My Tamparuli Bridge - a short story by Wendell D. Gingging (in 1999)
I got on the suspension bridge. I stood there for awhile and watched it sway as the school children fearlessly bounced and played on the old bridge. I smiled as I remembered how as kids, we used to do the same. I walked up the bridge. It had an incline that was gradual and easy to climb. It is wide and looks very sturdy.
Built in the 60s and used by people countless times to get across the Tuaran River when it floods, it stood tall and proud as the most famous suspension bridge in Sabah. A song was even written about it and sung by thousands of people around Malaysia. That song is still a must sing in every Kadazandusun wedding. I smiled.
I tried to shake the bridge... it shook... but this did not seem to scare the kids. It's strong. Stories had it that when it was flooding in the 70s, a man crossed the suspension bridge with his Austin Mini. As I reached the top of the incline, I took in the view and was still amazed at the size of it all. The river below flowed slowly, fish were swimming innocently. I looked to my right at the fig tree that was fruiting. I walked closer to it and took a fruit, opened it, and smelled it. I laughed out loud. I threw the fruit into the river and watched the fishes come after it.
The wind was blowing and the cluster of bamboo growing on my left caught my attention. To us young men, the clearing near the bamboo was a favourite dating place. The water was cool and the breeze was just nice and when a passerby on the bridge you knew saw you with a pretty girl... oh well... it's another way of 'announcing' that you were going out with her. Oh, haha... and fishing at that spot was also good... if you really get to concentrate on it.
The bridge begins to shake... oh no, not kids again. As I look down, it was a group of tourists. I say hi. They were too scared to reply. They walked slowly as I stood there watching them. Picture-taking and laughter filled the bridge. As they eventually crossed the bridge, I just felt good that the bridge is so famous. Wow! I shook my head as I made my way slowly across.
I noticed the planks of the bridge were just changed. Good, I thought to myself, not so slippery when it rains. An old Chinese passed me on a bicycle. He is concentrating on not getting the wheels between the gaps. I turned around to see him go. Oh no! He got into a gap. He pulled out and continued his cycling.
I reach the other side and just wondered how it would have been without the bridge. Ferries? I don't think so. I watched two cars take their turn crossing the low-concrete bridge. It only can fit a car one way at a time. When it floods however, cars have to go on the higher bridge further down the river, but the suspension bridge stands mighty and tall, providing a way for the pedestrian to cross the river.
As I walked down the bridge, I feel the bounce of it. One side is bouncier than the other side. I keep bouncing on it till a lady comes with her bags of vegetables. I smiled to her and commented how I am just playing around. Her reply was quite ironic, she said, "Bah, bila lagi, lain kali kalau sudah tiada, nangis juga!" She laughed and went on her way. In English what she said was, "Well, better now than never. If this bridge goes, you're gonna cry!" I made my way to the shops and disappeared into the Wednesday market crowd.
Sure enough, this year in January, the flood took away my bridge and what was left was an uprooted beam and some cables. The tourists still come, to the Tamu, but not to a bridge. The Kadazandusun song does not apply anymore. No more bouncing. The new suspension bridge in the making will never replace the bridge many Tamparuli residents have learnt to love and depend on. I miss that bridge.
This was the original Tamparuli Hanging Bridge when it collasped in Jan 1999 due to the biggest flood that ever hit the town (picture courtesy of James Inson). I cried at that time after hearing that our famous bridge has collasped.
This is the new Tamparuli Hanging Bridge built for the convenience of the town's community. At first glance after it was built I thought it looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. It's great that we had a new bridge but I still missed the old "original" one.
Many thanks to Trixie and Wendell for letting me re-post this cool story in here. They are also bloggers themselves - just click on their names to check out their cool blogs.
This short story explained it all - on why Tamparuli is considered famous as a tourist destination in Sabah and still is up to this day even with the new suspension/hanging bridge. And for that I'm proud to be a Tamparulian!
Now...let's enjoy the famous 'Jambatan Tamparuli' song composed and sung by Sabah's local (Dusun) singer, Justin Lusah (read more about it here).
I Luv Tamparuli!
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