Can a blog have an autumn?

"Shall we hang around another day?" Asked kate as we walked down the beach. "Oh go on then, twist my arm"

We took a little pique nique and headed back to the Nasho - another great Aussieism for National Park. More monkeys, colourful birds & butterflies and an Armadillo

It's funny getting back to the guesthouse and comparing notes with the other guests on what we all spotted. I know it's not a competition but those bloody Germans saw a big Iguana.....

Bit more art for you taken on my iPhone and then 'zopped up' with my new freebie snapseed app. 

You wouldn't believe such talent could come from a man who looks like this would you? Not that you're the judgemental type...

Today we've done pretty much our last bit of riding. We'll naff about on the bikes around here in Peurto de Viejo de Talamanca and do a little bit more riding in San Jose but this feels like the end of the road. We feel a bit proud but we know others who would have tried much harder. Still, we're not sad, getting to see this little beauty along the way today certainly told the Germans where to go!

People have said that I sounded down in the last post, one said he found it harrowing... Not at all, I'm actually feeling quite buoyant. It's just that we've had enough of this for now and fancy stopping somewhere a bit more comfortable and normal for a bit. We've still got loads of enthusiasm and energy for other trips, just not right now. Ask me again in a month and I may well have a very different answer...

So has this trip been a life changing experience? No, well not yet anyway. I do feel that my eyes have been opened a bit to this Mindfullness lark and maybe yoga stuff... I'd like to think that I could work it into my life on a more regular basis but I'm not sure it'll stick. That's up to me I guess...

Without getting mournful, I heard yesterday that a guy I knew through work has finally lost his battle with cancer. We're all only here for a short time and again, how we choose to spend that time is up to us... 

The people we've met on all these trips have proven to me time and time again that everything is possible, you've just got to make it (or as close as you can get) happen.

Not directly connected with the above I can categorically say that I'm so happy that I've never smoked. We've heard so many people in these guesthouses hacking up disgusting phlegm and then stumbling out of their room to have a fag. Get real smokers, sort yourself out...

I want to learn to be less judgemental (except against smokers, there really is nothing good about it at all). 

We have also learnt that despite preconceived ideas (is that like being judgemental?) the driving in these parts has been pretty damn good and 99% have been polite and courteous. Guess this was the 1%

That's about it I think. Well, not quite actually.... I don't think this'll be the last post for this trip but you never know. Will I find anything worth talking about? Have I so far? I'd love to know if any of my wittering has inspired or put off anyone from doing a similar trip? I'd love to know even more if I've provoked any thoughts in people's minds (yeah, I know, I'm a wally).

I saw a quote the other day. I can't remember who it's by and I might not have remembered it completely correctly but here goes.

"Don't spend too much time thinking about the meaning of life. Spend more time thinking of how to make your life meaningful".

In one of my early posts I said that we wanted to find something meaningful to get involved with on this trip. Well, we failed. Didn't even come close. That is a bit of a disappointment. No doldrums though, we'll just keep thinking of ways to achieve it, be it here or be it back in Blighty.

So for now it's Adios (it's ok, you know I'll be back in a day or 2...) until then, we'll be here soaking it up...