Lifetime Experience

I will always remember my family trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica. While we were there, we went on a hike up a volcano called Arenal, and also explored the rainforests. There's a saying that says some experiences can last a lifetime. My Costa Rica experience is one I will always remember. It showed me the history of a volcano and the mysteries of a rainforest. 

When I looked at the ancient Arenal volcano, it was fascinating and made me think about how sad it was at the same time. When I arrived at its base, I didn’t know anything about its history, and I thought it was just some old mountain. I didn’t stop to think about how important history can be. It was a short hike up with an amazing view. Our tour guide told us that it was too dangerous to go all the way up because it was still active. Fun fact, Arenal holds the “most active volcano” title in all of Costa Rica. Our tour guide also said that on July 28, 1968, this volcano caused 87 deaths and the destruction of the 3 nearby towns, Tabacón, Pueblo Nuevo and San Luis. As we headed down, my brother and I went first in front of everyone. That way I could take in the scenery going down without anyone in sight. 

After we came back down, there was a path next to the parking lot that led into the rainforest. There were a variety of lush green colors,and a smell of misty air. Along the trail, we spotted a trail of ants carrying big pieces of leaves. When I first saw them they looked boring until I noticed how big the leaves were. Our tour guide told us that they were called leaf-cutter ants. They use the leaves to fertilize their crops of fungus. As we arrived at the rainforest path, tall trees surrounded me, reaching up to the sky. As we continued our walk, there were many vines wrapped around trees, and there was a part where I could see right through a gap between the trees that revealed a patch where the light almost looked embedded in the plants and greenery. While we were walking, our tour guide spotted some Howler monkeys high up in the trees. They make a horrible noise of low screaming. I thought to myself, how this was a once in a lifetime experience, and not a lot of people get to see and experience what I just did. This made me reflect on everything that happened that day, and I noticed that it's important to learn about other countries, and physically experience new surroundings. If you do, those experiences can last a lifetime.