TRAIL TALKING & SLEEPWALKING IN HONGKONG Robert Francis Garcia and Janice Ian Manlutac ‘The toughest part,’ said Gaynor Tanyang, ‘was finding our way. How to reach the checkpoints, from the first to the very last, was an enormous challenge. Googlemaps were inaccurate, the cab drivers did not know the sites, and so we always wound up in a wrong location. Of course some fellow Filipinos would approach us, ready to assist. Unfortunately they were also clueless, since we were in a totally different place.’ Gaynor was a member of a support team in Hong Kong that committed to the task of nurturing, shoring up, pep-talking, admonishing, and minding all the needs of the TRIP. (We’ll explain the TRIP later). The other team members were Elmira Bacatan, Jire Carreon, Golda Hilario, Rose Pablico and representatives from the Tanay Mountaineers: Carlos Inofre, Eliza Ventilacion and Alvin Balderama. Annie Santoalla, Nora Nesola and Teddy Arellano also provided invaluable support, along with numerous others within and outside Oxfam.
On the third week of November 2012, the support team faced the most daunting logistical challenge of their lives. None of them was a local, the terrain was unfamiliar, and they had to keep up with the rapidly changing needs of the walkers that were simply impossible to plan for in advance. Such as a nail-cutter in the middle of the night! (This was no whim. Seasoned runners know all about toenails and their inevitable separation from toes in the course of a long-distance event.) As Mira put it, ‘I would take a disaster emergency response anytime.’ The team also had to deal with one other complication: monkeys. Monkeys dotted the path: sitting on hilltops, perched upon railings, standing and waving their arms along the roads and walkways. They snarled at people and have been known to snatch food from human hands with speed, precision and complete abandon. And, while they mostly just picked and ate each others’ lice, they can be a real menace. The
-Home-
279