THE 2020 1 | Page 7

you can see the beautiful and astounding view nature proudly boasts. You do not hear your company's’ ragged breath or complaints; you hear the hundreds of birds chirping from afar and the brown crisp leaves that engulf the surface of the trail. You do not see smoke coming from dark and grey buildings, instead you see green bright trees surrounding you, reminding that even if you are bigger than other animals, others can be even bigger. You breathe in fresh clean air rather than the smoke-filled air many are used to and for once you feel as if you can change your life to the better. You are also reminded that even if life can be cruel and disgusting at times, it can also be amazing and beautiful. Rock climbing is very hard for those who have a fear of heights along with zip lining. You have to reach the top of the wall without sitting down and taking a break, and after you arrive at the top, you must trust your friends to pull you down safely and slowly without dropping you on the ground while you hold nothing. When you land back down safely, you feel proud and accomplished to do something not many could have done. The guide teaching us how to tie an eight knot so that your gear wouldn’t fail you was called Adam. He would then let us practice on the beginner’s wall - there were three walls in total: the beginner’s wall, intermediate and advanced wall. Each wall had a different type of slope; the beginner’s was an uphill slope; the intermediate’s was a normal straight wall and the advanced wall was the complete opposite of an uphill slope. Some people tried the advanced level and found it difficult to stick to the wall - the most an eighth grader did was two thirds of the advanced level which was a great feat. In order to bike, you need to have a sense of balance and serenity - if you didn’t then you couldn’t bike well. Some people in our grade didn’t know how to bike so they had to ride the truck as the others suffered from exhaustion and the heat. The most fun part was when the bikers had to bike through a long path that was slightly flooded and got wet from the huge puddle of water covering the road. We had a small break at the monastery, where we ate small biscuits filled with pineapple jam and baby bananas while some people went to use the bathroom. Zip lining was the most terrifying yet fun experience in the whole trip. You had to rely on the rope you were harnessed to and a bamboo stick to brake. The guides were very alert and humorous since they pretended to drag you along with them when they went to the other side of the line. There were a series of times where you could experience flying through the trees but the final stop was the most thrilling. You had to drop down from a tree that was 40 meters high above from the ground. This was where some people bailed out, saying that they didn’t want to drop