I've been a little busy...
So a quick post to catch up..... Last Wednesday I flew home from Toronto to San Jose, Costa Rica. When I got home there was a dead scorpion in my lounge, luckily I haven't found a live one while putting on my trousers. I had a quiet night in Santa Ana and checked out a couple of bars I've been meaning to go to.

Thursday I went to the Teatro Torres, dropped off all The Body Shop products that the cast had requested and followed it up with drinks in a salsa bar in Heredia. People just seem to bring their own instruments and jam, it's too packed to dance really, which saves much embarassment.

Friday night saw drinks and great conversation in a bar near work, then on Saturday after three hours sleep, I got up, took a taxi to the airport and flew to Managua, Nicaragua via El Salvador and spent a fantastic weekend in Granada (the Nicaraguan one) and Managua. Granada is an unspoilt colonial wonder and I stayed in a hotel built in a restored mansion house and was only awoken once by the sound of gunfire and sirens. I found a new friend and the time spent there was sublime. Sunday lunch was taken in a restaurant on the shore of a lagoon that fills the crater of an inactive Volcano.

I was shocked by the brief glimpses of poverty in Nicaragua. I have resolved to visit a lot more of Central and South America. I'll take that trip to Panama in three weeks time, then see if I can work my way through the continent a weekend at a time. Companies with a North American ethos don't seem to understand the whole vacation concept. Work life balance indeed, how is five or six days work then one or occasionally two days off a balance?

This morning I flew back to San Jose in a twin turboprop ATR 42 and after a rough landing, took a taxi to work. Tonight, I had dinner with my friend Nicky which was long overdue and we chatted about everything and nothing. About an hour ago I jumped in a cab home.

I am looking forward to spending more time in this end of the continent.