On May 16^th, 2018 I had the privilege to travel to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand to hike to the summit of Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. The Doi Inthanon is part of the Himalayan mountain range and has an elevation of 8415 ft.

I hired a tour company to take me to the Doi Inthanon National Park and I was picked up from my hotel at 7:20 a.m. We arrived at the National Park at around 9:30 a.m. and our first stop was the Wachirathan Waterfall.

The waterfall was majestic and serene.  I took a moment to listen to the soothing sound of the waterfall and admire the peaceful ambience, and I noticed that there was a trail that led to the top of the falls.  I decided to follow the trail and when I reached the top, I saw the stream of running water.  The temperature was about 20 degrees and I was quite hot after having exerted much energy on the steep incline so I decided to approach the stream so I can run my fingers in the cool water. 

The edge of the stream had patches of damped rocks that I carefully avoided because I knew they could be quite slippery.  As I bent down to touch the water, my right foot slipped on the uneven rock and immediately I fell on my back and plunged into the stream.  The water current began to carry me towards the vertical drop of 80 meters.  I tried desperately to grab on to anything to try to prevent myself from getting closer to the edge of the cliff but the rocks were covered in algae and the undercurrent was too strong for me to be able to stand. As the water carried me towards the steep vertical drop, I knew my death was imminent.

As I got closer to the edge of the cliff, I suddenly felt a sense of calmness and serenity that quickly replaced my anguish and fear. It was an overwhelming sensation that I had never experienced before and cannot adequately describe in words.  All I know is that at that moment I trusted in God, and if this was how He willed for my life to end, then I accepted it.  I remembered the words of St. Paul when he stated: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith  (2 Timothy 4:7).

Then something miraculous happened about 8 meters away from the cliff.  By sheer providence, my left foot suddenly caught the side of a rock and I was able to stop.  I had to maintain my composure because the water current was still flowing over me and I knew that a slight change in my position can immediately throw me back into the current.  At that point, my hiking companion from Australia (who was on the same excursion) quickly reached out his hand and pulled me out of the water.

I am very grateful to God for saving my life.  I feel that this near death experience strengthened my relationship with God and made reflect on the uncertainty of our lives on earth.  We do not know when our life will end. Will it be summer or winter?  In our home town or in a foreign country? Will it be suddenly or with warning?  Will it be as a result of a terminal illness or an accident?  We will we have time to say goodbye to our loved ones? In all these things, we have absolutely no idea what will happen to us. All that we know is that one day we will die and for some, it may be sooner than expected.

But in spite of the somberness and inevitability of death, there is much reason to be hopeful, because death is not the end of it all--it has been swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In scripture it states: “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?  The sting of death is sin.  But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.   Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain  (1 Corinthians 15:55-58).

As for my endeavour to hike Doi Inthanon, with God's help I was able to reach the summit despite of injured condition. We had a local tribesman guide us through the lush jungle of towering trees and all sorts of wild life. He warned us to be extremely careful to avoid the pit vipers and other poisonous snakes that were camouflaged in the trees. We actually spotted several of them hanging from the trees and there must have been a lot more. They blended perfectly in the background with their vivid green colour.

One of the highlights of our trek was a pleasant stop at a coffee shop in the mountains called Mae Klang Luang.  The coffee that they produced was unique because it is grown in the forest at an altitude of 1800 meters. It was quite delicious and it had a smooth blend of floral flavours and a hint of chocolate.

We reached the summit of Doi Inthanon at around 2:30 p.m. and the panoramic view was absolutely breathtaking. The air was clean and crisp and the weather was perfect. I was elated and I thanked God for granting me this incredible gift experience.

Thank you for reading.   God bless.