Simple trail: Footloose and thumbing

Walking on Saipan, along with riding a bicycle, would be a pleasant experience and fruitful exercise, given the climate and the fresh ocean breeze accessible all over except on the few valley-like “crevices” like Kannat Tabla. 

Disposing of our motor vehicle earlier and acquiring a bicycle while domiciling near Hopwood in San Antonio so that we can traverse the breath and length of Beach Road without difficulty did not work out when we discovered that rain and typhoon dominate half of the year. We moved to Finasisu near NMC thinking that we might teach college level courses. It turned out we did not even qualify to be an instructor in English reading. Not griping, just acknowledging that ours is an island enamored with “proper certification.”

It is whe-e-e-e delight going downhill on a bike, but it does take effort to get back up the hill even when we skirt around As Perdido Rd. to Msgr. Martinez Blvd. to get back to Finasisu, or brave the 15-degree incline on Chalan Joaquin Doi through Ladera from Chalan Kanoa (walking the bike on the upgrade). But having already lost five bikes to thieves, it did not take much convincing to dispose of the only Schwinn mountain bike we recently acquired since it spent half its life parked.

So Friday, we went back on foot, good for the heartbeat and the blood flow, particularly along the heavily trafficked Msgr. Guerrero Blvd. from NMC where motorists seem to think that pedestrians have no place on the road. On the flat area between the road and wetlands to Lake Susupe is a grassy strip that cushions the feet, save in these rainy days it is more of a mire than a trail for single file. Walking on the asphalted road, on the other hand, seem to inspire target practice for some motorist who try to get as close to our limb as they can. Carbon monoxide is abundant and the prospect of a heart attack is high. On the plus side, the heightened blood pressure exercises the accelerated heartbeat!

Reluctantly, we extended the thumb on As Terlaje last Sunday to see what would happen. It did not take long (less than five minutes) before a Mr. de la Cruz (not his real name) of Dandan decided to perform a good deed. He stopped and actually turned into the parking lot where I was thumbing and asked if I needed a ride.

It turns out (he was not too talkative but given our journalistic propensity to inquire, we managed to strike a conversation) this was his last day in his Dandan residence as he has to move his family of eight (himself, spouse, five boys and a girl—the youngest only 5) to his brother’s place near the lagoon, unable to keep up with his mortgage. He had worked for a government office as a handyman for a long while but he has been retrenched (non-essential personnel is the current category he falls into). Deep in debt, having used his properties to collateralize loans when they were cheap and accessible, he could not even withdraw his RF contributions to tide him over. Though not too optimistic, he was not despondent.

Our renminbi was of no use to add to his gas cost so we did not bother to contribute, and gauging from his demeanor, Mr. de la Cruz might have been insulted had we extended the offer. It did make our day to know that in the midst of the crisis Mr. de la Cruz was going through, he saw it fit to lend someone a ride. A simple gesture of an act of compassion, if I might be forgiven the old term!

Only last month, we took the old Shaker tune of our edited version and taught Chinese students a simple song. 

It’s a gift to be simple, it’s a gift to be free,
It’s a gift to belong where bodies want to be,
We find ourselves in the place of delight
In the land of fullness, of light that’s bright.
 
(Refrain) When life’s simplicity is gained,
We bow and we bend, we will not be ashamed,
And we turn and we change, we will be just right,
Yes, we turn, we change to the bright new light.

It’s a gift to be gentle, it’s a gift to be fair,
It’s a gift to wake up, to breath the air,
We walk in morning on the way that we choose,
It’s a gift to play, we can never lose.

It’s a gift to be humble, it’s a gift to be kind.
It’s a gift to hear the thoughts of others’ mind.
We speak our feelings, and we come out true,
that’s a gift for me and a gift for you.

It’s a gift to be loving, our lives given to all,
Like the rain in spring splashing on its fall.
We use this gift, and we come to see,
That life of loving in China be.

Mr. de la Cruz reinforced that lesson Sunday. I came to see that life of loving in the CNMI be.