What can I do in Singapore?
Especially on a bright and sunny Saturday morning? Ok, that was being a bit too cheerful.
The truth was that it was bloody hot...As always.
Hey, it's Singapore - what else did you expect? It's a tiny island nation right along the equator. It has the seasonal span just like that of a rainforest. Yes, exactly, we have the beautiful climates Sunny and Rainy.
And that particular Saturday happened to be a sunny one. We had an invitation to go on the Tree Top walk at McRitchie Reservoir with some of our friends.
My expectation: We can just drive there and the Tree Top walk will be just there and we'll walk along and it'll be done and *poof!* we'll be home in about 2 hours or so.
The reality: A gruelling 15 km trek up to the tree top walk and back.
My attire: Jeans, long 3/4 sleeved top (thankfully cotton), handbag and slippers..yes, slippers..
Wait, before you judge me based on my choice of attire, allow me to explain myself. I was supposed to have music lesson in the afternoon that same day, and I thought I would only be dropping my dad there. But then, for a reason unknown till today, I decided to join the group on the "walk" (more like hike).
So we waited for some time for everyone to arrive. We Indians are well known to give utmost importance to punctuality that if you want them to arrive at any given location by 9 am, you have to tell them to be there at least by 7 am. Heh, dear Indian friends, don't mind me, but the truth can burn sometimes ;)
While waiting I decided to take some photographs on my iPhone. It was a beautiful day with a lot of greenery surrounding me - I couldn't resist, I'm a nature lover. It was my first time there and it felt like it wasn't a part of Singapore.
These photos are edited using Instagram, just to let you know.
Once everyone had arrived we set off on the trail. For quite a distance, we were walking on muddy paths. It added to the hiking feel, but I was busy jumping around to prevent stepping in muddy puddles and getting my feet dirty. In between the jumping, I did catch glimpses of the surrounding and I have to say it was pretty serene there.
We walked by a small stream, if you can call it that. Take a look at the pictures. I really liked that area because it was very refreshing and the water, though extremely shallow, was really clear. It is quite rare to see it here. Even though Singapore is known to be a clean city, the water in rivers and beaches are not clear. But thanks to the excellent water treatment systems here the water we get at home is squeaky clean.
Pardon my shaky photograph.
After a while, the muddy paths turned into concrete pavements and tarred roads. By then we started to get hungry. So we had a picnic along the roadside. A few other visitors saw us and set up their own picnics nearby too. This was the view from out picnic spot.
That's my daddy dearest above, trying to pose like a statue.
After we walked quite a distance, we started spotting monkeys. Nothing new to my friends who were from India, but to me it was quite a big deal.
I remember once when I was going to work, I saw a huge crowd outside Braddell MRT station. As I walked by I craned my neck to see what the fuss was about and I saw a pitiful monkey, frightened as hell, hiding behind the leaves on a tree. The people were all taking photos and videos. The poor creature seemed to have lost its way from McRitchie. I don't know what happened to it cuz I didn't stop and stare with the crowd. I went to work.
But this time I took some photos.
I am arachnophobic (fear of spiders) so I spent most of the time being very cautious of my surroundings. But, I am also an avid nature lover and very adventurous so that motivated me to press on despite my fear.
Note: This post is taken from my old blog.
I took a photo of an ant as well. It's not the common ant we see in our homes here. This one was big.
I saw another part of the "stream" I saw earlier. The photo below was taken from a small bridge built to pass this small stream. It looked really nice actually and we got off the bridge and walked around in the water for a bit.
Just some more pictures of paths and plants.
This is just one of the many stairs we had to climb along the way. Now you know why it's tiring.
Finally, we reached the Tree Top Walk, and this is how it looked like:
Yep, a very narrow path. We had to walk in single file. The tree top walk is actually a canopy walk, and the pictures below show a bit of the view we get when we're finally there after the long hike up (Not edited).
.... And then we had to go a long way down back to the car park.
The photo below was taken at the end of the walk, by which time I was extremely tired.
Overall, it was a great experience. Fun and healthy. However, you really must be dressed for the occasion or else the chances for injuring yourself are very likely. Fortunately I didn't injure myself, but that's because I was really cautious about where I put my foot. If I didn't have to do that, it would have been a much nicer experience.
There are plenty of mosquitoes so take care in preventing mosquito bites.
There are different entrances to this tree top walk and the one that I took was the one along Venus drive. It's along the Upper Thomson route when you drive. That entrance is pretty quiet so it's a nice place to gather if you prefer to have some quality uninterrupted time with your family or friends. Kinda nice place for a picnic too before you start the trek.
Taking this route means there'll be a lot of uphill climbing to do, that too, not on nicely paved ground but on dirt and gravel, which reiterates my point - wear proper footwear.
If you are claustrophobic, arachnophobic or have any other phobia in which you're afraid of insects or creepy crawlies, then be warned; because there are plenty of these. You will also have to walk among trees (the reason why it's called tree top walk) so it might trigger claustrophobia for some people. Take a look at this path:
I strongly recommend the tree top walk to anyone who desires a work out and some fresh air, or simply a well deserved change from their 8 to 5 routine.
Check it out and I would love to hear what you have to say about it. :)
Note: This post is taken from my old blog.
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