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The Central American adventure has suddenly changed in character since entering Costa Rica. I have yet to get a true sense of my new country, but I can reflect on what has been a brilliant experience through Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The highlights have been (or trying to) in El Salvador on the Pacific, discovering Maya Pedal in Guatemala where they recycle old bikes within Guatemala and filming the .

My only regret is that as I stick to my relentless mileage target of reaching Aconcagua in Argentina to start climbing in the New Year, I have passed each of these places so fast. I haven't sped up, but their relatively small sizes have given the illusion of speed compared to North America!

Maya Pedal was an ingenious enterprise which could work in many countries around the world. The surfing was brilliant fun and a nice distraction from the cycling. However, I was left utterly exhausted! The water was very warm, meaning it was the first time I could go surfing without a wet suit - it's much better! The waves were very big and a strong rip tide kept me swimming hard. After being tumbled and bashed about by many waves I managed to find my feet again. However, I think it would have taken a week or longer to really get back into it!

If I had to choose, Nicaragua was the highlight. Every day I cycled past the most incredible volcanoes and saw people living hard but happy lives. The sense of community and family in rural Central America is wonderful to see.

Most of the housing I passed were self built wood and tin constructions and no more than one bedroom huts. Life is very tough in the countryside and for the vast majority a wage of $200 a month is considered very good in parts of Nicaragua. People have little choices in life due to a lack of wealth and education. For example I asked people why they lived in the shadows of a dangerous volcano and they replied that they had no choice.

They live there as their families always have and their land wasn't worth anything. Bikes, horses and oxen are the only help that some people could use to ease their daily manual work. Despite all this, children often ran out shouting 'hola' and almost everyone I passed waved and shouted a greeting.

Despite their poverty people rarely asked me for anything, which often happens in areas with such conditions - there was a charming pride about them. For example, the lady who ran the brick factory was 25 years old and was very pretty despite her life of manual work. As well as making bricks all day ($8 for 100), she also raised her own two children as well as her sisters three. Her sister was a maid in Brazil and only got to return home every Christmas. Despite all this the lady I met seemed to love her life.

I am now looking forwards to exploring Costa Rica and Panama in the next week!

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