Cartegena (Colombia) - stunning, even if sweaty

Cartegena is one hell of a place to start a South American adventure. Three days became four and five, and then it was a week. If it wasn't for the blistering and sweaty heat, I might have stayed forever.

This town of islands and beaches is built around a beautiful colonial centre, even for a person jaded of such sights. Cobbled streets, lined with food vendors and imposing churches and plazas with musicians and dancers. All surrounded by 17th century battlements and the water. Sadly, a lot of the time I was merely hiding from the heat. Yet the things I did do were world-class. Bathing in a volcano of bubbling mud, taking an open-air party bus around town at dusk (complete with a live band, bottles of rum and dancing games), an outdoor concert by Placido Domingo no less, salsa dancing in Fidels (a legendary bar in the historic centre that I visited every night) and the imposing Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, with its scary underground cells and escape tunnels.

Overall, Colombia seems to really put the Latin into Latin America, with bustling street stalls, an obsession (rather than just passion) for football and a party spirit to envy. Which begs the question: why did I take so long to get here?

Panama City (Panama) - more then just a canal

Panama is basically a country created by the US in order to build a canal. So, naturally it is the first thing I went to check out, from the less touristy Gatun Locks - near the scary-sounding town of Colon. The view is incredible as huge cargo ships squeeze through a system of 3 locks, which lift boats to the level of the lake. This man-made body of water comprises the majority of the canal and requires another system of locks on the pacific side, to lower the boats back to sea level. Ships have basically been built since the inception of the canal to be as wide as possible, yet still fit through. Only a two foot gap seperates the ships from the lock walls. A seriously snug margin. I was lucky enough to tag onto a couple from Colombia on holiday and we set off, in their hire car, to also check out the Gatun dam, San Lorenzo Fort (in a driving tropical thunderstorm) and the Sheltered Cove Marina, where I had a half-arsed attempt to hitch a ride to Cartegena, Colombia. I failed.

Elsewhere, Panama City is a curious mix of a fully developed world trading city (as much like a Hong Kong or Singapore, as anywhere else in Central America) and a run-down colonial old town, with signs of renewal that could make it spectacular. All in all, an odd place to end one part of my travels and build up excitement for a continental shift. South American here I come.

San Jose (Costa Rica) - stopover

In a country famed for its pristine natural environment and idyllic beaches, not to mention coffee, it's a shame I only set foot in the capital of Costa Rica. Though inoffensive, the city of San Jose (another one) offers little for the casual day-tripper. The centre is neither colonially elegant nor thrillingly modern and so even the locals struggle to recommend an itinerary. Once into the outskirts, it is impossible to distinguish it from suburban California... malls, fast food chains, freeways and a 50:50 mix of signs in English and Spanish. Certainly a notch ahead of the rest of Central America in terms of economic development. But in a good way? I am not sure.

Luckily, I was hosted by a great fella from Equador, who wasted little time plying me with great roast pork, ensuring I was sipping guero, the local firewater tipple, and hanging with the locals. Having said that, in one bar (El Rey), the crowd comprised a regional convention of Latin American escorts and overweight, sweaty US businessmen. We didn't stay long.

Isla de Ometepe (Nicaragua) - lush landscape

The western side of Nicaragua is dominated by a huge lake, which provides a home for an enchanting island, named after the local word for 'two peaks'. Hot, wet and built on volcanic soil, Ometepe is a verdant land, with a strong farming culture and a growing tourism angle, although largely rural and untouched - except by a host of cows, horses, chickens and dogs.

Getting around is difficult, to say the least. The 30 km trip from the port in the north-west, to Merida in the south, takes a laughable 3 hours due to the mud and rock road that plies the route. Making it there, though, is thoroughly worthwhile in order to stay at the hacienda, perched on the lakeside, complete with kayaks, hammacks, giant chess sets and other tools of the idler.

To be honest, my memories of this retreat focus more on England's incredible win in the Ashes - which I listened to almost in its entirety via the bbc live webcast. I did also have a few good swims, once at sunset which was amazing, and visit the 'oro de agua' to sample its mineral enriched waters. Although I didn't shed 10 years, as promised by the doorman, my skin did feel surprisingly soft after an hour floating around. Worth doing for a few bucks.

Leon (Nicaragua) - stinking hot

Leon is another of those easy-going colonial towns, with its parque central and cobbled streets, that pull in the tourists. In this case, the oppressive heat and humidity, plus a feeling I had seen it all before, meant I wasn't keen to stay around for too long. However, a crippling rum induced hangover, on the day I intended to leave, brought an extra day for this town.

The big 'must do' activity in town is sandboarding - more like gravelboarding - on the nearby volcano Cerro Negro. I had an attempt, but it was bloody hard work. Hot, dusty, difficult to control and a bit frustrating for a snowboarder. Still, the walk up was fantastic, with a landscape of contrasting volcanic cones, and the whole escapade sounds pretty cool.

I also managed to visit the impressive art gallery, with its peculiar mix of contemporary art and 15th century European masters, check out a hilarious live music act and do the customary tour of the cathedral. A bit of culture to balance out the liquor and it was time to head to the next stop - via 3 taxis, 3 buses, a boat and a pick-up truck. All in one day.

San Salvador (El Salvador) - malls, merriment and misery

Central American capitals offer few compelling reasons to visit and many to stay away - unless squalor and street crime are up there on your interest list. So hitting San Salvador was always a question mark, until I received an invitation to stay with a couple of locals. Well, a guy from Portugal and his Chilean missus. Arguably two of the nicest people I have ever met.

On Friday night, we stayed in for food and drinks with a handful of genuine locals, including Pamela a genuine resident rock star. Then we hit a few clubs in the bohemian part of town, where I attempted to rekindle my memories of salsa dancing - not a good idea. Despite the bars all shutting at 2am, we managed to find a few 'after parties' (lock-ins in English terms) and keep going until 5am. The following night, despite big ideas of visiting the top end of town nightclubs, we all crashed ridiculously early, although I did manage to cook up a storm first. It's a good sign if a diner begs for a recipe.

Out of guilt on my third day, we got out there and drove around for the afternoon. A visit to the anthropology musuem (not a big highlight), customary trip to the mall (which characterise this city) and dinner in the best pupusas joint in town. Like many of these cities, the stark contrast between western-style wealth and abject poverty is chilling.

The most thought-provoking sight though, was the Monumento a la Memoria y la Verdad in the otherwise drab Cuscatlan Park. This monument records the names of known victims (there are plenty more besides) of the 80's civil war. Around 30,000 people are listed, killed by the Reagan supported contra forces. Worrying stuff, especially as it happened in my lifetime.

El Tunco (El Salvador) - focused laziness

The pacific coast of El Salvador has a vibrant surf scene and makes for a very chilled spot, for even a non-surfer to spend a few days. Nine in fact.

Complete with a hollywood style collection of stars, each naming a famous axeman (Mark Knopfer, please?), La Guitarra is one of those places it is difficult to leave. Forget the surf break - a pool table, free internet, swimming pool, exquisite chess set, dvd room and ping pong table, made it easy to fill in the days.

In a bid to do something local, I did seek out the sensational dish 'mariscada', which comprised a huge, creamy seafood soup featuring just about every creature that swims in the ocean. Otherwise, I cooked a lot with the dinner club of Stav, Toby, Austin and Kathleen. My contributions included an English style curry, Thai stir fry of sorts and Spanish tapas spread. Rustled up in the hottest kitchen known to man. Never have I been somewhere where the rain was greeted so welcomingly, since it knocked a few degrees off the searing temperature. All in all, an easy and extremely lazy return. Now, really must start clocking up some km's.