We were relieved to catch sight of the first house on the outskirts of the village

Nine hours after my encounter with Lina (see previous article), we disembarked in the middle of nowhere, with not a soul around. Our backpacks and aid supplies secured on the roof of the bus by ropes, were loosed and tossed down to us. The goal was one of two: 1) catch what we could and 2) avoid being hit on the head by the heavier gear. Good thing there were no fragile items.

From the main road we trekked inland along a laterite path. We were relieved to catch sight of the first house on the outskirts of the village. The family was expecting us. Our stay was only to be a few days rest stop before moving on to our final destination. The true purpose of our travel.

Our host put us up in a partially built brick church next to their house. It had a roof and walls. It had window frames but no windows. It had door frames but no doors. Still, it was 3 star lodging compared to their own home, made of mud, and bamboo with a thatched roof.

The only toilet facility was an out-house with a hole in the ground. As for daily washing, we had an eco friendly, au naturale, longest bath out in the great outdoors—a river.

Our host family had three teenagers and a very young son. They lived on just one substantial meal a day, consisting mainly of lentils and rice. Chicken was strictly for very special occasions. Poultry was reared for eggs. Yet, they saw to it that we had our three square meals a day. They fed us with generous portions of rice, lentils and eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There weren’t enough eggs for everyone. So, they went without eggs for their morning staple.

It was their way. It was who they were. Guests were to be treated well. Visitors should not go hungry or receive less. From where I came from, I was well acquainted with people giving out of their abundance. This family gave all they had for our sake.

They were a model of hospitality, generosity, and love. It is easy to give when we have the means or much. To give so richly out of lack, sets them apart. Time and again in my travels the selflessness and benevolence of the poor humbles me.

The day had arrived for us to move on. Our host made arrangements for a 4×4 vehicle to transport us. They also chose a local couple to serve as our porters and cooks during our stay up in the mountains.

We were told the weather had been bad along our travel route the days before. There was no way of knowing the actual condition of our course in advance. The only way was to make the journey. My friends and I, our porters, and a local contact from the city, got onto the truck. We were resolved to see through our reason for being there.

It was going to be the start of an adventure like none before. Nor any after.

The drive to the base of the mountain was not too far. Then we began the slow ascent. The track was in a very poor state. Heavy rains of previous days had severely degraded many parts of the trail. Our driver carefully maneuvered around deep trenches caused by the rain water runoff.

Muddy stretches made the drive even more challenging. At one point, our vehicle got stuck along the clay incline. We quickly disembarked and unloaded every item onboard. After many futile attempts, our driver finally managed to dislodge the tires.

We got back on and reloaded our stuff. Our assurance of being able to proceed with our expedition however, was soon short lived. As our truck took a precarious bend, our driver jammed the brakes sending the 4×4 into a violent jerk. The path ahead had been completely washed out. There was no way ahead on wheels.

As a group, we collectively agreed we should not abort our mission. We got off the vehicle and told our driver to leave us there. We trekked through the thick cakey ground, lugging our huge load of gear. We were thrilled on finally reaching a dry stony stretch, we dropped our things and flopped down on huge rocks exhausted!

Reality sank in when we realized we weren’t even halfway up the mountain. What are we to do? There was no way we had the strength to hike the length to the peak while lumbering along with all our things. Even if we did, we would not make it before dark. We did the only thing we knew to do in such a predicament. Pray!

Surprisingly, despite having no plan nor clue on our next step, we were calm. There was a peace that surpassed understanding that hovered over us. We passed the time by sharing stories of our lives, dreams, and hopes. We even saw the humor of our impasse and laughed.

All of a sudden, we heard the tinkling of a bell. Then the sound of cracks of dried brush. A large black cow emerged from amongst the trees. Nonchalantly strolling across our path. The bell strung around its neck jingling with its every step.

Minutes later, there was a wild rustling of leaves coming from the forest and a strange high pitched call. A very tall, lanky woman suddenly materialized before us. The cowherd! She was just as stumped to see us as we were to spot her. We stared at one another in silence.

She looked at our items strewn all around us and asked, “Are you on the way up or down?” “Up”, we responded while pointing to the sky. “Where is your vehicle?” “Our car could not pass through. So our driver turned back.” “Do you need a car? There is a driver and a vehicle at mid point. He just delivered supplies and is resting.” Before we could get a word out, she made the call for us.

“I’ll go and get him for you,” and off she went! We looked at each other. It is going to be quite a trek for her. Why would she go to all that trouble for us? We were total strangers to her. She left her cow behind in her haste to get us help.

Sometime after, there was a loud rumble of an engine. Then footsteps. The cowherd appeared from the path up ahead with a man. He had a pleasant face. “I heard you needed a vehicle?” he said. His voice, warm and kind. Soon enough, we were on our way.

The cowherd left as soon as she led the driver to us. We never had the chance to thank her. She allowed her day to be disrupted by us. She allowed her work to be interrupted by our need. She saw us, she saw our dilemma and acted on it. No second thought. She went out of her way to get us help. Not expecting any appreciation.

As we rode along the mountain path, our driver spoke up, “It’s late, you should all have lunch.” “It’s ok. We’d like to reach the top before it gets too late or dark,” one of us replied. He wouldn’t be deterred, “We are in good time. Don’t worry. You should eat and get some strength. You are looking tired. Also a bit of a stretch may help.”

He wasn’t just driving us. He had his eye on us and was concerned for our state. It was over and above his call of duty which he signed up for. He stopped at a small commune. It was clear by the way the locals were intrigued by us and came out to look at us, that foreigners rarely plied this route.

There wasn’t a tea shop to be seen. Our driver spoke to a family he knew and they agreed to cook us a simple meal of fried noodles. Dipping into their own meager food supply. They stopped what they were doing and fed us. The satisfaction and smiles on our faces was reward enough for them.

After a stretch, a bit of a walk and mingling with the locals and kids, we continued with our drive. We seemed to be traveling forever. Daylight was fading fast. Finally, we arrived at a settlement at the peak only to have our vehicle stopped by young men at a questionable check point.

They came around the back of the truck and looked suspiciously at us. Our cooks and local contact were asked to get out of the vehicle. Our local contact assured them we meant no harm. He explained that we were there to disburse essential items and aid supplies to the tribal group who lived there.

We were sternly ordered to remain in the vehicle by two youths, standing guard outside. Our local contact was hauled away. As dusk came upon us, our local contact reappeared with young men armed with rifles. We had trespassed into rebel territory. An unforgivable incursion.

We were ordered to disembark and walk single file in silence to the rebel base, escorted by weapon wielding youths. In a split second our goodwill mission turned into a hostage situation. An ominous chill gripped us. Danger lurked all around us.