The sister plane of the C-123 shot down during the Iran-Contra Affair has found a new purpose in retirement.

One Costa Rican island is so beset by illegal shark poachers that the local rangers have built an entire bridge with their confiscated gear .

A secret climbing tree hides along the side of a Costa Rican road.

These mysterious ancient stone spheres were created by a civilization lost to time and are now mostly lawn ornaments.

Costa Rican accommodation resembles a crash site, but with a nice balcony.

Disused penal colony features prisoner artwork, some sketched in human blood.

This neon blue river gets its color from a unique mix of bacteria and volcano minerals.

Where dogs like the rare "Fire-Tailed Border Cocker" run free on the mountainside.

This Costa Rican topiary park is a surreal garden of unearthly delights.

Sloth rehabilitation center in the jungle of Costa Rica.

Thailand museum of bottles of all shapes and sizes filled with intricate and beautiful art.

This elegant carving of the Buddha guards a small Buddhist temple within a cave.

An enormous Buddha peers through a gap in its ruined chamber.

This nugget of paradise earned its name for obvious reasons.

On a river island north of Bangkok, a small bar helped lead a home-brewing rebellion.

A three-table eatery sits inside the home-kitchen of a seafood virtuoso in Bangkok's Chinatown.

A modern temple with an ancient philosophy.

Eat like a bird in a bamboo nest.

Vintage furniture and art share space with all manner of collectibles at this quirky shop in Bangkok.

A tall karst islet popularized by 007.

Thailand's distressed elephants find peace at this Chiang Mai sanctuary.

At the right time of day, sunlight floods through the roof of this cave and illuminates the small pavilion hidden within.

Bangkok's men with dangerous jobs come here in search of protective talismans.

Stunning wetlands ablaze with pink lotus flowers.