1 June

We are in the colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua. Tomorrow we will be crossing the border into Costa Rica.

We are so fortunate. Everyday we are met with kindness in so many ways; someone offers to escort us somewhere, someone else takes my shoes to be mended while someone else lets me use their computer. Of course Tigerlily is most spoilt, usually with sweets and loving attention.

Since leaving Guatemala we hardly stay in hotels, it just isn't so enjoyable as staying with people and I find hotel staff in general to be unwelcoming. Most often in Honduras and Nicaragua we have either been staying with PLAN staff and their usually large families of sisters and daughters and cousins and....or with Catholic nuns; very kind and welcoming to us always, that is until today when we were turned away by 4 different orders. So we are renting a room.

After all the delays in Mexico we have got into a flow regarding cycling, particularly since getting to El Salvador. I think reaching halfway really spurred me on. Instead of 25 - 35 miles we were covering a day in Mexico, it's now at least 40 - 50. Must say it's been easy riding through Nicaragua. No real climbing. I love it. I'm all for an easy ride. Costa Rica is going to be a bit more arduous, all those mountains and even glaciers. Oh well, it'll be somewhere to cool off!