I woke up today with bodyaches all over and red mosquitoe-bite marks on my thigh. Reason - The aftermath of my unforgettable hike to the HSBC Tree Top Walk yesterday.HSBC Tree Top Walk
(Yes, it was the picture of this magnificent bridge that lured me to this hike.)
Description:
The HSBC TreeTop Walk (HSBC TTW) is the highlight of several long hiking routes in MacRitchie that brings you through different stages of mature secondary forest. The first of its kind in Singapore and in the region, this free-standing suspension bridge connects the two highest points (Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang) in MacRitchie and offers a bird's eye view of the community of plants and animals that live in the forest canopy. The total length of the walkway is about 250m and its height from the forest floor varies, with the highest point at 25m.
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Recommended by Felicia, i have never knew such a place / bridge existed in Singapore. I was thrilled by the height of the suspension bridge and intrigued by the scenery that one could view from it. Hence, me and Darling set out for the adventure hike yesterday.
Unfortunately, it was drizzling when we reached MacRitchie. But we were adamant to carry on with our plan and parked the car at Venus Drive, which was 2.5km away from the Tree top walk. The whole round trip is about 7 - 10km but since we did not manage to complete it, our entire route yesterday only covered about 5km.
Having not done enough research and underestimating the nature of the route, Darling asked me to wear anything that's comfortable will do. He chose to wear sandals himself and luckily for me, i wore a pair of cheap shoes from BKK which im ready to part with.
Initially, the canopy of the trees was enough to shelter us from the rain drops. But halfway through, the rain got heavier and we had to use the umbrella. Finally, as the condition got worse, we found it difficut to carry on and Darling decided to stop the hike as it was dangerous to walk under the trees with thunder and lightning.
We managed to sneak into the country club beside the trail route where we seek shelter for the next 2hrs. By the time we carried on with the hike, it was already 5..20pm which was past the closing time of the tree top walk.
Not wanting to give up halfway and stubbornly thinking that we should at least go to the bridge and take some photos, we continued the rest of the last kilometer. After climbing a very steep slope, panting like mad, we finally arrived at the opening of the bridge - only to find it blocked by a hut which has been locked by the park rangers after closing time! I couldn't even see the other end of the bridge or at least have a peek of the scenary below it. Damn pissed off ok! Knn lor.. all my energy and sweat to come all the way in the end i didnt get to see anything... @#$%!
The only encounter that made the trip a little more worthwhile was sighting this cute monkey sitting on ground along in our path. Looking more closely, we realized that there were so many monkeys playing on the tree directly outside the rangers station!
The rest of the journey back was a total nightmare - the only route out was blocked by fallen branch, trail was flooded and slippery, spider webs washed down by the rain stuck onto our body as we walked past and eerie crickets chirping loudly..
I almost wanted to cry when Darling said we had to walk through the overgrown grasses and wet shrubs as our way out was blocked by the fallen branches. Dragged by him, i screamed and jumped my way through. Can you imagine how disgusting it is? Im totally terrified of insects and kept worrying that a hidden snake might bite me!Just when i thought it's the end of my misery, we were greeted by a long meandering flooded trail. Ha. Great. There was no other way out and no room to be afraid of getting dirty. Taking a deep breath, i waded through the muddy water till we got out.
This picture best illustrates the last part of my journey. It was indeed my closest ever encounter with Mother nature. But despite the scary experience, i would still want to go back again next time to complete the whole 7km! But this time, i'll make sure i protect myself with insect repellent, proper cross training shoes and most importantly, choose a fine sunny day! =P
Labels: Nature
