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We all know that there are leaf cutter ants in the jungle and they are responsible to bring leaves to their nest. Listen to this story of the strength, persistence, and dedication to duty of one ant.

In his travels across my driveway, in front of my most beloved flowering tree that he and his friends were devastating, a leaf cutter ant we will name Bill picked up a matchstick, you know, one of the wooden ones. This brave soul dropped its leaf and started to carry the match upright as if it were a leaf. Very impressive!

I carefully picked up the matchstick thinking that I would lessen the load. And incredible as it might seem, Bill did not let go and was picked up along with the match, his little feet still trying to march away.

I carried Bill and the match to the terrace of my house, all this time just holding the match. When placed on the terrace Bill just kept on marching to the beat of his own drum going around the chair legs however remaining on the terrace.

Without hesitation he marched around and around like a soldier carrying his flag. As a photographer I watched and photographed in amazement for over an hour and could not help but wonder when he would drop the match and go on his merry way as he must have been panting by now, not that you can see an ant pant, believe me!

Now I realize their stamina and persistence when they march like an army carrying their leaves back to their nest. As Bill became very tired I eventually was able to take away the matchstick and he was freed from his load to go back to, what else, carrying leaves.

Life is hard for all of us but are you willing and ready to drop a small item to carry one that is monumental? Bill the ant did. What a creature!

Who among us would drop a light load to carry a very heavy one for our team? Think about it and what we can learn from this wonderful creature that we often take for granted.

Frank Scott writes from sunny Costa Rica where he is a professional Costa Rica Photographer offering one-of-a-kind photography tours. Some of his work can be seen in Costa Rica Vacations, a very popular travel guide to this one-of-a-kind country. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

Brisbane often tends to be the starting point for any holiday maker who is visiting Queensland – Brisbane being the capital city. Its strategic location allows it to function as the gateway to the entire state. While in Brisbane why not visit the center for arts and culture – South Bank.

This is where Queensland Museum, the Gallery for Modern Arts, the Performing Arts Center and the Art Gallery are all situated. Otherwise, take time to visit Lone Pine Koala, the Riverlife Adventure Center, Story Bridge and Moreton Bay Islands.

Around Airlie
After you leave the airport, you can opt for the bus service to go to the Airlie town or the second option is taxi. The rates of both are around $15 Australian. It is about 40 minute’s journey to town center from the airport.

What to do at Airlie
You should know Airlie Beach is not the best place to swim. October to May you will find jellyfish frequently in the coastal waters and you won’t be able to swim in those months without a special diving suit. However you will find a wonderful man-made lagoon which provides for many of the delights of the sea. This man made lagoon is also safe for kids. This lagoon is watched over by lifeguards.

There is a local market near to the beach. This market is a weekly market and opens on Saturdays. There you will find all the local stuff like food and craft items at good prices too. Over all, Airlie beach is a wonderful place to relax so start planning your itinerary now.

For reviews of Airlie Beach hotels please click on the link where you can learn more about Airlie Beach Australia.

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It is eight in the morning and the van is packed with all our luggage and camera gear. We are off to our first destination, soon to become an adventure. Being the first day, the group is just getting to know one another and the level of excitement is high with everyone talking about cameras and pictures.

We are on our way to Arenal, an active volcano in Costa Rica, but there are a few stops along the way. First, we stop in Sarchi, famous for its tropical furniture, where magnificent, brightly decorated ox carts are made in an eighty plus year old water powered factory. From there, we drive to the little mountain town of Zarcero where the focal point is the old wooden church with its much-photographed double row of topiaries leading to its entrance. You can fill your camera’s memory card just at these two places with the colours and patterns in Sarchi and the fantastic shapes of the topiaries in Zarcero.

Along the way, the potholes in the roads are many. Our Tico driver, Luis, knows this and so drives extremely cautiously to avoid them. However, it seems like everyone else on two or four wheels pass us. Those passing us seem to believe that they are Formula One contenders and in Costa Rica there is even a bus driver who is known to have passengers find God while on his bus.

After Sarchi and Zarcero we stop for lunch in La Fortuna and are now just a few miles from the lodge in Arenal. Upon leaving the main highway for the lodge we find ourselves traveling in, out, and around potholes. The rainy season ended about the beginning of December so many roads are still in very poor condition. Our road is unique because it was built out of crushed lava.

We round a curve and a come to a clearing at a river and there is Arenal Volcano! Most have never been face to face with a volcano before and it is truly an awesome sight to see, a perfectly shaped volcano.

The point of the cone is cloaked in puffy white clouds with a beautiful blue sky as a backdrop. We immediately stop and quickly leave the van attaching cameras to tripods. Some of us wade into the river for a better image while some shoot from the riverbanks getting a different perspective.

Of course being this close to an active volcano could be very dangerous but Arenal is quite predictable, a low risk. The lodge is only one and a half kilometers to the base of the volcano and two kilometers to the top of the cone and needless to say, any activity attracts your attention.

What a surprise that while we are unpacking and settling in, Arenal comes to life again! It roars loudly as smoke and gas shoot many hundreds of feet into the sky and rocks tumble down the slopes. Mantled Howler monkeys hoot loudly following the eruption but we really do not know if they are hooting in protest or howling in support.

While enjoying our meal in the lodge dining room mighty Arenal speaks again! Although there are many photo opportunities in Costa Rica, who would have imagined that while eating dinner we would be gazing up at a volcano erupting in front of our eyes? And this on our very first day of the tour!

The next two nights are without much sleep since we find comfortable chairs in the common area of the lodge just outside our rooms and we mount our cameras on tripods attaching cable releases. Since I had already been to Arenal many times I had chosen to use an 80-200mm lens set at 80mm and an aperture of f8, the camera shutter set at “B” for time exposure.

With the activity of the small flare-ups at the cone and the lava flowing down the opposite side I think a time exposure of more than twenty minutes will produce an ugly yellow blob of light, so if there had been no eruptions after this length of time I will close the shutter and start another exposure. Using a cable release makes these exposures very easy and Arenal puts on quite a display while we are there.

Arenal is the first adventure in Costa Rica for my photo group. With another eight days of photography everybody is looking forward to the next destination that is going to be just as exciting.

What is living in Costa Rica like? Outstanding and amazing in many ways and as a photographer I have seen the beautiful and incredible things right on my doorstep and this is an example of what I experienced.

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As you know we have leaf cutter ants in the jungle and they are a very busy lot who work very hard all day long. This is a story about their strength and persistence that happened one day.

In his travels across my driveway, in front of my most beloved flowering tree that he and his friends were devastating, a leaf cutter ant we will name Bill picked up a matchstick, you know, one of the wooden ones. This brave soul dropped its leaf and started to carry the match upright as if it were a leaf. Very impressive!

With care I picked up the matchstick thinking that I would lessen the load. And incredible as it might seem, Bill did not let go and was picked up along with the match, his little feet still trying to march away.

I carried Bill and the match to the terrace of my house, all this time just holding the match. When placed on the terrace Bill just kept on marching to the beat of his own drum going around the chair legs however remaining on the terrace.

Not faltering for a moment he continued marching around in military precision carrying his treasure. After more than an hour of watching and photographing Bill I could not help but wonder when he would get so tired that he would drop the match as I am sure he was panting by now, and believe me it is really hard to see an ant pant.

Without hesitation he marched around in military precision carrying his treasure. After more than an hour of watching and photographing Bill I could not help but wonder when he would get so tired that he would drop the match as I am sure he was panting by now, and believe me it is really hard to see an ant pant.

Life is hard for all of us but are you willing and ready to drop a small item to carry one that is monumental? Bill the ant did. What a creature!

Oh, if we could only be like Bill, willing to drop our light load and take on a heavier burden without complaint. There is a lesson here for all.