Panama | Colombia | Jackson | Rio | Japan | America

THE NEXT DAY, during a layover in Panama,­ Oakenfold tells me, "I never thought I would get to see the world through a box of records, but I have. I used to go on an annual holiday prior to DJing - Rio, Japan, America - when I was, like, 16 years old. But then I started to focus on DJing and started getting invited to go and play. So, suddenly, I went from backpacking on a small, struggling holiday to traveling business class and staying in five-star hotels. It's been great."

Things are so great in business class, in fact, that Oakenfold makes an effort to taunt tour manager Jackson and me, who are stuck in the first row of coach, just behind the superstar DJ. "Could you please bring more lobster and fill up my glass of Champagne?" he asks, just loudly enough for us to salivate. He's kidding, of course. Today's long day of travel has afforded no lobster or Champagne, but rather Subway sandwiches between quick stops in Managua, Nicaragua, and Panama City, Panama, on our way to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

The last time Oakenfold played Colombia, he was greeted at the airport by armed escorts, but violence in the country has dramatically receded under current president Álvaro Uribe, and we are instead met by three unarmed bouncers. Our plans for catching a quick nap are foiled when we're told we must make the hour-long trip out to the venue for a sound check before checking into our hotel. By the time we do, it's nearly midnight, so there will be no siestas before Oakenfold's two a.m. set. Once at the hotel, we barely have time to set our bags down and brush our teeth before we depart for the venue for the second time in two hours.