El Presidente y los huevos? Days 532 - 534

We do meet the most delightful people on our travels, a 97-year-old host with a mind as sharp as a tack (not 'button' as I described him) a possible future president and another delightful host and her menagerie of animals.

So where are we now? On day 532 we said a fond farewell to Eddie our 97-year-old Airbnb host, then off to the airport. Our Uber driver Agustín Sosa was brilliant. First, he taught us some Spanish with much laughter; then we discovered that he was trying to become Panama's President as an Independent politician. One of life's characters. More details here: http://laestrella.com.pa/panama/politica/agustin-sosa-busca-llegar-presidencia-como-independiente/24074553

We are now in Costa Rica, a short visit before travelling to Nicaragua to stay with our friend Eve, then we return to Costa Rica for three weeks.

Unfortunately, Costa Rica is very expensive. The 30-minute taxi ride to our destination was going to cost us US$50, so budget-conscious #GrownUpTravelers walked 15 minutes in the heat of the midday sun to the bus stop, caught a bus and then a short taxi ride. The total cost was US$10. Bargain!

We are now at Ocotal beach staying with a delightful Airbnb host Maria with her four dogs and three cats. She is a treasure, full of love for people and animals. The dogs are crazy and such fun; the cats keep themselves to themselves.

We've decided to chillax for our four days here — no sightseeing, no walking tours, no learning the history of the place. Instead, walks along the beach, reading a good book, doing mindless sudoku, researching Costa Rica, chatting and learning more Spanish. I definitely need to improve my Spanish pronunciation though.

Maria generously lent us her car today, so after a lovely walk along the beach, we went to the supermarket. We were looking for eggs, and I asked an assistant "Donde estan los huevos por favor?" For some reason, she didn't understand my accent, so I reverted to my usual communication style and pretended to be a chicken laying an egg. I think I made her today!

That's all folks!