Day 139 - Had breakfast and then caught a collectivo taxi which is a minibus for about 12 people but very cheap. We went about an hour from Merida to a place called Cuzama. We then went to a place where we hired transportation for a tour. The transport was a horse drawing a little carriage along metal think train tracks. The tour took us to three different cenotes, which are caves that have beautiful clear water in them for swimming. There are rays of sunlight coming through the caves onto the water which shows how clear and turqoise they are. We went to three on our little horse drawn buggy and swam in them. Very nice way to spend an afternoon. Then back to Merida and had fried fish and chips, not like the English fish and chips but still very good.

Day 140 - Booked onto a tour to see the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, which was a very important military settlement around 900-1200 AD. There is still a great deal to see there and we had a guide show us round so we knew what we were looking at. he took us to the older part first where the main thing to see was an astronomy observatory as the Mayans were big on astronomy and how it linked to crops, fertility and Gods etc. Then we saw the main plaza, which had a huge Egyptian style pyrmaid at its centre and the place where the markets were at the other end. There is also an old Mayan stadium where they played their games, which looked fairly bloodthristy from the carvings on the walls of the stadium. We then had an hour to look round on our own. After that we went for a buffet lunch which ws included in the price of the tour. Then headed back to Merida where we got back about 6pm. Freshened up and out for dinner. It is very cheap here. I had two Coronas and a pasta dish for dinner and that cost about four pounds…cant complain for that price!

Day 141 - Got up and had breakfast, nice pancakes with maple syrup. Then headed to the bus station where we took the five hour bus journey over to the Caribbean coast of Mexico to Tulum. We arrived into Tulum around 3pm and headed straight to Lobo Inn where we had a reservation. But they had messed it up and given our room to someone else to she gave a free night in the dormitory before moving to our room tomorrow. We then walked down to the beach where the ruis of Tulum are. Tulum ruins are situated right next to the beach on the cliffs. It was an important trading port for the Mayans around 1200AD. We walked round the ruins backed by the turquoise sea of the Caribbean. We ended by getting down to the beach from the ruins and having a nice swim in the sea. The out into the town which was a taxi ride away from out hotel, for dinner! Had a great pizza.

Day 142 - Got ourselves down to the beach after a very early lunch in town and it rained a little in the morning. Then set up for an afternoon at the beach. tulum beach is amazing, about 40m wide and it stretches for about 6kmn continuously of white soft sand. Spent the afternoon there and then had dinner in one of the beach side restaurants before heading back to the hotel.

Day 143 - Got checked out of the hotel and got to the bus station for about 11am. Paid barely anything for a one hour bus onto Playa Del Carmen, our next port of call. Arrived into Playa Del Carmen and annoyingly the hotel we wanted to stay at was fully booked today so had to make do with another similarly priced one nearby…at least it has air-con, because it is insanely hot right now!! Had a nice lunch and then spent the afternoon at the beach. The beach runs parallel to the main street called 5th Avenue, which is where all the shops, bars and hotels are. So we only have to walk about 30m to the beach. the beach is nice although it is quite built up as it is a major package holiday destination for Brits, Americans and rich Mexicans. There are some massive all inclusive resorts just outside the town. After nice day at the beach we went out for dinner and a wander round the shops

Day 144 - In the morning we moved to the nice hotel, which is called Lab Nah and has a pool and iseven nearer the beach. we then went out for a proper Mexican lunch and had Chicken tacos (like burritos) with rice and beans, very tasty. Then spent the afternoon on the beach and had a little excitement just before we were about to head back to the hotel. Storm clouds were brewing on the horizon and Catherine said, “Adam, is that a tornado forming out there?” I replied assertively, “no, of course it isn’t, you only get those in North American in the states.” We kept watching and before long Catherine said, “no, I am sure I can see a tornado reaching down and touching the sea surface.” And……she was spot on, a tornado had formed out at sea and by this point you could see the bottom of the twister spraying up loads of water on the surface. the whole beach was looking out and taking photos. Then the rain clouds closed in around it and it disappeared! The back to the hotel and out for a nice dinner and a walk about!

Day 145 - Spent the morning by the pool and had a good swim and read our books. Then out for lunch and had nice cheap tacos again. Then when the sun had gone from the pool in the afternoon, we headed down to the beach for the afternoon. In the evening we treated ourselves to a bit of a nicer meal and went out for a steak each and had a few drinks! Then after dinner we went down to the beach and had a drink at a nice bar then headed onto a place where we knew there was a big fire show. the crowds were huge, partly because of the show and partly because ladies drinks were free that night. The fire show was amazing, four people swinging round fire sticks and wheels. Very crazy but very entertaining!

Day 146 - Last full day in Playa Del Carmen. had some breakfast then down to the pool for the morning. Had a subway for lunch and then set off on a big walk down the beach to explore a bit. The first beach is in the town then the next beach has a few big all inclusive hotels on it. Then you come to a third beach after quite a walk. this is an amazing quiet stretch of white sand beach and clear water backed by greenery, rather than hotels, which is nice. Spent the afternoon there and then walked back. In the evening out for dinner and then off to bed!

Day 131 - Arrived in San Cristobal De La Cases early in the morning. It is at 2100m in the mountains and is widely regarded as the finest example of a Spanish colonial town in Mexico if not all of Latin America. We found a hostel and had breakfast and then set off walking around. We wandered round the main square and saw the cathedral and visited the very colourful markets. Catherine has dragged me into practically every jewellery shop on offer. San Cristobal is one of the few places in the world where amber is mined and jade and turqoise are also in abundance making jewellery relatively cheap and she is looking for a pendant. Had lunch and continued to wander around most of the day and then out for dinner in the evening!

Day 132 - Spent another day walking round San Cristobal and stopping off in cafes, chilling out, reading etc. Very hard day! also visited the mayan medicine centre which explains how they use the jungle to cure every day ailments etc. Also went to see a hacienda which was where two Dutch anthropologists lived as they studied the Mayan culture in the state of Chiapas where we are. They went into the rainforest and lived with the Lancandonian Mayans and learnt their ways of living and amassed a photography collection of over 50,000 photos…some, not all of which, are on display! They were honoured for their environmental work by the UN in 1991. Then in the evening out for a pasta dinner and then watched a DVD.

Day 133 - Up early as off on a tour today. We set off at 9am to the Sumidero Canyon about an hour from San Cristobal. We went on a two hour boat ride down the river which runs through the canyon. The canyon is huge and very impressive with 100oft walls of sheer cliffs on each side. At its highest point, the canyon is 1000m or 3000ft high! As we went along the boat, we saw alot of wildlife including pelicans, monkeys in the trees and crocodiles, which was good for photos. On the way back, nearer the midday sun, the crocodiles came out to bask in the sun on the banks of the river and we could get quite close up in the boat before they slunk back into the water! They grow up to 6-7m long in that area! Then had lunch at a small town on the way back and arrived back mid afternoon. And did not do a great deal for the rest of the day!

Day 134 - Last day in San Cristobal and had a lie in as we were rather tired, despite having not done a great deal. So we had, perhaps, the most laid back day ever! We basically walked from cafe to cafe and I finished the book I have been reading and sat in the squares as it was very hot! Very stressful day, but also managed to get our travel plans sorted for the following day to Palenque and then an overnight bus to Merida. In the evening we went out for a good dinner, I had all you can eat meat and salad buffet and had steak and chicken, so stuffed myself. Then we went to the cinema after dinner!

Day 135 - Up at 5.45am, which is an obscenely unearthly hour of the day for both of us! Got packed up and then picked up by a minibus and we set off towards Palenque and we both went to sleep. Had two stops along the way, firstly, a beautiful cascading waterfall called Agua Azul, meaning water blue. It was 500m and came down in many layers and you could walk all the way up the side and see it. Then a bit further on the journey we stopped at Misol Ha, a Mayan named waterfall which was about 150m and just dropped down straight into a massive circular pool and that was really nice too. Had lunch their and then onwards to Palenque. Palenque sits high in the jungle and is one of the mosty significant archaelogical finds in Mexico. So far, 26 temples have been excavated but from surverys done from the sky with high tech equipment they have established there is a total of over 1,500 temples in the city of Palenque. They remain unexcavated in the jungle! We hired a tour guide who took us round the main temples, some of which have sarcophogi hidden deep in the middle of the temples, found by walking through passage ways! The most interesting thing we picked up from the tour is how Palenque is a mix of civilisations, with influences from Eqypt, Grece, China, Thailand etc. There is a carving of Tuthenkhamun and many carvings of Egyptian dress and a Chinese dragon. The theory behind this is that they went out into the world and wer linked with som of those civilisations through trade! At the end of the tour we were dropped off at the bus station and had six hours to kill before our overnight bus, which we had booked, to take us to Merida in the state of Yucutan! So we went to a Best Western hotel and sat and had a drink and then a long dinner to try and buy time! Then off on the overnight bus to Merida at midnight.

Day 136 - Arrived in Merida at 9am, but unfortunately Catherine had succumbed to food poisoning on the bus during the night so had a rather unpleasant journey! Went to a hotel and checked in and Cat slept most of the day and did not eat so i just read my book and had a look round the town and had a subway for dinner!!

Day 137 - Catherine still felt rather porrly but managed to have a bit of a walk round. Then I went off and tried to find a better deal on hotels as the one we are in is rather poor and overpriced. Had a swim in the pool in the afternoon and then out for something to eat and then watched a dvd with Catherine in the evening!! Not a massive amount to report really! Merida is a really nice town and is in Spansh colonial style around the centre. The main square is now a continental style plaza with cafes around the egde. The Spanish conquistadores dismantle the Mayan teemples that were there and used the same stone to build a huge cathedral and a stone plaza!

Day 138 - Moved to a much nicer hotel I found in the morning and Catherine managed to stomach some breakfast and is feeling a bit better! We even managed to have a look round the town today and went to some markets and cultural site the city has to offer. In the evening there was traditional salsa dancing going on in the streets in front of the restaurants where they had bands playing and the roads were blocked off to traffic. So after dinner we went and watched this which was quite interesting.

Day 122 - Up early on Ambergris Caye and then caught a water taxi over to the nerarby island of Caye Caulker where our sailing trip departed from. Arrived there and got a samll motorized dinghy out to the sail boat which was anchored at sea. Mum found it a little dodgy but it was fine! Then off we went on our Caribbean sailing trip. The sea was amazing, really clam and clear blue and turqoise colours. We stopped next to the reef just before lunch for an hours snorkelling which was great then back onto the boat for a hearty lunch of chicken rice and beans!! The sailed all afternoon and eventually reached our overnight detsination of Rendezvous Caye. It was a 100m tiny uninhabited island in the caribbean. I attempted to ask where the toilet was to be designatedf and the captain replied, “wherever you want to go!”. I was more concerned for Mum than myslef however everyone managed fine. Then we set up our tents on the beach while the crew prepared dinner! Despite a few dodgy pieces of tent apparatus we all got sorted in the end and then everyone saytt round the fire and tucked into some lethal rum punch while waiting for dinner. Dinner then arrived off the boat which was fresh barracuda caught that day from the boat, with rice, which was good. Everyone then drank and drinking games before bed. The night was cut short by rain as everyone had to run to put the waterproof layer on their tents!

Day 123 - Up at 6.30am with the sun beaming down on the tents! Into the sea for wash and then onto the boat for breakfast of scrambled eggs and fruit. Some were feeling a little worse for wear from the rum punch the night before!! Set sail and off we went and again stopped off for snorkelling along the reef then lunch of sandwiches. Arrived to our second nights islkand stop of Tobacco Caye mid afternnon which is an inhabited island but still very small. Mum and Dad felt like a little luxury and got a sea front little cabana with a balcony over the water and Catherine and I bagfged a place on the floor. We all had a swim round the island and saw huge sting rays munching on lobster carcasses!! Then a few beers in the bar before dinner. Dinner was shrimp, rice and barracuda and was awesome.

Day 124 - Final day of the sailing trip and a delayed deaparture. The captain and the crew were proper sailors and used the sails nearly all the time. However, there was a tropical storm closing in today and they wanted to make sure they had the motor as backup….they did not!! It was in tru Belizean style, broken. They had a to wait for a part to come from another island but nothing worked and we set off just with sails! Progress was slow as the wind was not helping us that much! Eventually Dice had to get behind the boat and push it along with the motorized dinghy to speed us up. We got to Placenica t 5pm just as a hug rainsotrm closed in however, it took a while to clsoe in on the pier without a motor and we had to be toed in with a rope by a speedbpat in the end! The trip was a once in lifetime thing though and we had great fun! Went straight for some food as we were all pretty hungry and had a good shrimp dinner and then onto ou hotel called Laru beya which was ten minutes outside the town. We had an awesome two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and stitting room, and a blacony next to the pool.

Day 125 - Catherine and I got up early to go into town to get some shopping for lunch and breakfast and got back and them woke Mum and Dad up! Spent the morning by the pool then lunch in the aprtment then a relaxed afternoon by the pool swimming and reading! In the evening we headed into town a little early and Mum and Catherine went round some shops while Jase and I had a few beers. Then we all met up and went for dinner at a beachside place called Da Thatch! Then back to the hotel for the evening.

Day 126 - Last full day in Placencia and had breakfast and then bit of time by the pool although the weather dropped off a bit today. Mum and Dad spent the afternoon in Placencia shopping and freqeunting a few watering holes!! Then in the eveing we went to a very nice hotel called Turtle Inn. The place is owned by francis Ford Coppola of Godfather directing fame and he has a family home there at the hotel which costs a mere $2000US per night! We chose to only go for dinner. The food was very very good and then back to the hotel and played cards

Day 127 - Got packed up in the morning and then got a minibus transfer over to Mayflower National Park, which was about an hour away. It is the place where we did our Trekforce conservation all that time ago!! We were booked to stay at a nice jungle eco lodge in the park called Mama Noots. We checked in and were the only guests in the whole place and had a nice lunch straight away. Then got walking gear on and set off up to Bocawina Falls where we did some work with Trekforce. Unfortunately most of it had been washed away by severe weather in the time between our visits! Had a nice swim in the waterfall and then walked back to the lodge for late afternoon. Got showered and then had dinner and then there is not a great deal else to do in the evening in the jungle so we played cards!

Day 128 - Got up and had a chilled morning, had breakfast then had a little read then an early lunch. Got ready for walking again and this time went to the other side of the park to Antelope Falls which is a very high waterfall with great views from the bottom upwards. The waterfall was in full flow because there had been alot of rain in the park recently. Then back to the lodge for shower and dinner.

Day 129 - This is where the fun began…………..up at 6.30am to have breakfast and then get our transfer out to the local aiport to fly back to Belize City for Mum and Dad´s flight home. However, the road out of the jungle to the highway which is five miles long was completely flooded by 3 feet of water near the highway. The rest of the road was clear but the last half a kilometer or so was impassable even by a high clearance jeep! Oh dear….Mum and Dad realised we were stuck and the rain carried on, it really rained hard in the night. They managed to get the owner of the lodge to ring a contact at the Belize toruism board and get them to rearrange their flight for no extra charge, so it was put forward a day. But there was no saying we were going to get out for that anyway. eventually, after lunch, we set off in the jeep with all of us, the owner, her daughter and boyfriend and another friend. Everyone came in case we needed to push. First 4 miles were fine, bit of water but not much, then we came to the flood where the river is supposed to cross under the road. It crossed, very much, over the road. We checked out it and walked into it and it had dropped to knee height which was ok for walking through. Wer all got loaded up with bags and off we went wading through the floods! All got safely across, bit of a slog because it was tiring on the legs especially carrying big bags. Had a taxi waiting for us but then there were more floods on the highway and we began to see the extent of the damage with houses flooded and cars submerged and water flowing across the highway. Luckily the driver got us through and we got to the airport there minutes after our flight was meant to take off but still managed to just get on it! It was an eight seater plane and Jase went in the co-pilots seat it was that small. Flew to Flew to Belize City, still soaking wet from the floods, then went straight to a bed and breakfast and got showere. Out for the last supper with Mum and Dad in the evening and had a nice Indian meal then off to bed!

Day 130 - Mum and Dad went off to the airport in the morning for their flight and we went in the taxi with them and said goodbye. Then, luckily the day before we had arranged with the taxi driver that we would come to the Mexican border with him where he goes to buy cheaper fule, and we would give him some fuel money. So he drove to the Mexican border and we got a lift and he then dropped us off in Chetumal, the first town across the border from Belize. It was a good way to do it rather than a hot bus, which would have taken alot longer. Went to the bus terminal and found out we needed an overnight bus to San Cristobal De La Cases at 9pm. Had lunch and then went to a shopping mall and watched a flim at the cinema to pass the time. Then got out overnight bus in the evening!

Day 114 - Final day in Roatan and the weather was great so thought would make the most of it and we got a water taxi down to West Bay. Had a nice snorkel around which is like swimming pool with fish in it is so clear. Then we went for a great lunch at a nearby hote. They had half price Italian dishes so we indulged!! Then back onto the beach for the afternoon and swimming and reading. In the evening we got packed up and then had pancakes for dinner to use our food we had left over!! Then an early night as up early tomorrow!

Day 115 - Up very early…4.30am….ridiculous hour of the day!! Got a taxi to the airport and then had a mssiv delay of three hours waiting for our little plane to take us to Belize. Our plane did not show up so we had to get on another airlines plane to get to San Pedro Sula dnt ehn just got shown to a departure gate and told nothiong more. Eventually someone came and said there was a plane for Belize City. And of we went and arrived into good old Belize around lunchtime and ate in the airport. Then strolled across the road and hired ourselves a jeep for a few days and set off to the South of Belize to Punta Gorda which took about five hours because the roads are so bad!! Then checked into a little hotel we knew that we used to stay in when we were down there with Trekforce and had a nice shrimp dinner.

Day 116 - Got up and had some traditional Belizean fare for breakfast! Then went on the internet and then off to the shops to buy a few presents for the family we were about to go and visit. We were going into the Mayan village of Conejo Creek where we did our two months primary school teaching with Trekforce four years. We got them some pressies and off we went. When we arrived there was no one at the house as they were all washing in the creek! And someone from next doors “hut” went to get them for us. They were very pleased to see us…and had two new arrivals…two new boys…which now meant a total of seven kids!! We gave them their pressies and they were all very pleased and the boys loved their new football and the grils all wanted to show us their skills with a skipping rope and the dad wanted to show us his new cows and his new house which they were building in the field behind.  It was nice seeing them all again. We had some tirtillas and beans with them and Catherine helped make them! Then the yound boy of 14 Evaldo explaiend to us that he had got into high school which he was very proud of but his family could not afford to pay for him to go. Catherine and I offered to pay for it which was only about 75 pounds all together and they were overwhelmed! Then we set off back to Punta Gorda dn had dinner and off to bed.

Day 117 - Next on the visiting list was to go and see the teachers we worked with at the school and they were a couple called Carlos and Zeta. They could not place us at first when we turned up on their doorstep and then were in shock when they realised it was us from four years ago. We caught up with them and they took us out for lunch in town. Then after lunch we set off on the jeep again drove up the coast to Placencia which took about 2 hours. Checked into a hotel with air con for a bit of a treat as it was so hot and had a good meal!

Day 118 - Had a very chilled day, had a lie in and thn I went to a bar to watch the football and Catherine went to the beach and then came to meet me for luch. Then in the afternoon Catherine had a beuaty session at the salon and I got to watch more football which suited me!! Then we went to the beach and chilled at a nice bar onthe beach until the sun went down. Back to the hotel and had dinner at our hotel restaurant and I had the strangest Chicken Cordon Bleu of my life…perhaps should not have chose it in Belize!!!

Day 119 - Got up at 6am and checked out and set off driving up the highway to meet Mum and Dad in Belize City. Got to the aiport and dropped the jeep off and then went into the arrivals lounge to wait for them and there they were after 4 months of not seeing them. We got straight onto a 12 seater small plane and flew out on the fifteen minute flight to Ambergris Caye off Belize in the Caribbean Sea. We went to ou hotel called Banana Beach and got two very nice rooms with balconies overlooking the sea with fantastic views! Then went out for a bit of lunch and spent the afternoon by the pool relaxing. Then out for a very nice dinner at a beach side restaurant called Blue Water Grill and then Mum and Dad were feeling pretty shattered by then so got an earl night.

Day 120 - Up for breakfast at 7.30am as had to be ready to go on our first day tour. We had booked oursleves onto a catamaran tour. It was a really nice big boat with room for everyone to lie out sunbathing on deck. Our first port o call was the barrier reef about a kilometer of shore. There is a marine reserve called Hol Chan and that is where we snorkelled in the morning. Th marine life was incredible. We saw goliath goupers, tarpons, massive barracudas, schools o cloured fish, angelfish. And……the first thing Mum saw when she got out of the boatw as a shark……haha……only a nurse shark but still scared the life out o her. Then we moved onto Shark and Ray alley which is a part of the reed inhabitied by sharks and rays…would you believe that from the name of the place?! Mum stayed on the boat this time but we snorkelld with massive stingrays and eadle rays and nurse sharks which was fun. Then the catamaran headed onto Caye Caulker for our lunch stop where we all some great fresh seafood! Then a lesiurely cruise back all afternoon. All got showered and then out for dinner in the evening and a few drinks and then played cards back at the hotel!

Day 121 - Nice chilled day today with a bit of a lie in as everyone was quite tired. Then chilled by the pool for most of the day. However, late afternoon we went for a little walk to a lake on the island where there are wild salt water crocodiles. We arrived and there was no fence or official viewing point. There were a few Belizean guys putting on a very unofficial tour with whole chickens as bate! Anyway, we hung around and managed to see quite a few big crocs. One crazy American guy even sat on one of the crocs backs! Idiot! He didn´t get eaten though….unfortunately! Then in the evening we went back to Blue Water Grill again for dinner where the food is fantastic.

Day 106 - Got up and had a quick breakfast before going off on a very exciting tour….we got a pick up to a volcanoe called Cerro Negro on a our…Central America’s youngest volcanoe at 150 years young! We walked up for and had a look round the crater and saw all the old lava from eruptions. It takes a 4.5 richter scale earthquake or above to erupt it and it erupts every 7 years or so! Then when we got to the top…..we boarded down it….this may sound silly!! They have fashioned snowbaord sledge type things to sit down and glide down over the scree and rock all the way from top to bottom of a 700m volcanoe. Cat was first up and held the breaks on…had her feet planted firmly downt he whole way, and did not enjoy herself but was fine. Another guy bombed it all the way down and had a huge wipeout at the bottom and had a few bloody scrapes. I went down somewhere in between at a repsectable speed. I was too tall for it though!! Great fun…I thought! Then back to Leon and caught a bus to Managua where we checked into a hotel and got our bus tickets for the trip the next day. Not the nicest area we have stayed in and there was a massive storm which scared the life out of us…thought we were going to get fried by lightning!!

Day 107 - Up in literally the middle of the night…got up at 3.30am!! Had to be at the station for 4am. Anyway, bus set off at 5am and we slept until the Honduran border which was reached around 10am. After passport procedures we continuned onto the capital Tegucigalpa where we had a short lucnh break. Thenanother 4 hours onto San Pedro Sula for an overnight stop. Found a good cheap hotel after getting in around 6pm. Had some dinner and got an early night as it had been a very long day!

Day 108 - Got up and left the hotel after a nice breakfast. We then had a very nice bus to La Ceiba which is a port on the Northern Coast of Honduras. Bus took three hours then we went to Pizza Hut for lunch…a rare western novelty!! Then got a taxi to the port to get our tickets for the ferry out to the island of Roatan in the Caribbean Sea!! I am not the least bit fond of rough seas…I get very anxious and irrationally nervous!! The seas were incredibly rough, swell up around the windows and the ferry felf like it was about to take off on the cusp of each wave it smashed over. This combined with numerous people hurling the guts up with sea sickness made it a less than pleasurable journey!! Anyway, I made it! Then got taxi to West End, the laid back village with a nice beach where Cat and I had two weeks after finishing with Trekforce two years ago! We even went back to the same place we stayed at, however, times have changed and it was not there in the same form. We found the same owner however, he has knocked them down and built eight very nice American condos and gone up market now charging $110 a night!! Bit out of our price range. But we still found a very nice apartment at a place called Mariposa Lodge where it has a balcony with hammocks and a very good kitchen!! We got settled in and then went for a walk round and as it was our first night, treated ourselves to a very nice meal at the Argentinian grill, where we both had great steaks! Then went to a bar with a live band playing and had a few drinks!

Day 109 - Got ourselves down to West Bay, which is a 2km white sand beach, with crystal clear blue water lapping against the shore. The reef is only about 200m off the shore which breaks the power of the waves meaning the water is always clam to swim in there. We spent the afternoon there and then took a water taxi after walking there initially which took a good hour and we got very hot doing so! Did some shopping and then back to the apartment. We bought fresh shrimp which we cooked in a garlic and tomatoe sauce with onion and green peppers with pasta. It cost about three pounds in total and was awesome! Then watched some TV and had a few drinks before going out again to the live band place. They were really good, had a few drinks there and then home!

Day 110 - Did not do a great deal today, perhaps suffering a little from the evening before. Went tothe pier and had a swim and a read in the afternoon. Had a nice dinner againand watched a film in the evening as the room has TV and Dvd player,which is pretty good!

Day 111 - Did even less today…I was rather ill…a gastro virtus leaving me with a very upset tummy! Also had aches, pains, headache and other lovely things! Watched alot of TV as barely moved from the bed….or the toilet all day! Not much fun for Catherine!

Day 112 - Felt a little better today…tummy still bad but other ailments improved! We took a minibus up to the aiport to book out plane tickets tofly to Belize City…on Friday 13th June…hope it’s not bad luck! Then went into Coxen Hole, a small town and had a look round the shops! Then back to West End and went out for lunch by the beach! Then in the afternoon we took a water taxi to West Bay beach and spent some chill time there! Had soem yummy home made or Catherine made burritos in the evening. Bug did not affect my appetite. Also watched Lord of the Rings after dinner!

Day 113 - Still struggling with my movements…well actually quite the opposite from struggling!! So we decided to go the doctors clinic. She was very nice and told me I have a gastro bug virus which goes round at this time of year! She gave me antibiotics and more rehydration solutions. And told me it will last 5-7 days so half way through!!! In the afternoon, we went to the pier and had a swim and read for a while and then back to the apartment for dinner!

Day 100 - Just when we thought that the weather was never going to change after three days of constant rain….it changed….the rain got even heavier and the winds picked up. As we ate breakfast we watched CNN weather on TV to see that they actually mentioned Costa Rica on the Americas section as being gripped by a tropical storm!! Not great. Gave it until midday then set off back up North up the coast. End of beaches for a few days. brought our plans a day forward and drove to Rincon De La Vieja National Park in North West Costa Rica. Got there by late afternoon and still raining. Checked into a very nice jungle lodge and had dinner and a shower. The shower was cold as the heating was solar powered and the sun had vanished for three days.

Day 101 - Got up at 7am and had a very good breakfast of rice, beans, scrambled egg and fruit and cereal. Meanwhile the storm continued. We were doing another canopy tour in the morning and got waterproofed up to the max and then into the jungle. It was an amazing canopy tour down a canyon in between a river with steep cliffs. The lines went over gorges and down the line of the river. Had to do some rock climbing as well and an abseil down into the canyon at one point to climb up a wall on the other side. All good fun. Back to base at 10am and could not do river tubing as too dangerous from too much rain. Then went horse riding to two different waterfalls and Catherine got to have a canter which she enjoyed. I was bouncing all over the place and looked very unprofessional!! Then back to the lodge for a good lunch. Then more activities in the afternoon. They took us up to a place where we had a mud bath and painted each other with volcanic mud after going in a sauna to open up the pores of the skin. Then tried to dry the mus but not in the sun, just by sheltering from the rain, it was a bit chilly. The finished off by going in some hot springs to wash the mud off!! Then that was the end of a packed day. Back to the lodge and had a shower and a lie down and we both fell asleep by 8pm and slept through!! The whole day of activities cost us thirty five pounds each which is pretty good we thought!!

Day 102 - Up for breakfast which we almost missed after sleeping in despite the extremely early night! Had breakfast then packed our stuff up and the rain began to stop a bit, which was good. We checked out and drove back out to the coast which took about an hour and a half to a place called Playas Del Coco. The rain eventually relented!! Found a little room a guy was renting in his house and then drove 3km down the coast to a beach called Ocotal which was meant to be nicer than Coco…it was not that much better. Too much volcanic activity meant the beach was black! Anyway, we tried out luck and strolled into the five start resort off the beach with a luxury pool and asked if we bought a drink could we stay and use the pool. No probs they said so we spent a very nice afternoon in the sun at a nice resort. Then went back out onto the beach and watched an incredible sunset with orangey red colours as the sun went down. had almost forgotten what the sun looked like. Then back to Coco an had a good dinner of chicken, black beans, rice, salad and plantane (cooked banana) then watched a dvd back at out room.

Day 103 - Up at 7am and packed our stuff up and then set off in our jeep towards the border with nicaragua which was about a 2 hour drive. Got to the border town and dropped the jeep off and had some breakfast. Then the guy who worked for Alamo the car rental company was nice enough to drive us with our bags to immigration checkpoint. The queues were enormous and would take about 3 hours to get through just to the other side of the border before queueing up again. You need an exit stamp from one country and an entry stamp into the next one. The guy said if we pay a small bribe of ten dollars each he can go in with our passports ad get us the stamps straight away as he knows the guys. We were a little dubious but thought we would get into the swing of Latin American corruption and bribery. So he tucked a twenty dollar bill into the page they needed to see on my passport and off he went. And he returned five minutes later with exit stamps all done for us and then he dropped us at the border crossing where we walked five minutes through no mans land to the Nicaraguan side. we got our passports entry stamped their and then got on a bus to Granada. The bus took two hours and then arrived into Granada, a pretty sixteenth century colonial town on the edge of a huge lake with volcanoes on it. Granada has nice chruches and plazas and plenty of good cheap restaurants. Found a hostel and the out for a good lunch and a walk found the town. Then cat had a sleep in the afternoon as she was a little tired then out for dinner…its a hard life!

Day 104 - Got up and went out for a little walk and then found a nice little cafe for lunch where we had paninis and shared some hummus and nice fresh orange juice. All the buildings are very nice because they are designed with a big open courtyard in the middle after going in through the front room! Then we walked down to the lake front and got a boat to take us on a little tour around the lake. We saw a few little islands, mainly private with massive homes on owned by the rich and famous of Nicaragua or foreigners. Also saw a little island which had nothing but trees and monkeys on! Then back to the hostel and relaxed in the hammocks for a while before going out for an early dinner. had a great Spag Bol and then we went to the cinema and saw a fairly terrible film. However, it was in English and that was the main criteria for choosing one to watch!

Day 105 Got up and got packed up and checked out of the room. Then went out for an early lunch before getting on a minibus heading to the capital, Managua. We changed buses there and got on one to Leon, which is the cultural and educational capital of Leon. We passed through some atrocious weather on the way and it got me wondering about the old hurricane season, which officially begins June 1st. At the hostel when we arrived in Leon, I had a search on the internet. The first thing i found out is that the tropical storm we experienced was due to a system off the coast of Costa Rica. It later strengthened in the pacific and when it hit land on the Nicaraguan coast, it became and hurricane. Last week, it ripped through Leon, the town we are in now. I spoke to the English guy who runs the hostel and he said there are currently no more warnings so that is good but it makes you think a bit. Catherine asked him what do you do if there is a hurricane and he said not make apart from stay inside and make sure you do not get hit by a flying tile and to tie everything down!! So hopefully we will not encounter any more such weather. Luckily it was not a hurricane in Costa Rica. Anyway, it is the first time I have been in a storm with a name. Reuters website has informed me it was named Tropical Storm Alma! Anyway it was beautiful sunshine when we arrived and we have a very nice pool in the hostel. We went out for dinner and then to see the long awaited Indiana Jones…which was terrible!!!

Day 94 - Got up and had some breakfast and then got picked up for our tour. We headed to the nearby monteverde cloud forest which is pristine, very wet rainforest. The rainforest was pretty spectacular, very lush and massive trees and overgrown everywhere due to the warm and wet rainy season. We were going on a zip line canopy adventure. We were harnessed up with belts etc and then strapped onto zip lines and we held onto the metal line with our thick padded gloves and then flew from tree to tree before being unclipped by someone and then clipped onto the next zip line. We went through fifteen zip lines and some were as high as 1,500ft above the jungle floor. It was incredible flying through the canopy…very fast. Catherine got it for me as a belated birthday present and she did it as well and was a little nervous at first but ended up loving it. Then near the end of the zip line tour we did a jungle tarzan swing where we literally jumped off a step and swung through the air about 50m clipped into a harness again. Great fun. We then got back to the start and had lunch and a little sit down. And then we walked round the national park through a series of massive bridges which traversed across high above the jungle canopy giving great views…except that by now the rainy season afternoon rain had really set in. We had to wear full body bright orange waterproofs to keep dry or drier!! Then back to the hostel and out for a nice dinner where the restaurant was set on the second floor around a huge tree that has grown through the middle. It was massive and all the tabels were situated around it. Had a nice steak!

Day 95 - Had to be up at 7am for our transport to the next place called La Fortuna. Transport was firstly a jeep then a boat across a lake and then another jeep arriving into Fortuna at 10.30am in the end. La Fortuna is a small town situated 15km from a massive active volcanoe which was been erupting every day for 40 years…only at night mainly. Although there have been some massive eruptions at times in the past. We got ourselves a room and then headed out for lunch. In the afternoon we had a walk round the town and got a Jeep rental booked for the next day. Then in the evening, we cooked dinner in the communal kitchen at the hotel.

Day 96 - In the morning we went down to Alamo car hire to pick up our jeep and told the guy we wanted it for week as we now plan to drive up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica getting us towards the border with Nicaragua. The jeep is very nice, air con, four wheel drive for off road, and quite roomy! We had an action packed day planned to set off straight away. First port of call was Arenal Volcanoe and we did a walk through the jungle to a nice viewpoint and saw a few interesting birds along the way. Then drove to an amazing waterfall where we had to walk down quite a way through the jungle. But then you come out at an 80m waterfall dropping down a cliff into a huge plunge pool which we swam in and it was freezing!! Then the heavens opened and we set off back up! Then the final thing we did was drive to a very luxury spa resort called Baldi Springs where anyone can go and pay to use the facilities. It was awesome. They have 25 different pools or sproings ranging from 30 celcius to 67 celcius. They were carved out with waterfalls. Some were big like a swimming pool and others could only fit about 6 people in. It was so relaxing hopping from one pool to another and some had swim up bars where they had seats in the water for you to sit and have a drink at…rather nice!! And only cost nine pounds each! Stayed there about four hours and then we were absolutely starving and headed back to the hotel and got a take away pizza and then fell alseep about 8.30pm…shattered!

Day 97 - Not a great deal to report today…got packed up and then set off driving down the coast to Playa Tamarindo. Roads were pretty good most of the way and stopped off for lunch halfway and got there in about four hours! Playa Tamarindo is a nice back town on the Pacific coast good for surfing and very popular with Americans moving to live there. We found a little appartment which ahd a kitchen which meant we could cook to make things a bit cheaper. And had a nice pasta dinner in the evening. It was pouring with rain though when we got there!

Day 98 - Got up and had breakfast in the appartment as we had bought food in. Then had a walk down to the beach as the weather was alot better. Booked ourselves in for a two hour surf lesson at 11am which was great fun! Had an instructor who gave us some simple instructions on the beach before heading into the water. The key is speed, you need to jump uo quick as the wave comes behind you, while you are paddling along. We both managed to stand up and surf waves in towards the shore so were very pleased with ourselves. It was a good place to learn as the waves were not too big. Then went back for a well earned lunch. Cat had a little sun bathe by the swimming pool for a bit and then got too hot, while I watched the footy on TV. Then in the afternoon we had a drive up the coast to see some of the more remote beaches as the roads deteriorate, which means a lack of public transport. Found three nice beaches which we stopped at and had a walk along. Then back to base and cooked again!

Day 99 - Not much to report today as we drove down the coast to a nice little town called Playa Samara with a nice beach and found a nice place to stay run by a Canadian lady who had moved out here to live. Driving took about two and a half hours so not too bad, weather was pretty bad though. When it rains in Costa Rica, it really rains!! So we went for a crepe when we got here and had a look at the beach and hopefully weather will improve tomorrow for some beach time!!

Day 90 - We were really tired from the early bus and we got a water taxi out the main island of Bocas Del Toro just off the North Western Panamanian coast. Got the boat at 6am and then managed to have some breakfast and find a hotel all by 8am! Then went back to bed as we were shattered! Got up in time to go out for some lunch and then had a wander round the town and found out what tours were available etc. Then about 5pm we got a water taxi over to nearby island about ten minutes away called Isla Bastimentos to go out for dinner. It was a really nice laid back island with a good caribbean vibe and friendly people and we met a very cool little kid dancing outside his house as music was blasting out. He was only about four but was quite a mover! Then found a really nice place for dinner overlooking the sea and hada really nice dinner before getting a water taxi back to our island about 8pm and watched a film on the dvd player before bed!

Day 91 - Up at 7.30am and had some breakfast we had abought from the supermarket. To save money we have bought a bowl and a spoon each to take round with us so we can buy cereal and milk in the mornings for cheap breakfasts. We then headed down to the sea front where we had booked ourselves onto a day tour. First port of call on the boat was dolphin bay…and it didn´t disappoint. We saw loads of dophins swimming through the surface of the water and saw a few mother and babies. Then our boat captain capped it off by doing circles in the water and the wake left in the water from the speeboat engine created waves which the dophins obligingly jumped over through the water and looked like they were having alot of fun. Then headed on to a beautiful snorkelling spot called Coral caye and then a had a nice lucnh of chicken rice and beans on aq restaurant built over the sea. The water was beautifully green and turqiose and transparent. Then onto another snorkelling spot then finally a couple of hours on a abeach only accessible by boat and a short walk through the jungle. Fantastic day all in all! Then back to our island and out for a very nice dinner. Cat had fresh fish in lemon with rice and I had a huge cheeseburger!

Day 92 - Up at 7am and on the boat out of Bocas islans back to the mainland at 8am. It took about an hour to get back to the mainland then a short minibus ride to the to the place where the bus which we wanted, departed! We got on the 10am bus to Costa Rica and out next country. The bus took about 7 hours ish and we got into San Jose, the capital, which had very little going for it and went straight and found a hostel. Found a good hostel with a pool and we had a dorm room for ten dollars a night each which isn´t too bad. Then got an early night as not much to do there!

Day 93 - Up at 10.30am…..bit of a lie in and then got packed up an checked out of the room! Managed to watch the first half of the Championsa League final and then had to set off to the bus station for another day of travel. Got the 2.30pm bus bound for a place in the North of Costa Rica called Monteverde. Basically it was a terrible journey, had over a two wait in a traffic jam just for a few road works that were blocking the entire road and the journey ended up taking 7 hours instead of four and a half. Anyway, got to monteverde and checked into our very nice and very cheap hostel!

Day 85 - So Cat got here last night and I went to the airport to meet her and then had us booked into a nice hotel with a pool, overlooking the Panama canal, which was nice! Spent the day chilling by the pool and watching the boats and ships go past! Then in the evening we headed into the city and went to Casco Viejo the old part and had a walk round and got a nice nightime view of the city and then had a really nice dinner…my first steak for a while!!

Day 85 - So Cat got here last night and I went to the airport to meet her and then had us booked into a nice hotel with a pool, overlooking the Panama canal, which was nice! Spent the day chilling by the pool and watching the boats and ships go past! Then in the evening we headed into the city and went to Casco Viejo the old part and had a walk round and got a nice nightime view of the city and then had a really nice dinner…my first steak for a while!!