Crossing the border into Panama was painless enough. Soon we were aboard a fast boat heading through mangrove edged canals and out towards the islands of Bocas Del Toro. I'm sure you remeber Andrew - a Scottish chap who shared our pain in Guatemala during our exit from the World Cup? Well we have on numerous occasions run into him. Bocas was one such occassion. Recognising our vexed demeanour, Andrew made a wise suggestion. 'Throw money at the problem'. Wise ...

Costa Rica immediately impressed us with its paved, often marked roads. Its traffic lights. The occasional stainless steel bus stop. Even the trees looked nicer than in previous countries. We downed tools in Tamarindo, a beach town on the Pacific catering towards US tourists. Prices doubled here over neighbouring countries and, as a result, backpackers were few and far between. Three nights passed quickly as we enjoyed the spoils of a pool and gorgeous beach. Shu...

We know you are all dying to know "what is Nicaragua like". Well, picture Canvey Island at low tide and you'd be close. Perhaps thats a trifle unfair on Nicas, which does offer a few visual highlights. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, pipped to the post only by Haiti. With the vast majority of the country consumed by inpenetrible jungle, the population is restricted mainly to the Pacific rim. We took root in Granada - a...

The word travel is derived from the French word 'travail' (meaning work or torture). This word was in turn derived from tha Latin word tripalium, a three staked instrument of torture. Read on. We went in for repairs in the coastal town of Tela. Mental repairs. Repairs to our sanity. From here, we made tracks for the Bay Islands, an hour off the Honduran coast in the Caribbean. Our catamaran journey was... well, terrifying. The swell had us rocking violently fro...

Boarding a 38' launch in a tiny southern town in Belize bound for Honduras, we were ill prepared for the 'adventure' that lie ahead. A dozen or so Westerners expectantly took their pews and looked forward to a 2 hour crossing across the bay to our destination. Huh. We rode through mangroves to a dock where we completed immigration formalities before continuing. Here the fun and games started. Two and a half hours passed before we were stamped out of Belize - a co...