My friend KF the branding consultant and his buddy WS are heading to Mount Kinabalu this coming June (best of luck buddy … you can do it!) and KF has invited me for a practice session at Bukit Timah – one of the nature reserves in Singapore. I was more than happy to train with him and hopefully can provide him any advice he needs for his climb to Mount Kinabalu. Indeed KF has tons of questions for me and I tried to answer them the best I could – even if it may shatter his confidence a little bit.
I have not been to Bukit Timah before last weekend. It was certainly an eye-opener. I mean … look … Singapore is a flat piece of land and who would have thought there is a little hill anywhere at all? It was actually quite fun to trek up Bukit Timah. You can either take the main road that takes you directly to the “summit” (funny when the word “summit” is used to describe the highest point of something especially the top of a mountain and Bukit Timah is nowhere near the mountain status) or you can take the different trails to experience “wilderness” – which we did. We even heard what appeared as live firing as we trekked up (well you know … military training and all).
My buddy KF is really some sort of Bukit Timah guide. He can tell stories from the World War II like this cave was for what and that cave was for what and that stone was for what and that huge container was for what. Amazing. He even took us for a detour as one of the trail was cut-off due to fallen trees. It was more like an adventure to me.
Truth been told, 163.63m above sea level is insignificant compares to Mount Kinabalu that is 4,095.2m above sea level. We trekked the entire hill in way less than 2 hours (with moderately faster pace). However, I can understand why Bukit Timah is popular amongst the locals. We went up during non-peak hours (1.30pm). By the time we were back, the entire car park and beyond were fully packed. I have been to quite a number of nature reserves and it is nothing like Bukit Timah. It was a nice experience and I will go there again … perhaps with Cynthia and definitely with my buddy KF the Bukit Timah guide.
6 replies on “My First Trip To Bukit Timah”
Reading this entry brings back my memories. The last time I went bukit timah hill was in my secondary school days. I went with a few classmates and it was partly for a geography project that we had to do. It was pretty fun because……… it rained! We were drenched! And we were chased by monkeys because I guessed they were hungry. It was during our tea-break that they suddenly appeared.
Thanks for sharing your fond memories of Bukit Timah. I think this hill in Singapore is quite popular amongst the school children. When I reached the summit, I bumped onto one of my ex-client and he was leading this bunch of school children with their respective parents in the surroundings. It was quite an interesting break from the city life. On a side note, I think too many people have fed the monkeys till they are domesticated with human food …
Hey man, it was great fun climbing Bt Timah hill. I know it’s nothing compared to Mt K, but I guess it’s a start. I’ll set off for KK this Sat; hope all will be ok. I’ll remember your good advice – it’s all will power!
That’s right! It is all about will power with the right gears as well as teamwork and respecting the mountain! Looking forward to hearing the great story from you when you are back. Be safe and … you may wish to send me a MMS when you reach the summit?
Thanks, man. And yes, I’ll let you know when I reach the top!
[…] time I actually led the expedition. I normally go with my buddy KF the branding consultant and follow his lead blindly. Starting from the base of the hill, I told the World War II story of how the British and […]