The day began with the dreaded 7 A.M. wake up call!

Hope and I got ourselves together and headed down the hall to pick up Sabrina and Clark and we headed on down to The Venetian for breakfast.

Today we were to have 8.5 hours to spend out on the port, unfortunately Norwegian's disembarkation process is truly lacking.

When we reached the pier, I immediately called the Gio Tours office, to let them know that we disembarked late. They knew the ship was late and when we walked out following the blue pier gates and o through the turnstiles, I looked up and saw my name on a small white erase board. I waved to the young man standing there and he introduced himself as, Jesus.

Puerto Limon, commonly known as Limon (Spanish for "lemon"), is the capital city and main hub of Limon province, as well as of the canton (county) of Limón in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is home of the Afro-Costa Rican community. Part of the community traces its roots to Italian, Jamaican and Chinese laborers who worked on a late nineteenth-century railroad project that connected San José to Puerto Limón. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Caribbean people as citizens and restricted their movement outside Limón province. As a result of this "travel ban", this Afro-Caribbean population became firmly established in the region, which influenced decisions not to move even after it was legally permitted. Nowadays, there is a significant outflow of Limón natives who move to the country's Central Vally in search for better employment and education. The Afro-Caribbean community speaks Spanish and Limonese Creole, a creole of English.

Puerto Limón contains two port terminals, Limon and Moin, which permit the shipment of Costa Rican exports as well as the anchoring of cruise ships. In 2016, the government pledged ₡93 million ($166,000) for a new cruise ship terminal for Puerto Limón.

Health care is provided for the city by Hospital Dr. Tony Facio Castro Two small islands, Uvita Island and Isla de Pájaros, are just offshore.

Christopher Columbus first dropped anchor in Costa Rica in 1502 at Isla Uvita, just off the coast od Puerto Limon.

The Atlantic Coast; however, was left largely unexplored by Spanish settlers until the 19th century.

As early as 1569, Governor Perafán de Rivera gave extensive plots of land, Indians included, in Matina to aristocrats (hidalgos) that helped to finance and support early conquest. Because these aristocrats found out that only a few Indians were available to exploit, they acquired African slaves to plant these lands with cocoa trees (the only feasible crop in these lands). These lands provided the only source of income to the absentee owners from the capital city of Cartago. Matina gained importance because of the cacao and the presence of African slaves, which made them attractive to pirate incursions.

Notorious pirates, Edward Mansvelt and his vice admiral Henry Morgan, arrived at Portete, a small bay between Limón and Moín, in 1666. They proceeded inland to Cartago, the capital of Costa Rica at the time, but were driven away by the inhabitants at Turrialba on 15 April. The pirate army left on 16 April and arrived back in Portete on 23 April. They left Costa Rica and did not return.

The town was officially founded in 1854 by Philipp J. J. Valentini under government auspices. In 1867, construction began on an ambitious railroad connecting the highlands to the sea. Limón was chosen as the site of a major port, which would facilitate exports of the coffee from the Central Valley.

The first officially acknowledged arrival of African people who arrived in Costa Rica came with the Spanish conquistadors. Slave trade was common in all the countries conquered by Spain and in Costa Rica the first Africans seem to have come from specific sources in Africa-Equatorial and Westerm regions. The people from these areas were thought of as ideal slaves because they had a reputation for being more robust, affable and hard-working than other Africans.The enslaved were from what is now the Gambia (Wolof), Guinea (Malinké), Ghanaian (Ashanti), Benin (specifically Ije / Ararás) and Sudan (Puras). Many of the enslaved were also Minas (i.e. communities from parts of the region extending from Ivory Coast to the Slave Coast), Popo (be imported tribes as Ana and Baribas), Yorubas and Congas (perhaps from Kongasso, Ivory Coast). Enslaved Africans also came from other places, such as neighboring Panama. Throughout the centuries, but especially after the emancipation of the slaves in 1824, the black population mixed with other ethnic groups, notably the Indians, and became part of the mainstream culture and ethnicity.

The early black population of Matina and Suerre in Limón is not the same population that arrived in the second half of the 19th century. This latter population did not arrive as slaves but as hired workers from Jamaica, and smaller groups from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. This is the reason why the majority of the current black population of Costa Rica has English surnames and speak English with a Jamaican accent.

In 1910, Marcus Mosiah Garvey travelled to Puerto Limón, where he worked as a time-keeper for the United Fruit Company for some months, observing that the population of African descent suffered poor conditions.

The descendant of Africans in Costa Rica have endured discrimination including a delay in voting rights and a restriction on their movements.

Puerto Limon was struck by the 1991 Limon earthquake, which affected the surrounding landscape and coastline.

Most Afro-Costa Ricans are found in Limón Province.

Limon is diviided into four districts which are in turn subdivided into pueblos and poblados (neighbourhoods and villages). Puerto Limon is famous in Costa Rica for its yearly fall festival called carnaval which occurs the week of 12 October, the date Columbus first anchored off Limón's coast in 1502, on his fourth voyage. The event was started by local community leader and activist, Alfred Josiah Henry Smith (known as "Mister King"), who helped organize the first carnaval in October 1949. The event stretches about a week (across two weekends), and includes a parade, food, music, dancing, and, on the last night, a concert in the Parque Vargas headlined by a major Latino or Caribbean music act. Previous artists have included Eddy Herrera (2002), Damian Marley (2003), El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico (2005), and T.O.K. (2006). Although the show goes on rain oshine, the event has recently suffered some setbacks. Organizers cancelled carnaval in 2007 due to a major dengue outbreak, and again in 2008 due to major municipal trash-removal issues and related health worries. While trash removal has long been an issue due to lack of trucks and a 62-mile (100km) haul to the nearest landfill (in Pococi), the ordered closure of this and other landfills in 2007 meant Puerto Limon n Pococí), the ordered closure of this and other landfills in 2007 meant Puerto Limón had to send trash 135 miles (217 km) to Alajuela and pay a higher disposal fee. The situation led to a bottle-neck in trash removal, which, combined with the major dengue breakout, caused organizers to cancel 2008's carnaval as a precautionary measure. Given the severity of the situation, the city bought land in nearby Santa Rosa and, in April 2009, opened its own landfill (called El Tomatal). Given the improved situation, carnaval picked up in 2009 after its two-year hiatus.

Today, there are 5 million Costa Ricans.

The Atlantic Ocean side is the jungle side.

Jesus took us straight to the Tortuguero Canals for our Boat Safari on the river for our ride to see the sloths. It was great we had the boat to ourselves and could therefore move around freely to take photos.Amazing to see the sloths, monkeys and a crocodile (everyone thought it was staged, because it never batted an eye), up close. Jesus then drove us through some of the country side and we ended up at a fruit sampling and a nice souvenir stand. We tasted the very small bananas. We also found a few items to bring back from the shop and I mailed a postcard. He also drove us through some of the towns around the back streets to see how the town was developing, something that couldnt be done in a coach.

We also got some close up shots of the Jesus Christ Lizard.Basiliscus is a genus of large corytophanid lizards, commonly known as basilisks, which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America.

The genus contains four species, which are commonly known as the Jesus Christ lizard, or simply the Jesus lizard, due to their ability to run across water for significant distances before sinking.Basilisks on average measure 70 to 75 cm (28 to 30 in) in total length (including tail). Their growth is perpetual, fast when they are young and nonlinear for mature basilisks. Their long crest-like sails, reinforced in three distinct points (head, back, and tail), confer the impression of creatures such as Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus.

Their skin is sheds in pieces.Basilisks sometimes run bipedally. Basilisks have the ability to "run" on water, and because of this, they have been dubbed the "Jesus Christ lizard" in reference to the biblical passage of Matthew 14:22-34. On water, basilisks can run at a velocity of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per second for approximately 4.5 meters (15 feet) before sinking on all fours and swimming. Flaps between their toes help support basilisks, creating a larger surface and pockets of air, giving them the buoyancy needed to run across water. They can also sustain themselves on all fours while "water-walking" to increase the distance travelled above the surface by about 1.3 meters (4.3 feet).A similar behavior, running bipedally across water, is known from the sailfin lizards and a few species of anole lizards. Basilisks and sailfin lizards share the specialized toe fringes, which however are lacking in the anoles.Basilisks can burrow into sand to hide from predators; a ring of muscles around both nostrils prevents sand from entering the nose.

Jesus gave us a little background on the sea turtles. He said that the green turtles arrive between July and mid-October, but the peak season is between August and September. The leatherback sea turtles arrive between February and June, but the peak season is between March and April.

One of Costa Rica's most beloved seaside visitors is the sea turtle. And you could say that sea turtles love Costa Rica right back. Year after year, they return to the same Costa Rica beaches to lay their eggs. One of the most spectacular displays of this is the arribada, or the annual arrival of hundreds of thousands of sea turtles to lay their eggs under the new moon. If you're one for wildlife, you shouldn't miss this natural spectacle. Read on to discover more about Costa Rica sea turtles, the top places for nesting, and when to visit.

Before we dive too deep into destinations, let's talk turtles. Costa Rica has four species of sea turtles that visit the Pacific and Caribbean Coasts at various times of year: olive ridley, leatherback, green, and hawksbill sea turtles. The olive ridley sea turtle is known for its mass annual nesting migrations called arribadas. The arribadas are hard to predict so it can be difficult to book tours in advance. However, if you're visiting during nesting season, it's worth checking with your hotel if an arribada is taking place. The remaining three sea turtles found in Costa Rica are endangered. The green sea turtle is primarily found in Tortuguero National Park, the largest nesting site for green sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest sea turtle in the world weighing over 1,200 lbs. and averaging almost 8 ft. in length. The last and in this case the least (frequently seen) is the hawksbill sea turtle. Due to declining numbers and solitary nesting habits, an encounter with a hawksbill sea turtle is a lucky one.

Most turtle nesting sites in Costa Rica require visits through authorized access points with a guide to protect the turtles and this important natural phenomenon. If you choose to visit a turtle nesting site, please follow your guide's instructions and keep interaction to a minimum.

Perhaps one of the most popular destinations for viewing turtles in Costa Rica is Tortuguero or the "Region of Turtles" on the North Caribbean Coast. Tortuguero is an intricate maze of jungle canals and wild beaches where green turtles, leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles come to nest. Tortuguero Beach is the largest nesting site for the endangered green sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere.

Jesus took us on for breathtaking views and hopped out to nab a couple of poisonous dart frogs. He placed one on a leaf, but the frog jumped into the van. Sabina jumped up on the seat and Tuwana layed down in her seat. We all laughed and I got a couple of photos. LOL.

One of the most colorful amphibians in Costa Rica is the poison dart frog, a group of species known for their brilliant hues and their toxic skin.Poison dart frogs all belong to the scientific family Dendrobatidae, which contains more than 175 individual species spread across a range that includes large parts of Central and South America. Although this clade is remarkably diverse, just seven kinds of poison dart frog reside in Costa Rica - and only three of those species have the bright colors for which the family is most famous.

Afterwards, Jesus whisked us to the Del Monte plantation to check out the millions of bananas awaiting picking and then packing.

Along with learning about the many aspects of farming, a regional plantation tour offers a first-hand look at Costa Rica culture through the lives of banana-farm workers.

The industry employs more than 34,000 laborers, and you'll get a complete picture of how the fruit impacts the economies of worker communities, including their education, housing and commerce.

With people adding bananas to cereal, ice cream, oatmeal and pancakes, there is no sign their popularity is waning, and today, Costa Rica is one of the world's top-producing nations.

A public development agency, the National Banana Corporation, points to the country's 2010 exportation of more than 100 million boxes (40 pounds each) as proof of its position. Those boxes also showed a substantial, 18-percent increase in production since the previous year—and just in time as chefs continue to expand their use in recipes that reach beyond bread, pies and puddings.

You can find bananas in smoothies, dipped in chocolate and frozen for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Costa Rican farmers began growning banana plants in 1878, the first Central American country to do so. . With the final tracks laid for an Atlantic railway by 1890, the industry grew rapidly and continued to grow throughout the 20th century as more people discovered the delicious fruit.

Plantations in Costa Rica have designated more than 100,000 acres to its production, showing that the world is indeed, banana about bananas.

Jesus then drove us along the port for our last bit of sightseeing for the day. We did a bit of last minute shopping in the port area and took some photos, before boarding the ship.As usual, we're hungry. We get cleaned up and head up to O'Sheehan's for wings, corned beef sandwiches and drinks. Afterwards I retreat to the cabin to watch the Chiefs battle the Chargers.