On Saturday, we have a long, full day of travel from San Jose to Bocas del Toro in Panama. We're warned that previous tours have had up to a 3 hour long delay at Panamanian customs but they must have simplified things because we all sailed through, they didn't even ask for the $5 entry for non-Europeans. The border crossing is a bit strange in that between the Costa Rica exit and Panama entry, you have to walk over a long rickety bridge (while the bus goes on ahead) with supporting planks of wood nailed down to the floor with nails poking out. We're told not to hold our passports in our hands in case we trip over one of the boards/nails and the passport falls into the river, to be washed away forever :-(

Bocas del Toro is an island chain off the Caribbean coast of Panama, comprising beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, coral reefs and rainforest environments. It's also a major banana growing area, and at one time, bananas from here accounted for half of Panama's export earnings. The islands are dominated by the descendants of West Indian migrants. We're staying on Isla Colon. There's a good vibe on the island and it's very relaxed and feels safe. In the evening, we have a very nice meal at the Thai restaurant Lemongrass, I recommend a visit. Then, some of us go for a late night drink and dance at Barco Hundido (Shipwreck Bar), which has floating dance platforms built over a shipwreck! Great place this, me and tour leader Jess are the last to leave at 5am in the morning, and the place was still going!

Sunday is a free day in Bocas, and my late night has scuppered my plans for today! I was going to go to Finca Los Monos (Monkey Farm) which I read about on the net, beautiful gardens with monkeys, birds, fauna and flora, but I'm told there aren't any monkeys there at the moment. Was also going to hire a boat to go birdwatching round the islands but too knackered to do that (and the frigatebirds I wanted to see haven't made an appearance). Wanted to go and see dolphins off the coast too, but the best made plans and all that.

Another longish travel day on Monday to Boquete on the mainland, arriving late afternoon, then going for food and booking any tours on tomorrow's free day. Boquete is a small town situated in the middle of forested mountains. The town has a large retired American ex-pat population thanks to an article in Modern Maturity magazine in 2001 which listed it one of the top 4 places in world to retire to! There are a large range of activities such as rafting, kayaking and hiking. In the evening, we have a meal at a hotel restaurant called El Oasis, a few minutes walk from our place, Hostel Boquete. The steak is superb, and everyone agrees that it is some of the best food on the trip so far. A few drinks afterwards at Amigo's (owned by a Canadian, many Yanks there), we also ventured to Zanzibar prior to this but it was empty!

The next morning, it's chucking it down so my planned 3 hour Waterfall Hike goes out the window. However, when the rain does clear later, some of us get a taxi to Paradise Gardens, which from all the positive reviews I'd read beforehand, I was really looking forward to. It is an animal rescue centre, run by volunteers, which takes in animals which have been bought as pets and later discarded, or abandoned animals, etc. You get a guided tour for $5 minimum donation, and then are free to wander where you like. The place is wonderful, there are large landscaped gardens with many different plants and flowers. There is always a good turnover of animals as new ones are brought in and others released back into the wild (where possible). While we're there, there is a baby coati wandering around near the entrance who has a liking for shoes(!), many monkeys and types of birds in cages, a walk-in tropical aviary, and a turtle pond. We spend a few hours there, it's a great place. If you've got free time, you can also volunteer for a day (or longer!); if I was in Boquete again, I'd definitely spend a days volunteering here. In the evening, we head back to El Oasis and I have another steak, very nice! Then, more drinks at Amigo's.

Wednesday, and a long bus journey (changing in David) to our final destination of the tour, Panama City! Founded in 1519, it was an important transit route for Peruvian gold as well as Oriental spices and silks. In 1671, Sir Henry Morgan ransacked and destroyed the city, leaving the ruins of Panama Vieja (Old Panama). The city was re-established in its present location Casco Viejo. In 1914, the Panama Canal was completed (by the Americans, after the French failed with 22,000 dead through disease), an amazing feat of engineering. The canal is 77km long with vessels raised from and lowered to sea level by three sets of locks. Ships are charged transit costs by weight. The most expensive was $330,000 and the cheapest was a bloke called Richard Halliburton who swam the canal in the 1920s and was charged 36 cents for his bodyweight.

In the evening, we head to Flamenco on the Causeway for a meal at one of the restaurants, our final group dinner, then a few drinks at a bar on Calle Uruguay (can there ever be just a few for me?), I think I end up getting in about 4am!

I've got a 3 days extra in Panama City since, as usual, tours don't really leave you any free time in the joining or finishing city. On the Thursday, three of us who are left pay a visit to Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, the closest set of locks to Panama City. There are 2 sets of locks which you can see in action as ships go through, although when we went (at 10am), we waited for a couple of hours and only a sailing boat and luxury yacht went through. There were a couple of big cargo ships waiting to come through but we didn't fancy waiting around another couple of hours to see them come through - we could say we'd seen the canal, the locks in action, and at the end of the day, one set of locks is like another, albeit with a lot more history behind these! I was also going to do a half-day partial transit of these locks for US$115 on Saturday but after visiting here, thought it would be a bit boring and decided to give it a miss. In the afternoon, we visit the massive Albrook Mall, must be the biggest mall I've ever been to, everything you could ever want, huge food courts, very cheap clothes too. A quiet night tonight, with a meal at the hotel restaurant.

On Friday, I pay a visit to Parque Natural Metropolitano, I should have gone really early in the morning for the best chance of seeing more birds and animals, but I've got some goodbyes to say at breakfast. Still, even when I do go, around 11am, there's still plenty of smaller wildlife to be seen and the view from the highest point, the Mirador Lookout, of Panama City and the Canal shipping lanes is fantastic. In the afternoon, I go back to Albrook Mall to catch a movie (limited to the only one in English!), then the few remaining stragglers head out to Veneto Casino for drinks, and a bit of gambling fun. I've got a birding trip at Gamboa Rainforest Resort booked for 6am the next day so I have an early night tonight, leaving the casino at 2.30am!

Up at 5.30am (ouch!), then a taxi to Gamboa Rainforest Resort for an early morning guided birdwatching trip along Pipeline Road and surrounding area. Pipeline Road is supposed to be a birding haven, but we actually see many more birds before we get there than on the road itself, although there are a large group of howler monkeys in the rainforest which we do see. Also, I finally get to see and snap the biggest toucan that I really wanted to see the whole trip, the Keel-Billed Toucan. Afternoon back at the hotel catching up on my sleep. In hindsight, I should have paid a visit to the Summit Zoo on the way back since it is between Gamboa and Panama City and would lessen the impact of taxi costs to and from Gamboa.

Sunday 6th June and my last day in Central America. I catch a taxi in the morning to Casco Viejo for some sightseeing, then a taxi to the Causeway for some more snapping and lunch at one of the many restaurants. Then, it's time to leave for the airport and catch my flight back home!

I really liked Panama City. A modern city with plenty of nightlife for all tastes, upmarket malls, plenty of restaurants of all price ranges, proximity to plenty of wildlife spotting options. Taxis are very cheap allowing you to avoid "dodgy" areas. I could even get to like living here, but I could say that about a few places I've visited on the tour!

So, the tour is finally over! Nearly 2 months overland from Mexico City to Panama City (well nearly, apart from leaving the group for a week and missing out Honduras, then flying from Guatemala City to Nicaragua to rejoin them). It's probably been my favourite trip ever (and I've done quite a few over the last 18 months, as part of a long career break), all the great sights I've seen and wide variety of activities I've done (adventure, nature, etc), lovely food, plus the brilliant nightlife and social aspect. I've made many new lifelong friends (both local and gringo!), and done some amazing things. I chose Central America because I originally wanted to do South America but was worried about the altitude. However, I highly recommend Central America itself and will definitely be putting some places on my list of places to revisit - Antigua in Guatemala, San Jose in Costa Rica, Costa Rica NPs, Panama City, maybe even do Honduras as I missed it out. There's also a few things I didn't do but would have liked in retrospect - cenotes in Mexico, swimming with dolphins, whitewater rafting, there was also an unlisted option of a submarine dive (2,000ft!) off Roatan Island which I would have loved due to my previous job and may not be able to do anywhere else in the world (?). Highlights of my tour include the following:

1. Ancient Mayan ruins, nearly as magnificent in their construction as the Pyramids of Egypt. They evoke images of Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" when you're there, human sacrifices, hearts pulled out, heads rolling down the pyramids. A particular highlight was climbing Temple IV at Tikal and the amazing view from the top.

2. As a wildlife lover, the jungle/forest walks. Especially walking along one of the paths at Manual Antonio NP by myself and passing a troupe of howler monkeys in the trees above - the deafening, blood-curdling cries they made felt like they were about to attack me.

3. Standing next to a river of flowing lava at Volcan Pacaya, Guatemala, and toasting marshmallows (the volcano erupted 3 weeks later).

4. Ziplining through the canopy at Monteverde Cloudforest, Costa Rica.

5. The interesting history and culture, from various peoples of pre-Columbian times (eg. Maya), through to the conquest by the Spanish and subsequent Spanish rule, to recent turbulent history.

6. The nightlife and socialising, there was plenty of that for all tastes everywhere we went!

Until next time (I've got another Tucan trip, Moscow to Istanbul, booked for October), adios!