On Monday afternoon a Raleigh International Landrover dropped me and my bike at KK airport. I gave Mel, the Volunteer Manager who drove me there, a farewell hug then trolleyed my gear to the check-in desk.
After the formalities I wandered back out of the terminal to take a last look at Mount Kinabalu, unusually clear and visible in the evening light and looking like the extinct volcano it is. I took a few pictures, trying to capture the moment and thinking "I climbed you, but I've never seen you this well before". Returning to the terminal building the sunset over the sea and the nearby islands was like a cosmic bruise, all yellows, purples and reds. I couldn't take my eyes off it as I walked to the departure gate at the far end of the airport, knowing that both of us would be gone shortly. Just one more sunset and one more memory lodged for the time being in my old cranium, like water in a leaky bucket.
I had a little time on my hands so I 'phoned Dad, talking absently while looking at the sunset and the reflections of the airport neon signs in the big plate glass windows. He's had an accident in his electric wheelchair and has torn some of the skin off the back of his hand. "Down to the tendons" he says, proudly. I commiserate, forcing the pang of guilt which I suddenly feel, back into my unconscious.
I had expected to be with Raleigh International in Sabah for about twelve weeks, but issues, which are not for this blog, compelled me to leave. I feel tired and a bit battered. Hopefully a long sleep will help restore my joie de vivre. 
No comments:
Post a Comment