We sleep really well and decide to go for an exploratory walk before breakfast and before it becomes too hot. It is already 29C and only 07.00. Surprisingly, for such a tiny location, Drake Bay has a small police station set back from the beach. We presume it is necessary because this is close to the Panama border and very remote and would be an ideal location for drug running. That is only our guess but would seem likely.

We see pelicans flying in formation above us and vultures are abundant in the trees and on the beach.

I’m particularly grateful to this guy who lets me get really close.

There is no jetty so all boat trips involve a wet embarkation.

At the end of the beach we divert to the road that then turns into a track with a path off through the rainforest.

We see the hugest bamboo and beyond that we enter the forest. Birds and butterflies dart from bush to bush. Tantalisingly difficult to photograph.

We’ve been walking for an hour or so and are now hungry. We stumble across a luxury hotel and decide breakfast here would be an excellent idea.

Feeling much refreshed we set off once more. Paul spots a couple of green parrots in the bushes. It’s takes me a while to see them. They are so well camouflaged.

This tanager is not so well-camouflaged but still hard to spot!

We cross a very rickety hanging bridge and can see monkeys in the trees above.

The path now went steeply uphill but at least had some crude steps and a handrail to make life a little easier. We then go the same distance downhill and arrive on a beautiful deserted beach.

Above us I hear squawking. I am being watched by a cheeky red macaw.

Hermit crabs scuttle along the sand. We sit and watch them for a while and soak up the magnificent view before heading back to our hotel.

We now change rooms and are delighted to find that our deluxe room is a huge improvement. We have a balcony with chairs. It is yards from the beach with a lovely view and breeze. We even have bedside tables. Hoorah!! Still no glasses though….. We skip lunch and drink beer and eat nachos on our terrace. We then swim in the sea and laze on loungers until it is sundowner time. We head down the beach in the opposite direction to this morning. We find a bar with a great view where we sit and drink our pina coladas.

We find a little restaurant tucked away behind the beach where we have a really excellent meal. There are specialist coffees here and the affogato to finish was delicious.