what I saw

What the camera saw

The Bataan Death March: Part 2

The café at the end of the trail was full of hikers and people training for various runs. I sat amongst a group of older men who were actually in some sort of self organized race. With my energy restored and a guide book pointing to very flat trail, I decided to push myself and go for another 8 km. The other runners mentioned that this was a much easier section which further bolstered my energy levels.

Refilling my water bottle, I decided to charge along and actually ran down a portion of the trail. The trail was dry and arid, flanked by many trees for shade, and had a gentle breeze. This was what I had been expecting from a hike in Hong Kong. The trail then leveled out and ran along a long runoff trench which cooled things down considerably. Walking this section, I felt comfortable and confident in the final section of the hike. My thoughts wandered to where I would go for lunch as I had started this hike at 9:30 and it was nearing 1:00 at this point.

Then, there was movement. There was a lot of movement to be exact. A troop of monkeys were walking along the trail towards me and there must have been about 20 individuals.

Flashback. A small child is lining up to see a movie and sees that in the “coming soon” display case; there is a poster for a movie called, “In the Shadows of Kilimanjaro.” The poster shows fang bearing baboons streaming out of the mountains to consume humans during a terrible drought. To further complicate things, this movie claims to be based on true events. I had nightmares for weeks. Slowly coming back to reality. I see that the monkeys are actually moving at a fairly good clip and I know that these guys aren’t scared of people in the least.

Flashback. The same child is in a car going through drive-through safari in Taiwan. We are in the monkey section and they are jumping all over the car. They scream and yell and tear at the windows. The rip out the cars antennae and start peeling off the windshield wipers. I think to myself, if they get in, I’m dead meat. How will my pastel striped Giordano golf shirt and acid washed denim shorts protect me from their claws and fangs? Slowly coming back to reality.

I stand a little bit taller to remind them who’s higher on the evolutionary scale and try to look confident. The monkeys part a small path for me as I walk through their formation, 20 pairs of eyes stare back at me. My shoulders ease as I pass the troop and my step eases slightly until I turn the corner to find yet another group of monkeys. It must have been the pride parade of monkeys because the final 4 km of the trail was nothing but monkeys. Did I ever mention how much I hate monkeys?