d showed me other tickets of around US$200 for similar offences so an on the spot fine of $50 didn’t seem so bad. I learned later that Costa Rica are having a huge program against traffic offenses and I’d just got caught up in it.

So, for my 9p ($0.14) government charge for holding my tax exempt pump I’ve had to pay for an additional days car hire, about $20 in fuel, $6 in warehouse fees, $10 in road tolls, about $55 in fines, another nights marina fees and seen a small tree converted into paperwork. I’ve run out of words.

A day of ups and downs. I first went ashore to ask the marina manager to talk to Fed Ex to find out what was up. Fed Ex told him that they couldn’t find the place on Monday and that’s why nothing had been delivered. Note that the marina is on the only road into Puntarenas and has it’s name emblazones on a 2 meter high sign over the entrance. Fed Ex seem now to employ blind drivers.

I hadn’t mentioned that on Monday I had spent an hour waiting in the Banco de Costa Rica to pay one of the fees necessary to leave the country. I was following the instructions given to me by the marina manager but the bank officials sent me away with some incompatible instructions and some bits of paper. I had told the marina manager my experience and today he sent me with one of his staff to explain things. We again went to the bank and spent about half an hour waiting by a door only to be not let into the back office and told to get a ticket like everyone else. My ticket was number 49. Why most of the 50s, 60s and 70s were called before my number 49 I have no idea but after 80 minutes of playing with my thumbs I got to argue my point with the same guy that sent me out yesterday. This time I had Markos on my side who explained everything and soon I had the appropriate receipt following, of course, the appropriate handover of Colonies – the local currency.

The next stop, to pay for my zarpe, was a breeze. We went into the municipal building and following some more colonies handed over I now had a receipt for my zarpe (clearance papers). At this point Markos and I parted company. Markos indicated that I did not have to go to Caldera to immigration and that I was now free to leave. Feeling relieved I had less to do than I thought I tipped him well. During this time Helen and John had been really busy cleaning the topside of the boat which was getting dirty after all these days in Puntarenas.

Back on the boat we had a quick lunch before Helen and I went out for our almost final provisioning. We brought back all the food and put it away (at least Helen did) before realizing we had forgotten the bread of all things. At 4pm I had 1 hour before I had to hand the car back so I whizzed off into the main shopping area and picked up the bread. I decided to wait ashore for the guy who was coming to collect the car. While waiting the marina manager came to me with the ‘package’. My spirits were high. Could we really be off in the morning?

No.

The ‘package’ was just the paperwork and no pump. The manager called Fed Ex to say that the pump had been held by customs and I needed to go to San Jose to clear it. Why they were unable to tell us this in the morning when I could have used the car I don’t know. I went outside and found the guy who had come to collect the car and asked if I could keep it one more day. This turned out ok. In my conversations with the marina manager I also learned that what I had been told by his chap was incorrect and that I still had to visit immigration and customs, etc.

So. We’re not leaving in the morning. I’m off around 6am to drive to San Jose to sort out this pump which I’m beginning to wish I’d never ordered (and Helen saying she told me so). I’ll come back and do immigration in Puntarenas and pick up our propane. I think I have to go to Caldera to get my zarpe but I’ll review that once I’ve done immigration. There is a small possibility I could be done with all this and out before dusk tomorrow but that is a slim hope.

Life on a boat.

So far most things are going smoothly. None of the boat checks have revealed anything to fix or do. All the batteries are showing good voltages and fluid levels which surprised me given the motoring we have done in the last couple of months. The only thing that is looking to cause us a headache is the replacement shower sump pump we ordered. It was due to arrive today but it’s currently stuck in the capital San Jose with an invalid address exception. I have got onto the company we ordered it from to try and resolve but who knows what will happen with this.

We extended the hire car for a 7th day. We get 7 days for the price of 6 and the only extra we have to pay is for insurance. That took the pressure off yesterday and allowed us to relax a little, particularly during the heat of day which leaves us sweating profusely. I took two trips into town to sort a few things out including filling our used propane tank. That will take two days for collection which we can pickup at 9am tomorrow morning. This is the time we want to be refuelling then leaving to catch the high tide out of here. We have some leeway on this but this will be interesting. May be all academic if we can’t resolve the Fedex issue today.

We ended the day having a delicious Chinese meal in town.

Today I expect to do the runs to clear out. I wish I didn’t have the uncertainty about the part as this is the last day we’ll have the car and the customs and immigration offices are 12 miles away. It’ll be a pain if this doesn’t work out.

The drive from Arenal to the airport took about three hours. Fortunately we were not stuck behind any slow moving traffic on the narrow roads but we did have to wait for a truck having problems on the road for about 5 mins and for about an hour we had really thick fog. At the airport we quickly checked the flight and departure was on time. We had three hours so we popped to a nearby restaurant for drinks and lunch. Helen, John and I had only a small appetizer as we were due to meet Jason for another lunch later. Ben and Jess were facing current day airline food so needed feeding.

After dropping them off we headed off to meet Helen’s ex-colleague Jason outside a huge supermarket called Hipermass. We had 3/4 hour to spare so we shopped meeting Jason at the end where he helped us at the check out.

We followed Jason to his home which was right next to the school where he currently teaches. We stayed there a while before going out for an excellent rotisserie chicken meal at a nearby local establishment. Our thanks to Jason for this meal.

We were soon on the road back to Puntarenas along a newly built highway/road. It took much less time than we expected and were aboard before dusk. We’d left the freezer on while away and had no idea how the electrics had stood. We must have had plenty of sunshine and wind while we were away as we found the batteries topped up which was pleasing.

We loaded all our shopping aboard and set about settling in. John’s PC and Helen’s eReader had both run into problems while we were on the road. John was able to fix his PC with his repair disk. I earned a few brownie points by fixing the buttons on Helen’s eReader.

Today we have lots to do. We need to check out everything on the boat to make sure there are no impending issues. The dinghy needs to be prepared for ocean travel. I need to drive 20km south to Caldera to check out of the country. We need to do some final shopping. We had hoped to leave tomorrow but high tide is at 8am leaving us little time for contingency. We are expecting a replacement sump pump to be delivered tomorrow. Right now it’s in the capital and could possibly arrive today which would allow us to possibly leave tomorrow. It’s looking more like Wednesday now. When we do leave we want to stop somewhere nearby to check / clean the hulls one more time before setting off for the Galapagos. The current wind forecasts suggest a very slow ride but that won’t stop us. Reports from other boats suggest winds a little stronger than we see on our downloads so we’ll see when we’re out there.

We did a good job getting off the boat, over the river in the panga and into the car by 6:30 in the morning. The drive to Monteverde was simple enough although the last 10 miles were along a dirt road. This was fine until we came up behind a truck with no intentions to let us pass by. Nevertheless we were in the town of Monteverde by around 8:30.

It was delightful to be up in cool fresh air away from the heat and humidity of Puntarenas. The town was quaint and obviously aimed at local area tourism with plenty of restaurant, concessions, bars and hostels. We sat down and ate our packed sandwiches before having a little wander around. On the main street was a lovely looking restaurant built up around a tree. It looked a little pricey but they had ribs on the menu and other attractive fare.

We decided to check out our accommodation, Cabinas Capulin, a short way out of town. As expected the place wasn’t ready yet but we were able to speak to one of the English speaking brothers about local attractions. We decided to drive further up the ‘road’ to Selvatura where we took their canopy hike which included 8 suspension bridges.

This was a great experience. We were immersed in the sounds of the rain forest which was incredibly peaceful. The bridges took us through and over the forest canopy. The variety of scenery and foliage was quite stunning.

After the walk we visited their reptile and amphibian house. This was interesting although we saw little more than one would see in a reptile house in a decent zoo. We therefore considered it a little pricey for what we got.

After this we drove back to our cabins to find it was all ready. The ‘casa’ we have looked a little boxey on the outside but inside it is very nice. The inside is all wood. We have four bedrooms including two doubles so we have plenty of room. Outside the views are pleasant. From the upstairs we can see all the way to the Pacific Ocean or at least the Golfo de Nicoya.

In the afternoon we went back into town to have a look around. We separated by generation but as it seems to happen with us we bumped into each other in the same bar. The kids had stopped by for a beer and we were just looking in. We ended up having a long conversation with the owner ‘Ran’ who gave us some very good feedback on the local attractions. He also told us what he thought the best accommodation was in Arenal which turns out to be the same place as we’ve already booked: Essence Arenal. That was reassuring.

We split up again to do our various things. Helen and I booked all the attractions we’re interested in for the time we’re here.

We again bumped into each other in the main street so we visited the supermarket together before heading back to the cabin for a rest. We had one little piece of unplanned excitement when we spotted a scorpion near Ben’s head. While it was probably harmless I don’t think Jess was too impressed.

In the evening we walked into town to eat at the Treetop restaurant. While very nice in appearance it turned out to have mediocre food and was pricier than first thought. I wouldn’t recommend it. We followed this by returning to the bar we’d met up in earlier as they were celebrating St Patrick’s Day there. The festivities hadn’t yet started so we chatted for a while outside around a fire and a beer each. Helen and I left the younger ones there and took a taxi back to the cabin.

Today we have a lot planned although all of it after a bit of a lie in. We’re going on a zip line adventure followed by the option of rappelling down some waterfalls. We’ll have an hour back at the cabin before going out on an evening/night hike. The only flaw is the latest we can have breakfast here is 7:30am which messes up the lie in.

The day started with some underwater searching. A small piece of metal had fallen off one of the saucepans while Helen had been washing it around dawn. We’d sunk a large bottle shortly after thinking that it would make a good marker. John, Ben and I all searched for both the bottle and/or metal band but the only things found were a clothes peg and something unmentionable.

We had around 10 knots of wind for our trip to Puntarenas but guess what, it was on the nose again. We could have tacked our way but that would have taken a lot longer and time is precious with the family here on limited time.

We again had lines out to see if we could catch something. Closing in on Puntarenas we came upon a patch of sea with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds either sitting in the water or circling above. There was a lot of fish activity which in turn was attracting the birds. I circled Dignity through and around a few concentrations of activity and we picked up a fish on one of the lines. Sadly, it got away as Ben was hauling it in. It did look like a Spanish Mackeral from the distance.

Arriving at the west end of Puntarnas just past the ferry dock we contacted the Costa Rica Yacht Club who advised us to wait til 12:30 when the tide would be higher and a panga would come to show us in. We had lunch while waiting and around 1:15 the panga came. As we progressed further up the estuary the heat and humidity rose higher and higher. We had been expecting a mooring ball but were given a dock on the far side of the river from the club. We weren’t quite ready to make the dock the first time as we had to change our lines quickly. The current was nearly two knots so I had to turn and swing in again so we could tie up.

The kids had to get off the boat quickly as we were all pouring with sweat. They called the panga over and headed off while Helen and I got on with finalizing our plans for the next few days and some boat chores. We both eventually went ashore too. After exploring the club for a short while we went out on the road and started walking towards town.

We saw the kids board a bus in the distance and decided to do the same. It gave them a surprise in town when we appeared right in front of them crossing the road. We wandered around town for a while checking out supermarkets for our later provisioning before returning by bus to the yacht club.

We all returned to the boat for our shower gear and headed back to the club. The kids used the pool and showers while I sorted out the rental car which had just arrived. Helen arrived later on. We had a beer by the pool before going to the club house for dinner.

We’ll be off soon. We’ve rearranged our itinerary a little. We’ll drive to Monteverde and stay there for three days before heading off for one night at Arenel. We’re all looking forward to this not least for the coolness of the mountains.

Incidentally, this is the furthest north we will be for years. Also, look back at the last couple of blog entries for new pictures.

We woke to calm seas and very light winds. As our intention was to hike the trails at Curu we again set off early to avoid the eventual midday heat. We did not need to run the genset for the short trip to the anchorage at Playa Curu so the trip was gently done on the batteries only.

Soon after arriving we went ashore. It was low tide so we had quite a haul to get the dinghy above the water line – something that would have been very difficult for Helen and I to do alone. Some folks have wheels for their dinghy that make dragging the dinghy up beaches a lot easier. If we can get our hands on some of these we will.

Walking along the beach towards the park office we saw hundreds of red crabs hovering near to their holes in the sand. They all had a similar tolerance to distance and would dash into their holes when their nerves had had enough.

Around the park buildings we came upon a tame old spider monkey that seemed content to sit beside us and hold either your thigh or hand. Having bought the tickets for the park we headed off on the very well made trail.

We soon crossed a rickety wooden suspension bridge over the Rio Curu. We had been warned to stay on the track around this area due to the crocodiles living in the area. We did not see any which was the likely outcome as they can usually only be spotted at high tide.

Along our hike we came upon a troop of white faced monkeys and stayed a while to take pictures. At then end of our hike we came upon a compound where they were rehabilitating three spider monkeys that had previously been kept as pets.

On the way back we again came upon the troop of white faced monkeys. Further along we spotted some howler monkeys high up in the trees.

There was an additional loop to the trail on a path called ‘Killer’. John, Ben and I decided to take this path. It didn’t seem much of a path as it pretty soon descended into a dried river – essentially a rocky channel steeply climbing the hill filled with wood and brambles. John, being eaten by the critters, turned around leaving Ben and I to complete the hike. The path just got worse and soon we decided to try and find our way to the top away from the narrowing river course. In doing so we came upon the true trail, rugged as it was, which we must have missed somewhere early on. We had expected the trail to curve towards the park offices but instead it curved away. We figured we must have missed the other end of this trail which turned out to be the case.

We did eventually reach the top feeling very exhausted in the increasing heat. The view were pretty cool although they had to be seen through the foliage. We could see the bay in which we had anchored as well as another bay the other side. We could easily see Islas Tortugas where we had anchored the previous evening.

The descent was a challenge on our legs and stamina as the trail was littered with leaves and very dry. Our downward momentum continually threatened to slide us down the trail or, worse, off it. When we reached the park camp we learned that Helen, Jess and John had been entertained by another troup of white faced monkeys. They were still there when we arrived although the show had calmed down. They had been quite active running along wires, etc. and had been fed bananas by one of the park attendants.

Helen and I both felt that the park at Curu was more enjoyable than the more popular Manuel Antonio Park. This was because it was far more intimate, certainly much less crowded and generally more interesting.

We made our way back to the boat via the beach sending the crabs back into the holes a second time. After lunch we had our usual afternoon rest. John, Ben and I went for a late afternoon snorkel. It was hard to see much as the light levels were quite low but it was fun all the same.

Dinner was had and soon it was down to a few evening chores. Jess and Ben (mainly Jess) packed as we’ll be making our land trip soon. Helen managed a second wash of the day. During this time the sump pump for John’s shower stopped functioning making noises we weren’t used to. Removing the pump, with John’s help, and partially dismantling it revealed a nylon gear wheel (which was engaged with a worm gear) having lost all it’s teeth in one section. Our second shower in the starboard hull is being used as storage so we swapped the sump pumps over. The job was complicated by dropping a vital screw into the bilge which took time and nastiness to retrieve.

That was it for the evening. I was totally exhausted and slept easily.

This morning we’re off to Puntarenas. We’ll aim to arrive there around midday. High tide is not until after 3pm and we may not be able to enter the anchorage until around then. We’re arriving earlier in case our low draft permits us to enter earlier. We have quite a few things to do, not least of which to search for a spare for the sump pump, so it would be helpful to get settled early on. At 5pm we’ll be picking up the hire car ready for an early start tomorrow.

I can’t remember if I mentioned it before but I did upload pictures of our first trip to Los Tortugas. You’ll find them by clicking on the link for ‘Recently Updated’.