A climb to remember

I am breathless. Clutching the blue railing, I try to slow down. I check the number painted on the iron post next to me. ‘56’ it says. My heart sinks. I look back, only to realise that I have barely gotten off the ground level. “Are you alright?” asks my concerned guide. Other than the fact that I have the stamina of a 10-year-old, sure, I was perfectly fine. But here at Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand, even 10 year olds seemed to be doing better than me.

Reminding myself that I had travelled a long way for this, I muster all my courage and climb the remaining 1,181 steps to meet someone special. After all, I had been eyeing him for the past two days. Tiger Cave Temple gets its name from a legend, which goes something like this: way back in time, a tiger sought refuge in one of the many mountains here.

The villagers recognised the tiger by its ferocious roar and thus, the name ‘the tiger’s cave’. But later, a monk encouraged other monks and nuns to live in this mountain to practice dharna. Finally, the tiger left the mountain and retreated to the surrounding Phanom mountain ranges. Now, all one can find are a set of the tiger’s paw prints immortalised in a glass case, and surrounded by all kinds of Buddha statues.

However, the temple is more popular because of the huge golden statue of Buddha sitting at the top of a hill. As my guide encourages me to keep at it, I realise climbing 1,237 steps is not an easy feat, especially when some of the steps are more than 30 cm high and vertical. After gulping down one bottle of water, I sit down at the 100th step, letting other climbers pass by.

Offering me words of courage, my guide tells me this is her third time climbing the hill and although it is arduous, the view from the top will be worth it all. I decide to defy my mind and get ready to climb further. About 45 gruelling minutes later, I find myself gasping for breath at the 350th step.

As monkeys scramble around me, I stop for a moment to take in the surrounding scenery. My eyes, which till then, were used to looking at boring cityscapes, had a tough time adjusting to the abundant spread of green. I don’t know if it was the anticipation of finally reaching the top or the giddiness due to the sheer height, I climb further, one step at a time.

At 778th step, I stop in my tracks, as I get a breathtaking view of Krabi, the green fields and the pointy hills. “On good days, you can even see the sea from here,” explains my guide.

Trying hard to not let the spellbinding views distract me, I power through. At 956th step, I see colours. Hues of red, green, blue and black dance around my head. Who cares if I made it to the top or not? Participation is what matters the most, after all. But little did I know that my fellow climbers were tougher. Encouraged by “just a few more”, “you will get there” and “it’s totally worth it”, I climb on, ignoring the shooting pains in my legs.

When I finally make it to the top, I lie down on the cool concrete, trying to grasp the fact that I had indeed climbed 1,237 steps. The tête-à-tête with the man can wait.
Quaffing down water, I then decide to go pay my respects to the golden Buddha.

Lighting incense sticks for good fortune, I make my way to the other end of the hill to witness those fabulous views I was promised. Passing clouds offer me glimpses of innumerable green hills, the bases of which are lost amongst elaborate forest canopies. Taking a 360-degree twirl, I can see endless mountains and a tiny portion of the ocean.
 
Envying this golden man who gets to experience such jaw-dropping sights every day, I head back down. Surprisingly, the climb down is much easier and within no time, I stand on solid ground, jubilant at having successfully completed this extreme expedition. Back on the highway, I decide not to take up such challenges anytime sooner, but something sparkly in the sky catches my eye. It seems the golden Buddha is convincing me otherwise.