Melia Cariari Conf.Center San Jose

... forward snake. Shimmy those shoulders just a little harder…Love it.

We do the Meregue, Salsa, Rhomba, and Cumbia. I have learned a lot. Mostly that I can’t dance that well, but I have picked up a step or two. It usually doesn’t bother me. I just roll with the punches. I get a dance partner and we sort of step around and have fun. The teacher chuckles and I get exercise.

Today was different though. I went to a another class ...

... that wanted to drink 'for free').  It was a lot of fun but it made getting up this morning that much more difficult.

Breakfast was bread (the kind I really like), coffee, juice, fruit (pineapple and strawberries) and an egg over medium.  Class was painful for all of us today especially since a few of the people drank a lot last night (LOL).  Our teacher, Juan Jose, was nice enough to let us start our 10am break at 940 and gave us 40 min instead ...

... We were welcomed with these "fireworks" – there were no lights, just the booming sounds – by a scout troop of boys and girls from the town. We played some games with the students (aged 9 through 16) and then taught them how to play the Hokey Pokey. We got full of mud but it was a lot of fun; the kids were great and we were able to understand each other…somehow. Afterwards, we went to our lodge and had lunch. The lodge was pretty nice – ...

... cousin got his aisle seat, Doug got his window and I got some sleep. A perfect flight and another great Cousin Trip had come to an end!

An English writer named Charles Colton once wrote, "The writer that does the most is the one who gives his reader the most knowledge- and takes from him the least time." I hope that you all have enjoyed reading about our adventure and that it has proven to be time well-spent!

... up no end. When the capoeira troupe started it all got a bit surreal.

Not a lot else going on in the city. Although, for latin american capitals it wasn´t too bad. At least we didnçt feel like we were going to be killed at any moment. We took the opportunity to get some stuff for a big trek that´s coming up...8 hours walk each way...20 km...in the jungle. And that´s why I made Paul go to a jazz club.

... The next day we went horse riding with a guide who took us into a deserted village where lots of the people were killed by death squads. Consequently a lot of fighting between guerillas and the army took place there. Our guide was only 32 and saw his Mum executed by death squads in 1982 and showed us exactly where it happened. We also saw a massive bomb crater, holes called tatus where people hid from the bombs, trenches and ...

... in this hemisphere) but on the outskirts of El Salvador we did pass an enormous cardboard city. From the station I took a cab to a guest house and paid $18 for a really shabby room without bath. The cabbie shared a story about working on a coffee farm and almost being murdered by his bosses and that the only thing that saved him was that he knew people in high places. Nice. I usually don't worry too much about my safety, but ...

... pour avoir evite la noyade que pour avoir rentre des figures de folies. Epuise, je decidais de rentrer tranquillement en saluant mes nouveaux copains'. Nous decidions alors de retourner surfer l'apres midi, mais sur une plage de debutants cette fois... Nous dejeunons sur cette plage. Alors que le restaurant autant que la plage et que le village entier sont deserts, j'ai la bonne idee de commander des crevettes.... et on m'en donne pour mon argent.... Ce n'est ...

... bunk bed, or hammock. Now I look for the most expensive place listed in my Lonely Planet guide, and ask if there are rooms with a double bed, en-suite bathroom, hot water and cable TV. What´s more is that I feel quite disgusted if the answer to any of these questions is no. Some backpacker eh? Anyway, the main reason for staying in Perquin seems to be to use it as a base for daytrips to the surrounding area, and so the following day I headed to a little town called El Mozote. To ...

... Maxi is Bens best mates and is another Aussie. Hes super chilled out, rides a lid and is a top bloke as well. That is just naming a few but those guys were involved in a number of $7 a bottle Nicaraguan rum smashings. I had to change hotels 3 days ago due to an overbooking but I managed to find an awesome resort on the beach. Its run by two French Canadian mates who bought some cheap land, built a beautiful little resort right on the beach. These guys cook ...