A sprint through Panama and Costa Rica

For example, our beds in a hostel are four times the price we were paying a few days before in South America. Frugal travellers such as us will have to be quick.

Latin America has had its share of assorted history and Panama City is no exception. Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first Spaniard to set eyes on the Pacific having crossed the country in 1513.

This entrance to the Pacific side of South America was used as a route to Peru, creating a way for Francisco Pizarro to flatten the Inca Empire.

Panama was ransacked by the Welsh pirate Henry Morgan in 1671 before being rebuilt and used as the base of the largest canal in the world.

Many travellers use Panama City as a point of departure, though we spent some time learning about this varied history. Panama Viejo is the site of Panama City before Morgan invaded.

We spend one sunny afternoon walking around the shells of buildings that remain. It gives the imagination ingredients to play with as you visualise the events that occurred here hundreds of years ago.

The city was rebuilt a few miles west in an area known today as Casco Viejo. This old town holds some surprises. We spend a day browsing the buildings, shops, churches and bars.

Investment is being poured into this neighbourhood and it seems like a work in progress. I get the impression that in a few years time this building site will be a popular tourist spot.

Casco Viejo adds character to the city as away from this small area, the city consists of tall apartment and office blocks that create a modern skyline.

These modern areas are also sites of developments. On every block there seems to be a large tower being erected.

This adds hazards on the non-pedestrian friendly streets. One afternoon when looking for a post office we passed such a site.

I stepped over a concrete block abadoned on the side of the road but did not notice thin metal bars protruding from the discarded lump.

My foot caught on this causing me to scream pathetically and curse at my nailess and bloody little toe. We never did find the post office.

From the huge bus terminal we head to the Miraflores Locks to watch the canal at work. We see a few liners pass and we are suitably impressed by the grandness of the whole spectacle.

It really is a great human achievement though it came at a price. Twenty-two thousand workers died of malaria or yellow fever in a ten year period before the fifty mile stretch was opened in 1914.

After a few days, we take a night bus across the far north west of the country. Bocas Del Toro is an area of islands that draws huge amounts of backpackers.

But we have found that this is not necessarily a good thing. We ask ourselves what are we doing here and decide to move on with more definite plans through Costa Rica.

The border between Panama and Costa Rica can be crossed using a patchy wooden bridge once used for transporting bananas.

It looks to me that if you placed a foot wrong you would end up in the river below, but there is no need for me to be so dramatic as we make it over in one piece.

After a long day on the move we stop at Cahuita, a beautiful seaside spot not too far from the border. We are relaxing on the beach in the late afternoon and I am dozing off. I wake up to the sound of howler monkeys.

I have never heard the roar of a howler monkey before so it takes me a few moments to adjust and realise that everything is alright and we are not being attacked by a strange Central American carnivore.

It is the season for observing giant turtles laying eggs on the beaches further north.

We take a bus and then a boat to the tiny town of Tortuguero. On the first night we go with a guide and we are able to observe the whole process. The huge turtles pull themselves up the beach, create a nest, lay the eggs and cover the hole before returning to the sea.

Humans interfering with the laying process and the poaching of eggs once contributed to the dwindling numbers of giant turtles.

The development of eco-tourism, restricted areas and new laws has seen a rise in the number of turtles returning each year.

We are taken to observe the process by a licensed guide who is passionate about the sustainability of the turtles. The guide's red torch is the only light permitted as conventional white-light hinders the laying process.

The following morning, we catch the first boat to connect to a bus to take us to San Jose. Most visitors to Costa Rica would not spend time in this city and we were the same.

We took a taxi from one bus terminal to another and saw enough to feel that our decision not to spend more time here is justified.

After a few hours of waiting around, our bus departs for Monteverde.

In Monteverde we take in a canopy tour. The zip-lines and trails are some of the best in the world and it is worth the money. Again, we stay for just a couple of nights before we move on.

The twelve pound bill at the supermarket to make pasta with sauce reminding us that Costa Rica is not really the place for the budget traveller.

We book on the next bus to Nicaragua after just ten days in these two expensive countries.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here