No need to ask - he's a tour operator...

Our last day in Miami was amazing - we've met loads of brilliant people, who hopefully we will rendezvous with in various South American countries... We partied at Club Nikki Beach with our friends Javier, Gabriela and Nicola. The club was cool, on the beach with huge mattresses and sofas, although it was $14 for one drink. In true Scottish style we got a few bottles of wine and sat further down the beach, listening to the music. Stayed up all night to watch the sun come up over South Beach, only for sleepyhead Woodward to fall asleep at the last moment! Was incredible to see a place that's usually so crowded, totally empty... except for a wee man with a metal detector looking for lost jewellery and change.

We arrived in San Jose early in the morning, and went for an initial explore to get our bearings. Save for a few nice cafés and a market or two, it was a city like any other. So, after a quick team meeting we decided to change our plans and head North for the volcanic region of Arenal, via the wood carving town of Sarchi. We stopped off to do a zipline over the rainforest at San Luiz which was amazing. Very few times in my life have I felt like James Bond and Tarzan at the same time, and the views were unbelievable.

We stopped for 'las comidas tipicas', wherupon our guide Arturo pointed up to one of the tall trees by the roadside exclaiming 'slut, slut'... I know what you're thinking - the South American sex industry isn't what it used to be - but when we looked up the 'slut' in question was covered in long hair, had claws and was clinging onto a branch with its eyes closed. So our first ever sighting of a sloth at lunchtime on day one! When we turned around we were pointed to another tree, which had an orange and black iguana the size of a deckchair, its long tail drooping down like a snake. Needless to say Rachel pissed herself and dived for her camera, with eyes and smile as wide as each other...

Arturo drove us up to a hot springs, passing papaya plantations, sugar cane fields and coffee farms on the way. On arrival Woody and me were straight into the water and remained there the rest of the day - hot springs under a volcano in Costa Rica. Life is good.

Yesterday we had a good adventure, travelling from La Fortuna (where the rain is as heavy as in Scotland, but as warm as a shower) to Monteverde. We used what the locals call JeepBoatJeep, self explanatory really. The boat was great, and the final section driving was fun over the roughest, steepest roads I've ever seen. You know it's a bumpy ride when the driver takes one hand off the steering wheel to hold onto a handle!

The Costa Rican football team (Los Ticos - so called because Costa Ricans always use a diminutive way of speaking. For example a Colombian would say 'poquito', which means small. A Costa Rican would say 'poquititico', which I imagine means 'wee small') are playing tomorrow, so hopefully we can find a bar in the hippy town of Montezuma and absorb the Latin passion for football...