The Best Book on Central America Budget Travel - Travel Well Spend Less

The deep and rich experience of Central America that every true traveler yearns for is one of the things in life that money can't buy. In fact, you don't have to use it. Traveling lavishly is the surest way to turn yourself into a sideline traveler. Restaurants with a white-glove service are great-sometimes-but they're usually not the best place to find the perfect tamale. Doormen at luxury places have their place, but not when your look-alike room could be anywhere from San Salvador to Seattle. Better to stay in a more intimate place that gives you the atmosphere you traveled so far to experience. Don't just stand and watch- jump into the spirit of what's around you.

No other area in the world exists where the waters of Pacific and Atlantic oceans bleed into one another. THe land itself - a seven country ishmus fusing North and South America - is overwhelmingly surreal. The sun beats down over lowland fields of sugarcane and cotton that seem to expand, then melt away in the wavy, dreamlike heat. In the highlands, the invigorating mountain air provides a respite from the equatorial climate. The fertile volcanic soils of these looming cones yield most of the region's material wealth. Evanescent clouds hover over the agricultural patchwork, lending an opaque, mystical twist. On a clear day, climb high enough and you may be treated to a view of two oceans so stimulating it leaves your knees weak.