Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving unexpectedly at the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. When I say "unexpectedly" - we were meant to go there, but I thought we had a bit more cycling to do! In all honesty, I didn't know the geography of Nicaragua (or much else about the country) and the whole Nicaragua section of the trip was a delight. But hitting the beach, after a delightful if slightly muddy stretch of off road, was a treat. And wandering down shortly afterwards to catch the sunset with a cocktail seemed the right thing to do, too.Rounding off a cycling day in La Fortuna with a zip wire trip in the canopy that covers one of the volcanoes, and then a bathe in the hot springs (some days were pretty packed.) As a wildlife enthusiast, I felt pretty excited about my first sloths and toucans.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent, Janiell engaged well with all of us, and led the Costa Rican team well. Outstandingly well-organised. Two examples: I don't think I waited as long as a minute for a room key! When you have finished a cycling day and really want a shower, that is a great boonWhen we switched bikes in Costa Rica, all the replacement bikes were ready for our size and properly labelled: to do this for one set of bikes is good, to have it done for both sets was very slick. Luis and Ronald dsereve a special mention : they lifted our bikes onto and from the roof of the bus so many times...
Advice for Potential Travellers
I prefer to put stuff into frame bags on my bike, rather than carry a rucksack. In tropical heat, I would not want the extra burden of a rucksack .. but I do like to have camera, binoculars etc handy.
