I don’t really hire guides when hiking because I always plot my routes before venturing onto the trail, and I feel nga mas immersive ang akong hike if I am doing it without one. Labaw pa nga di ko ganahan ug “guides” who are minors nga puwede pa nimo mahimo nga kargo if naay mahitabo sa trail. Pero this time, something in me whispered, “sige, pa-guide nila.”
As we traversed the trail and talked about their lives diri sa bukid, I realized nga somehow, we were sent there at the right time and at the right moment, perhaps by divine intervention. So here is the story...
Imagine spending an entire school day on an empty stomach, only to walk roughly 5 kilometers from school back home. This was their reality when we met them along the river trail. As we continued our traverse, they shared snippets of their lives and how they have been exposed to the harsh realities of poverty.
They come from a family of mangulingay, and if you know how little these people earn, you would feel sorry for them. I will not share everything that we talked about, but suffice it to say nga makaingon ko unfair ang kinabuhi ngadto kanila. And I hope and pray that they will succeed in life.
Nahuman ang trail. The Himbabawod Falls was majestic. The traverse towards Mananga’s headwater was never short of adventure and challenges. It was a fantastic trail nga murag gi layat-layat ra nila ang mga boulders while wearing flipflops nya kami tawn kupot diri, kupot didto. Feel nako kay na deplete gyud akong reserves sa ligtas points. Thankfully, the hike ended with all of us safe and sound.
Giubanan mi nila sa sakayanan ug motor since I decided to cut the hike at 21 km kay late na. I invited them to have some refreshments, which they gladly accepted. Makaingon ko nga gutom gyud kaayo to sila. I handed them the compensation we had agreed upon, and on top of that, gitagaan nako sila ug upat ka kilo nga bugas.
And then the most genuine thing happened.
Mas nagpasalamat sila, dili sa kwarta, dili sa snacks, kundi sa bugas.
At that moment, I saw beyond the young boys they were. I saw responsible individuals with young but remarkably mature minds. In their eyes, those four kilos of rice were not simply food. They were meals for their family. They were something tangible they could bring home. Something that mattered.
Sometimes, we go into the mountains looking for waterfalls, breathtaking views, and unforgettable adventures. But every once in a while, the mountain gives us something far more valuable: a reminder of how fortunate we are, and a chance to make someone else’s burden a little lighter.
That day, I thought I was simply giving them four kilos of rice.
But perhaps, in a way, they gave me something worth far more.
They reminded me that kindness does not have to be grand to be meaningful. Sometimes, it is just four kilos of rice, given at the right place, at the right time, to the right people.
And maybe that was the real reason we met on that trail.
