Highlands

Although the names Costa Rica and Panama may conjure up white-sand beaches and palm tree ridden coastlines, I found the highland in between the two coasts to be particularly inspiring. A cooler interlude between the sweltering heat of the Caribbean and Pacific sides, the intense greenery and ever-lasting dew of the highlands reminded me of a sort of fairy land.

Probably the most known highland forest is that of Monteverde. Monteverde is a cloud forest, which essentially means you're walking through fog, mist, and moss while attempting to spot the elusive quetzal (a bird claimed to be the 'most beautiful bird')

And of course, cocktails in treehouses. 

Rincon de la Viaje. Another photo from that national park can be found here. Its a volcano whose main attractions include weird melting pots of sulfuric acid. 

In Panama, El Valle provided a welcome interlude between the humid heat of the coasts. The town itself has, as many do, one main road two main attractions. One was  a walk through waterfalls, the other a 'spa treatment', which basically meant you sat in a large rusty tub with mud on your face (something about volcanic minerals). 

I also took a quick spanish course in the town of Boquete, a place famed for its beautiful coffee farms and 'snowbirds', aka Canadian ex-pats fleeing the cold of winter. I enjoyed the coffee more than the Canadians, but either way the town had a lot of charm.