What happens when you cross a mayor and a painter?

The elliptical citadel resisted the advance of the mighty Ottomans several times, thanks to the military prowess of the "Dragon of Albania."

An Albanian monument to the Communism that nearly crushed the country is now a crumbling wreck.

A medieval bridge stretches over a sulfur-rich river that leads to year-round natural hot springs.

A naturally beautiful, seemingly bottomless deep blue spring.

A huge, bustling local market in Panama City.

The rusting hulk of a hand-powered, nearly 160-year-old submarine abandoned in 1869 due to the ravages of decompression sickness.

A no-frills, DIY nature preserve manned by a U.S. expat who has dedicated his life to turtle conservation.

Right angles in the forests of Panama.

Volcanic activity causes small pools of super-heated mud to boil furiously.

The youngest volcano in Central America.

A full-size replica of this well-preserved temple lets you take a walk through the Mayan age.

Fish raining from the sky are the cause of a yearly celebration in this small Honduran town.

This fortress in Honduras was built to resist pirates, but its builders had more to fear from the British.

These colorful sawdust illustrations are trampled into non-existence only moments after they are finished.

These Honduran caves earned their magical nickname thanks to reflective bone deposits.

Remote Honduran Islands with a colorful history.

This staircase full of Mayan hieroglyphics is perhaps the largest single text in the world.

This collection of historical artifacts and tropical wildlife waits just beneath the surface of the water.

A ruined Maya city that suffered a years-long case of mistaken identity.

This restored colonial house was once home to the botanist responsible for bringing avocados to the U.S.

Natural saunas fed by volcanic heat.

A collection of heirloom roses tucked in a spectacularly beautiful botanical garden on Lake Atitlan.

Mesoamerican monoliths and zoomorphic stones covered in royal visages, ancient mythology, and grand celestial events.