The land below the Wind

There are many parts of a holiday I enjoy; the freedom of being able to choose what u want to do when u want to do it, the joy of spending time with gd friends without having to worry about ward rounds or such crap the next day, the sheer unbridled joy of discovery, of new places and new activities. In the middle of all these pleasures is one special one I always experience every holiday, and that is simply to have time to sit and think. Inevitably I will be the first up on a particular morning, and I won’t feel like going back to sleep. At that point, I either curl up with a gd book, or just sit and think thru the things in my life, sort out priorities and people and generally defragment my head. This short weekend getaway I got to do all of the above, which probably explains my sense of reluctance to return to the dreary world of projects and respi med.

His heart beats a little faster, as his mind picks out familiar details. That sign, this map, that road. Back to this place once more, the fire which tempered him for the first time. His companions are fewer in number, but otherwise there is little to separate this from six long years ago. Their guide meets the little group, and silently they depart.

Kota Kinabalu is a small town, with not really much in the way of seeing of doing. We spent lots of time (too much, actually) wandering the streets and browsing thru stores, despite a noticeable lack of stuff worth buying. We also took advantage of the good exchange rate to shamelessly eat too much, and watch 2 movies. One deserves fully to be voted worst movie in the history of mankind, while the other was surprisingly good!

The gate looms up ahead. Its name may be meaningless save to those in the know, but it holds a special fascination for him. There, the spot where his previous company was captured on film; here a plastic token to carry around, the twin of which lies in his drawer back home, so many miles away. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, they pass thru the portal and begin their journey. Minutes into the climb, one companion staggers, her load too heavy. No fear, for he shoulders it as well. His familiarity with the ground is intoxicating, and he feels as if he could run the entire way up. No mere load is going to hinder their progress, not this day. The other companions, however, as no less stout of heart; and at the first rest stop the load is distributed amongst them as well. They climb not as individuals but as one.

White water rafting was to have been the other highlight of our trip. Sadly this didn’t quite pan out. The train was spoilt and the original river we were to have gone on was too rough. Instead we went to a rather tamer river; the only thing saving us from boredom was the fact that our guide recognised the inherent cockness in this grp, and promptly gave us directions like “we shall bang into that rock head on” and “ we shall capsize the raft now!”. Good man!

The leaf - strewn path gives way to mud, crude wooden steps, and finally a natural rock staircase that seems to reach upwards to eternity. No longer is the load quite as light, nor do the breaths come as easy. Muscles protest at the strain, and the mind is not far behind in rebelling. Their companionship, however, is sufficient to keep the demons of doubt at bay, and onward they climb, till they reach the shelter for the night. Wet, cold and tired beyond belief, the thought of scaling yet more with only a meagre few hours rest is daunting. They have nothing but their determination to warm them.

And of course, the highlight of the trip, the big daddy himself, mount kinabalu. Shall let my alter ego describe that one, but I just have a few things to say. 1) I am incredibly grateful to my brother in arms; without u along (and it seemed that way for quite long!) I honestly doubt we could have made it up there. 2) To our wo-man; u are really da man! Haha. I can only marvel at ur willpower at insisting on carrying ur bag yourself despite everything else u went thru.

That night, he tosses and turns, for sleep is elusive. The time finally comes, and the little group departs, everyone armoured physically and mentally against the travails to come. The path puts all that has passed thus far to shame; the barren rocks threaten life and limb, and the wind begins to pick up. The only light comes from the full moon overhead, as well as the torches clipped to clothes. And yet, it is exhilarating. The moonlight washes the world in silver, the stiff wind blows away his fatigue and sleep. The mountain calls out to him, with its majestic peaks and patches of green. The air is pure, his body rejoices and he is ALIVE like rarely before.

And 3) honestly the capacity of people to delude themselves astounds me sometimes. Never thought I’d say this, but I think you are very lucky to have me as your friend. Perhaps you’ll only realise that when we’ve gone our separate ways, or perhaps never at all. So be it.

At the hardest point of the climb, one companion falters, overcome by the forces of nature arrayed against her. He sets aside his own fatigue, fear of falling, and focuses on making sure she carries on. Forcing her to eat/drink, cajoling and threatening, saying anything at all that will help (as well as some things that don’t) he throws everything he has at her. And it works; she finds within herself the strength to push on at a time when all seems lost. And he feels history repeating itself on this very slope, and smiles quietly to himself.

Long and exhausting post this time; with not a little bit of pretentiousness. Bear with me!

It takes forever, but they reach the zenith. Awesome rock landscape in front, valley behind. The strangely expressive neighbouring peaks all around, and the cleansing wind blasting at any exposed skin. The mountain speaks to him once more with its immense voice, and he listens with all his heart and soul.