In the lush, rain forest flora and fauna one tends to lose oneself in a frenzy of overwhelming beauty that hypnotizes all five senses, dangerously: Bullet ants crawl up and down the colossal columns of tree trunks. Snakes curl up into coils during the day, hiding their diamond shaped heads from the sun, in the center of their cool body, sleeping with their rapid tongues trapped behind their fangs and with their perilous hissing quieted. Carnivorous plants open and close their leering, alluring petals, drawing you in closer into their mystical trap; insects fall prey, one by one, to this masterful invention only God could have created. The Howling Monkeys communicate in shocking shrieks, scaring the flamboyant birds out of the comfort of their nests into the cloudy sky.
We barely made it to the edge of the river, the portal to this double-edged paradise of peaceful chaos, with dewy foreheads after a six-kilometer hike. Any newcomer would take a look at the wide, vivid river and ask himself how it could be crossed, conquered; we, of course, looked at it as just a tedious obstacle to be overcome. The river was quite low; the expected storm had not arrived yet, which only made crossing the river easier and duller.
The water serenaded the beginning of a journey with a soothing lullaby interrupted by semi-submerged stones. Hopping from one slippery surface to another, the river teased us, tested us: who would fall first? Few ever did fall prey to the singer’s witless ruse, but those who did suffered an entire hike of senseless jeering.
The destination was common knowledge, although its location wasn’t entirely clear. In the dense clutter of endangered species, nothing could ever be certain. With a machete in hand, Edwin slashed through plants in order to mark an unnoticeable path. We walked: one person in front of the other, one foot in front of the other, left, right, left, right…
“Edwin, are you sure you know where you are going?” Mike asked.
“Yes, don’t worry!” Edwin said, “Nature will guide us!”
My mother looked as skeptical as the translucent clouds blocking the dubious sun. We walked further up a large hill, my attention focused on the ground, making sure not to step on any sleepy snakes, ready to attack. I felt a tug on my sleeve that made my heart stop: what was hanging from my sweatshirt? A poisonous frog? A Preying Mantis? A giant Zebra Tarantula? I was afraid to look at my right arm until the tugging became an impatient tapping. I turned around.
“Sabrina!” My brother looked at me with a mischievous smile.
“Jesus Christ, Sebastian! What is wrong with you?” I practically screamed. My mother shushed me as the red and blue Macaws fled from the near by tree.
“Look! A Poison Dart Frog!” Sebastian held up a glass jar containing the colorful frog.
I rolled my eyes, “You must be retarded to grab some dangerous, disgusting, slimy thing and then suffocate it in a jar.” He laughed as he neared it to my face, I yelped and took off running to join the rest of the line.
The monotonous squishing of our steps in the mud continued the entrancing chant of unremitting fatigue. We must have walked for ages under the smothering, humid climate the canopied trees created: perspiring and then inhaling the evaporation of our own sweat. The heat was unbearable under our heavy jeans, boots, and sweatshirts, only purposeful to feebly protect us from miraculous life forms the might as well have been extraterrestrial.
Edwin stopped in his tracks and lifted his rusty machete up in victory: a salute of gratitude towards Mother Nature. A ray of sunlight beamed up on his face, his tan skin wrinkled around his eyes in an expression of pride and accomplishment. Mike chuckled at his “Tico” friend’s satisfaction and proceeded to walk onto the sun’s spotlight and bask in the clean air. The rest of us followed, arriving at an opening that revealed a panorama of divine ecstasy.
We stood on a large stone that sloped into a reflecting crystal water pool. The large pool circled to the left and turned into a mesmerizing set of rapids, that would suddenly slow down into small pools, until they streamed into more rapids, eventually circling back to the pool in the form of a giant waterfall, surrounded by walls of rocks just begging to be climbed and dived off of.
I pulled off my sweatshirt, my slimy boots, my mud-diseased jeans, and my grimy socks, leaving my skin only to be covered by a swimsuit, before diving into the cold water. Everyone else followed my lead. We climbed the jagged wall, seeing who could reach the highest before daring to let go of it. As we swam, pulled by the furious rapids, we were taken on a ride of hectic speed and sleepy momentum. I stayed in the water until my skin looked like it had aged seventy years. No fears of bizarre looking insects, lethal snakes, and violent amphibians crossed my mind.

And suddenly, it poured: Mother Nature’s cautionary alarm. I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could, drenched as I was, and ran to catch up to the rest of the group, sprinting on the slippery, brown floor. The canopying trees weren’t of any use in protecting us from the hard and fast raindrops. The storm had arrived. Thunder boomed as the dark clouds hovered closely over us. Mist rose out of the ground; we seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the planet.

We had to scream in order to hear each other over the intervals of ear splitting thunder and persistent rainfall.

“IS EVERYONE HERE?” Mike shouted.

“SABRINA! SEBASTIAN!” I heard my mother’s voice, although I could only see my brother’s dark brown hair in front of me.

“WE’RE HERE!” I responded.

My brother then held out his hand for me to grab, so as to continue the human chain that had been formed. We continued walking, although our attempts at returning to the same path were futile. The astonishing utopia of colors and wonders became a frenzied pathway of pitiless hazards that preyed on our human vulnerability. We walked through a tunnel of thick vegetation, yearning to see a glimpse of open pasture.

It wasn’t long until the clouds darkened, signaling an incipient dusk: a gray twilight. The storm relentlessly continued; each drop stung my skin, burning it with its force. Every part of my body ached; every part of my body was soaked. Shivering, my voice quivered as I started to pray and the sky became as black as an onyx.
Finally the tunnel ended and the open land stood before us, but nothing in our sight was in the least recognizable. We stood still, fearing what may have lain in the waist high grass. All of the sudden, hissing: ssss, sssss, sssss. The snakes warned us, waking from their disturbed slumber. SSS, SSSSSSSSS. They approached us; I could hear them. I closed my eyes, waiting to be bitten, to be poisoned, to be attacked. I could feel the insects crawling under the sleeves of my sweatshirt. Step by step, tickling my fear, taunting it with their short movements. I could feel the toxic frogs slipping into my rubber boots. Stifled croaks and muffled ribbit were waiting to release their paralyzing venoms, waiting to rub their slimy backs against my skin.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!” I screeched. Something had pierced my skin. I could feel my blood ooze out of my shin and stain the inside of my frayed jeans. The snake chuckled as it slithered around me. It bared its blood stained fangs, taunting me, poking fun. It circled faster and faster. Searing pain scorched my whole body; white fire sliced each muscle as the snake struck again. My sight was blurred. Not one snake, but two. I could not think correctly. My mind went numb. I fell. All I could feel was the cool scales of the reptile petting me into an induced stupor of pain and horror.

“Sabrina! Sabrina!” My brother shook me. “Sabrina!”

I opened my eyes. I wasn’t lying on the ground. I was standing next to the filthy, green Range Rover

“What?” I responded shakily, looking at my brother’s confused expression.

“Get in the car, for God’s sake! I’m freezing!”