At 163m above sea level, Bukit timah hill is the
tallest point of Singapore. Which is a bit like saying Tampines Rovers is
the best team in the S-league;
it doesn’t mean much, and no one really cares, save for the small group of
middle-aged foolhardies stomping along the dirt trails at 2330hrs.
Surrounding Bukit Timah Hill is Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,
which at 2030hrs, is pitch dark. Black doesn’t begin to describe the depth of
how dark it gets. If you hold your hand within breathing distance of your face,
you wouldn’t see it, making it a great hiding place for a local cryptid.
I don’t see why the National Tourism Board doesn’t include the
Bukit Timah Monkey Man as one of the attractions in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,
it’s worth
good money in certain circles. Of course people will never see one - it
spends all its time in hiding from public view, much like post-election
politics. And much like politics, it’s not about facts, it’s about hype.
Reality tends to hit much harder, and at 29 degree Celsius,
and 91% humidity, we were drenched in the foul reality of sweat-drenched bodies,
glued on shirts, and moist underwear. More than a few ankles landed awkwardly,
which considering you’re in a forest of
tree roots, mud and rocks with only a headlamp to light your way, is the
reality of midnight treks.
Unlike the guy in the video, we were a group of six, which was
just as well, because being in the middle of a Bukit Timah alone at night is
pretty eerie, although nowhere near as creepy as Aokigahara
at the base of Mount Fuji (dead bodies in that link, informed clicks please).
Maybe that’s why the Oxfam
Japan 2013 route doesn’t actually have Fuji as part of its route, or maybe
there are plans
to keep hikers off its beloved trails because those damn hikers keep dying.
It’s good to be trekking.
