I left Panama city on a Thursday morning, which I failed to realized was the beginning of the celebratory half of Semana Santa. Easter is one of the more important holidays in Latin America, and planning around it is a virtual necessity. I should have learned my lesson a year ago, when I got caught in Mendoza, Argentina without a hostel reservation, and eventually had to settle for a bug infested hotel room. This year, I could only kick myself as I sat in traffic with the rest of the Panama City exodus, but was lucky to have a reservation at an isolated hostel that would carry me through the weekend.

Buried high in the cloud forest of central Panama with a stunning vista of the valley below, Lost and Found hostel was the perfect place for some fully undeserved R and R. There is little to do there other than explore the surrounding wilderness, relax in the peaceful gardens, and read a book - or write a blog, as the case may be. One afternoon, while struggling to distill that incredible week in Cuba, I was asked what I was writing and, eventually, where it could be found. When my answer earned a subtle eye roll, I was reminded of the importance of enunciation - “bradnation.com” is an unflattering blog title.

After four days in the forest, it was time to return to the stressful grind of island hopping.