i have held back a long time also from central and s. america, there's a side that has always appealed, but a darker side that was too fascistic-seeming for my taste.

AIRC, a wise Costa Rican leader many years ago concluded that the biggest threat to Costa Rica was from its own military, so he abolished the military and relied only on police. I do not know if this is the case now or even if it is an accurate characterization of what happened, but this could account for an absence of many of the darkest shades of the dark side in Costa Rica.

One of my fondest memories is of a six week stay, mostly in a Microbus, in the mountains around Guadalajara, Mexico in 1967.  The people were wonderful and the climate was delightful.  When I developed an ear infection exacerbated by 3,000 m elevation changes, I was able to self prescribe and purchase an effective antibiotic at a pharmicia in Durrango, on the way down.  It was a fantastic country, now grown more dangerous and violent due in part to the illegal nature of the drug trade.  I still think moving to Mexico or Central America would be a delight, but my spouse is far less comfortable than am I with living in a country with a language different from ours.  I have some Spanish but she has none.  It can be very difficult for an older adult to learn a new language.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."