It was a fine sunny Saturday morning, I had dropped the good Wife at Magaret's place for her therapeutic massage session and had time to kill. So, as I drove along Bukit Timah Road I decided to visit and climb up Bukit Timah, one of those things I had always wanted to do......
Turning into Hindhede Drive, I found the car-park - quite a big one, but it was already full of cars. Happily, I managed to get a lot, so off I went to the 'Visitors Centre' which houses the toilets, a gift shop and an exhibition hall.
I was surprised to see the number of monkeys around the car park and Visitors' Centre area...
big ones, small ones, old ones and young ones.......
Had a look-see around the exhibition hall.... quite an interesting place where you can see and read about the history and all the nitty gritty details about the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.......
Asked for a map of the climbing routes.......and was refered to the notice board showing the various routes one can take to go up the hill.
Being a first-timer, I decided to take the easy, shortest route up - the 'red' route. And so, off I went, following the crowd of many others doing the climb.... I was surprised to see the number of climbers....
The first quarter of the climb was the steepest and it took me about 15 minutes to reach the half way mark - There a rest pavilion called the "Simpang Hut".....
Continuing the climb, I found the slope not as steep as before and began to enjoy the surroundings - there were plenty of 'educational' signages and signs to point out diversions to different trekking paths you can take on the climb.
The first quarter of the climb was the steepest and it took me about 15 minutes to reach the half way mark - There a rest pavilion called the "Simpang Hut".....
Continuing the climb, I found the slope not as steep as before and began to enjoy the surroundings - there were plenty of 'educational' signages and signs to point out diversions to different trekking paths you can take on the climb.
It was getting cooler and the crowd had thinned out.......where had everyone dissappeared to...? So, I sensed the top of the hill is near......maybe round the next bend....?
True enough, on rounding that bend, I saw the "Summit Hut" sitting at the hill top. It had taken me 30 minutes of brisk walking to reach the summit - not a 'Mount Everest' moment, but still, the feeling was good, after all - at least I climbed Bukit Timah, after nearly 60 years living in Singapore.......
5 minutes rest, and down I went on the return journey and arrived at the bottom soon enough. Saw the 'Battle For Bukit Timah' sign at the road-side - it tells of the importance of the hill during the Japanese invasion. When the japanese soldiers captured Bukit Timah on the 11th February 1942, it spelled the end for the British's hold on Singapore and the rest, so they say, is history....
It was a good experience climbing Bukit Timah - never felt so close to nature, never seen so many monkeys......
True enough, on rounding that bend, I saw the "Summit Hut" sitting at the hill top. It had taken me 30 minutes of brisk walking to reach the summit - not a 'Mount Everest' moment, but still, the feeling was good, after all - at least I climbed Bukit Timah, after nearly 60 years living in Singapore.......
5 minutes rest, and down I went on the return journey and arrived at the bottom soon enough. Saw the 'Battle For Bukit Timah' sign at the road-side - it tells of the importance of the hill during the Japanese invasion. When the japanese soldiers captured Bukit Timah on the 11th February 1942, it spelled the end for the British's hold on Singapore and the rest, so they say, is history....
It was a good experience climbing Bukit Timah - never felt so close to nature, never seen so many monkeys......
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