Well it ended up being Nicaragua, and I took all of your recommendations and opted to lug my camera and its gear as opposed to purchasing a G12. Let me tell you, I am so glad that I did. It was a great experience for a medical student to see patients in a developing country. There is just pathology there that you never see in the states. Lot of it because people just cant get something as simple as penicillin. Truly a humbling experience.
My wife and I posted some of our favorite shots from the trip to this Picasa website.
picasaweb.google.com/.../NicaraguaRotation2011
I gave this website to the others on my expedition, so they will likely be putting up some of their own pictures. Just know, mine are the ones shot with a 50D. [:P]
Thanks so much for looking.
This was soo much fun.
Dave.