My one day of luxory

It was by amazing fluke that the beach I ended up at the end of the trek, Playa El Rey, happened to be about 10km north of Dad´s house at Matapalo. So Saturday was an amazing day, filthy clothes and sandy dirty camp forgotten for a whole day as I was picked up and whisked off to Manuel Antonio and put in an infinity pool to drink fruit cocktails straight out of pineapples, gazing at the stunning scenery around me. Hence photo on right...

Getting back to camp after a whole day of being treated like a princess was a complete and utter horror, and I felt for the first time that I´m done with living so basically, and I am really ready now to slip back into my old life of little comforts. Having said that, I´ve been back at base for 24 hours now, the venturers are all fielded away from PMs by the fieldbase staff so we get some time to ourselves, and I think I can handle one more phase (just one more though...!).

I had a quick word with the country director before coming into town and I think I´m being sent up to the Miraflor region in Northern Nicaragua next, to work in another community. If this is confirmed tomorrow, then I reckon i´ll have had the best experience out of all the PMs here in Costa Rica, with three amazing phases offered to me.

Everyone´s tired but on highs after their second phase and tonight, following last nights´ fundraising auction, Sara, another PM and I, are off to a hotel on top of Mount Turrialba (dormant Volcano) for a good night´s sleep in a real bed, hot shower and continental breakfast tomorrow morning (CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST:!:! ARHGH so exciting!!).

Next update, post Nicaragua and more importantly, Pre Hugo´s arrival, mid April (yay!)

Also, massive thanks to Zanna and Will for posting me Glamour magazine which arrived half way through trek and was an absolute godsend, to Juliana writing all the way from HK which put the biggest smile on my face, mum for your letter and the very amusing newspaper article enclosed, Mils L, thank so much for Grazia! I am loving all the totally irrelevant articles about colours to wear in spring, kate and pete´s mishaps at the Brit awards etc, and finally but not leastly, MILS AND AMOS! Massive congratulations to you both on your engagement, and I am simply gutted that I cannot even celebrate with a tiny sip of champers out here, such is the strength of the alcohol ban. I did treat myself to a mars bar though and I am looking forward to a more adult and fruity celebration once I get back in May.