Follow the trail up...

This is Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in all of Southeast Asia. It's a two-day, two-night climb to the peak. This is our trekking site. This is a World Heritage Rainforest and everything here is protected.

I thought trekking would be easy but I was mistaken. We had to cross 3 hanging bridges. Each bridge is longer than the preceeding one. It's a 100-meter drop with no safety net in the ground. It's a sure dive to one's death should one falls.

The bridge can only carry a load of 6 people at one time. The width of the foot path is just big enough for one person to cross. Mi-Kha had to do it on his own. (There was no way for us to assist him. I feared for his safety, after all he's just 5 years old.)

Despite the difficult climb, Mi-Kha kept up with the adults. He occasionally complained about his legs hurting and requested to be carried. But Appa (Daddy) refused him gently. Mi-Kha completed the climb up the trail and back again on his own.

This experience taught Mi-Kha a valuable lesson. He gained control of his faculties.

Life is a long and tedious climb up a steep and dangerous mountain trail. If we give up because of pain, fear or discomfort we'll never reach the top.

Some folks are a sorry lot simply because they gave up the challenge of life. They didn't go further up. They were the ones who stopped at the foot of the mountain.