Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. Forgive me if the spelling and punctuation on this is a bit out but the letters on the keyboard dont entirely match the letters I am actually typing (and I have no idea where some of the punctuation is!!!). Its not just the heat I promise...

...well its hot hot hot down here in Costa Rica. It must be at least 30 but with the humidiity as well its getting a bit sweaty (sorry if thats too much information - ha ha ha). I am sharing a room with Fanny from France which is great as we had been having an occasional chat on the Wateringhole forum before we left and I feel that I already know her a bit, which is really nice. We are the only two singles travelling on this trip everyone else has come together, so that has worked out pretty well.

The flight over was quite a challenge (although I still enjoyed it!). All my flights were delayed which was a pain but I got chatting to some really nice people which passed the time. I had a long stop-over in Madrid and decided to sleep on the floor of the airport and save some cash instead of opting for a hotel. I did this in other countries and it worked out well. However if I ever suggest that again then please stop me. I had to sleep on a marble floor (nice, comfy and warm of course!) for 16 hours in a massive airport the size of Meadowhall with literally no-one around. It was quite bizarre!

Still I made it and the the fight to Costa Rica was great. The clouds as we were coming in were amazing - never seen clouds like it, but I guess thats why they have cloud forrests here!

Ive been out in San Jose this afternoon and have had my first Costa Rican coffee which was amazables! (as Sarah B in my office would say). I sat outside the Hotel de Costa Rica which is a very famous hotel, with my hat, glasses, camera (not looking like a typical tourist at all). I felt a bit like a celeb, only just a little bit less glam!

We will meet the rest of our group tonight at 6pm so that will be fun. I think the people who do these trips are quite similar in their outlook anyway so I am sure they will all be great.

Thats it for now. I am going to sit and read my book (good choice Dad, Im loving it!) I can hear distant thunder so I think there might be a tropical storm on the way, which will be exciting and soectacular I am sure.

Love to you all and apologies again for the lack of certain punctuation etc. I hope it all still makes sense! ha ha ha.

Amanda x