There's an old saying about writing that claims there are only two kinds of stories.

Man versus nature and man versus self.

In the latter, the stories are always about a character's inter-conflicts

and the interpersonal struggles they have to face to reach their intended goal. In the

former though, the struggle is less about dealing with one's own demons and more about struggling to survive against whatever it is the world throws at you.

I think all of us at one time or another have played the what if game.

When we hear about someone else's struggles against adversity, we naturally attempt to put ourselves

in their shoes and think about what we would have done differently.

One of those what-if scenarios is getting lost in the jungle.

The jungle is often thought of as a forbidding place, a place full of danger where,

unless you're Indiana Jones, everything seems designed to kill you.

Imagine for a minute being lost in the jungle, with no survival gear and no idea how to find your way back out.

What would you do?

In April 2014 a pair of Dutch tourists,

21-year-old Chris Kremmers and 22-year-old

Lausanne Frune arrived in the northern Panamanian town of Boquette.

The two young women were visiting Central America on a trip where they planned on learning

Spanish, soaking in the regional culture, and teaching at a local school for a few months.

But when they arrived in town, the school's assistant instructor told them they were there a week too early and that they weren't

ready for them.

On April 1st, Chris wrote in her diary that she thought they'd been treated especially rudely

by the instructor.

...