MARCH 2013
VOL. # 13 ISSUE #2
AN ENCOUNTER WITH KINDNESS IN SABAH (cont'd. from page 5)
Panting and puffing heavily, I paused along the trail many times to catch my breath. At one point my body was so drained of energy that I wanted to give up, but some hikers prodded me to press on.
Without the encumbrance of the knapsack, I was able to get my second wind in the last twenty minutes of the ascent. Amidst applause, I reached the canopy walk station.
“Buck up, fella,” a Filipino man piped. “You can do it!”
After thanking the young man and the other cheering hikers, I placed the knapsack on my back once more. Its weight seemed to have been magically reduced within minutes!
“Think of the beautiful sight above,” said a Dusun woman. “And you will soon forget about your tiredness.” I gave them a wry smile and came to a stop again. The knapsack on my back seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. “Brother,” said a young Malay man. “If you don’t mind, let me carry your knapsack.” “It’s okay,” I declined. “I can cope with the weight.” “Are you sure?” He said doubtfully. I clenched my teeth and with a big stride, stepped over a protruding root. But I staggered backwards and the young man reacted quickly, propping me up from behind. “Thank you,” I said in embarrassment. “There are too many things inside my knapsack.” “Let me carry it for a while,” insisted the young man. “I will return it to you once we reach the canopy walk station.” Moved by his sincerity, I unstrapped the knapsack from my back and handed it to him. He carried the bag as if it were weightless and I could not help thinking that I was getting old.
The canopy walk is a series of suspension bridges that span an infinity of greenery. If you fall, your body will surely be crushed into pieces. At first, I was hemming and hawing about crossing the walkway but the sight of many gleeful kids bouncing along the wooden planks emboldened my spirit, compelling me to take up the challenge. Suppressing the tremor that fanned out from my spine, I held the rope handrails tightly as I gingerly crossed one bridge after another among the highly elevated treetops. My confidence grew when my steps became accustomed to the shaking rhythm of the bridges. There were viewing platforms at the intersections of the bridges. The green cornucopia of ravines below the walkway was awe-inspiring and divinely beautiful. All my tiredness evaporated. Upon completion of the canopy walk, I pumped my fist in jubilation. In my eagerness to reach the foothills, I trotted down the sloping trail. Midway through my trek, I carelessly sprained my left knee, resulting in a sharp, excruciating pain. “To reduce the pain,” advised an Indian lady. “Sidestep your way down the slope.” I followed her advice, but the pain simply worsened. “What is happening to you?” a middleaged Chinese woman and her teenage daughter asked me. I told them about my sprained knee and they gave me a look of commiseration.
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