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Bukit Laksamana - The Incident
© by Forest Ang
Strange but true. It was in the year 2000 when I led a group of friends to Bukit Laksamana, the second highest hill in Penang Island.
We started from Chin Farm, opposite Bayview Resort at Batu Feringghi. On normal pace, we took about 3 to 4 hours to reach the peak. There were several hillocks to climb and valleys to descend. We were almost 90% to the peak when I received a phone call that a lady hiker was in difficulty.
In the incident, a lady hiker was down with shivering-sweat although there was no fever. Couldn't walk properly. Felt sick. Very sick. There was nothing wrong with her. Nothing at all. So what?
Being a buddhist, I used my talisman to cover her. I prayed using the buddhist's prayer. I am not sure whether that cure. You decide. We slowly made our way back. Each time to stop to recuperate and to make more prayers. Slowly and surely she was able to hike back to the starting point at Bayview Resort.
I realised at the last quarter of the hike, there was a descent. There was this colourful cloth being tried on a tree about 4-5 inches in diameter. The cloth resembled that of the colourful cloth tried on boats at Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand. The cloth was very new. Maybe just a week old.
Several questions came into my mind. Several unanswered questions...
Why is the cloth in the middle of nowhere? Who would place the colourful cloth after trekking almost 2.5 hrs to place it on the tree? Why?
There were about 15 of us but only one person was sick. Why did the sickness gradually disappear as she moved further away from the tried cloth?
Is it the SPIRIT OF THE HILLS! Hard to believe BUT when you are in a jungle, be humble! Enjoy the environment BUT restrain from overjoy. However, believe it or not, some are more prone while other were sure lucky. That I will relate in my other story which happened to me. In my next true article - The Hill Spirit!
Take care!
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