Hi everyone! I know it`s been a long time since I`ve written, but our days have been very full! We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica a day before George`s family did. So we just stayed downtown in a nice backpacker`s hostel.

The next day, after getting my bank card stuck in the ATM, we went to the family`s hotel. It was so nice to see them! It`s been a while - we haven`t seem them since last March when they came to Vancouver Island for a visit.

Gloria (George`s Mom) was in San Jose for a butterfly conference, and everyone else followed along for the vacation. And thanks to Jack and Gloria, we got to enjoy much of the conference activities as well! And we got to do things that we never would have dreamed of, because they cost the same as one day`s budget for us.

We went to butterfly farms and saw 100`s of morpho butterflies, we went to waterfalls, a volcano, nature trails, a couple zoo`s, a tram ride through the rainforest canopy, and a gorgeous beach on the Pacific side.

At the beach, we stayed in a luxurious beachside resort, and each got five free drinks (starting at 10AM!), free breakfast and lunch, and four free snacks. Such luxury! Also at this beach, I got over my silly fear of the ocean! I saw Jack and Shawn (George`s dad and nine year old brother, respectively) going into the five foot high waves and they didn`t die! So I thought that I`d better try too.

I did, and I`m glad! We swam in the ocean and got tossed around by harsh waves for hours! And we all got very sunburnt, except George of course. Nothing bad ever happens to him. I have a very annoying sunburn. Because I was wearing shorts and a kind of tube-top bikini top, I´ve got five horizontal stripes on my body. Real nice.

In the evenings, we spent our time relaxing and chatting with the family and other conference goers. Everyone was very nice. There was a lady who makes beautiful jewellery with butterfly wings in silver settings. On the last day, she gave everyone a free necklace! You can see her designs at bboscodesigns.com.

After they left, we decided to go to the Caribbean ocean! It`s amazing. The water is warm, there are coconut trees and mango trees everywhere, and the food is delicious! We went to a small town called Cahuita and stayed there for three days. We only wanted to stay for two, but on Saturday my bank card got stuck in the machine again and we had to wait for Monday.

So on Monday we got some money out and headed to Panama! Panama is a beautiful country, but the border is the worst border we have been through. There was no signage anywhere, and we had to go to four different places! First to get our money changed to American dollars at the cafè(it`s the currency in Panama), then to a sketchy guy on the corner who sold us $11 tickets to San Jose which we didn`t want but had to purchase in order to enter the country. Then to the VISA office, then to the immigration office.

Then we got accosted by a few taxi drivers before finally leaving and heading to Bocas del Toro, a tropical island on the caribbean ocean of Panama! To get here we had to take a boat through a canal lined with jungle and floating plants.

Our hotel is gorgeous and clean, and has a common porch hanging over the ocean which we can go swimming from. And guess how much it costs! Only $20 a night! And a can of beer costs sixty cents! Man, this is the life.

So! In a very brief nutshell, that`s what we have been up to. Most of our time was very pleasant and everything went smoothly. I was really sad when the family left, as was George. It was so great to be surrounded by family every day. Now, it`s back to just the two of us, and whatever kind strangers we find.

The trouble with travelling as a couple, is that it`s easy to not talk to anyone, and rely on each other for company. So sometimes we get a little lonely. And we felt it even more after the family left. George`s family leaving also made me think about my own family, and how much I miss them. I haven`t seen them for a year and four months! I hope you know, family, I`m thinking about you always.