Lessons from a teen up in the mountains

Rushing up to Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, the Green Mountain, to catch up with the Tourism Festival held from August 23 to 27, made one realise once again that weather can make all the difference. Then what about the terrain?

How wonderful it is to drive for three hours and climb a mountain to reach the top that is 3,000 metres above sea level and walk around nonchalantly at midday waiting for the horse riders!

It was 12 clock and we were trying to find out were the horse riders were when suddenly in the air we could smell the horses. And that had us running in two different directions trying to figure out from which side they could be coming from. That’s when we realised we were not complaining about the summer heat. And then we could hear the sounds of horses galloping. While shooting the horse riders, right at the end was a young teenager riding a donkey.

The donkey was well trained and followed all his directions. The best part was the other professional horse riders were ensuring he was part of the team.

Each day teaches us a new lesson. News reporting also teaches amazing stories. One can be prepared as much as they want but if we are not open minded we will miss out on some of the most beautiful stories.

Something about Mundar urged me to go to him to find out more. The organiser Saif al Rawahi explained how the young rider had approached the day before the event, at their camp, and expressed his desire to participate in the event with his donkey. The important part is the organisers accepted the participation and there he was with the team.

There are many lessons to learn from Mundar.

He is quiet and determined and it took him a while to smile, but the fact is he achieved what he wanted.

He is a teen yet he was focused through out, neither did he complain of boredom, nor was he tired. He did not need a mobile phone to keep him busy. Mundar observed keenly the happenings. He was not interested in the selfies, but the fact that here he was with his donkey. He had an interesting saddle too. The most interesting part was he is the trainer also. He befriended the wild donkey four years ago and the bond grew so strong that he was able to ride it.

So we can learn from Mundar to be bold to dream to befriend an animal in the wilderness. Have perseverance to train it and be responsible to care for it, have the confidence to approach the organisers and be committed to the cause and have the endurance to complete the event.

What he may not realise is that he has given importance to something so traditional which could be easily forgotten. Before the arrival of oil, donkeys were commonly used as means of transportation. They had a special place but Mundar has also mastered the art of descending and ascending the Green Mountain on his donkey.

The donkey trails of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar are well-known, and now you can also see the tourism potential of the mountain for Mundar. We ought to wait and watch this youngster to continue to come with further more original ideas in the near future.