When under stress, the most important thing for me is to meditate and pray, relinquish the desire to have things my way, and rest in His love and power. Going to the hill for a trek also does quite a few things for me. Its an exercise that I do not mind doing during a time when I’d rather eat and space out. Heading for a sweat-it-out at Bukit Timah Hill does certain things for me. It breaks my bad habit of taking short breaths when under stress. It forces me to breathe more deeply, particularly when I climb the wooden or track steps. Every time I pause to catch my breath or drink, I look around with camera in hand and look for a picture worth capturing. The air is fresh, the sounds of cicada and birds catch my attention, the deliberate act of placing my feet safely to avoid root stumps and wet mud, forces my mind off problems at hand, onto intentional walking and listening and looking.
Compared to the Bukit Timah hill, parking was a breeze at this large carpark off Dairy Farm Road. The entrance to the Wallace trail looked new, with a large map and seating area. Beside this section, were airy, lightly fragranced washroom facilities. Impressive. I turned left and followed the clear directional signs to the 1 km trail. Ladies shouldn’t walk without company, as I was virtually alone at 10am. I sauntered up the bitumen road and turned into the jungle trail.
The picture of Wallace stared at me from a poster. What struck me: he was a friend of Charles Darwin; he lived and explored the Malay archipelago; and he loved durians! An angmoh who appreciated the king of fruits, and those were the wild durians, not the modern hybrids.
The path was narrow and damp, and at times muddy. I could see why they used this for education. The singing of birds and cicada, the hum of traffic from the Bukit Timah expressway, the variety of fauna and butterflies caught my attention at various points in the trail, and would certainly be talking points for the nature guide. Under the shade of tall trees, the air was cool. A monitor lizard about 4 feet long crawled nearby.
This jungle area was once infested with wild tigers. Unfortunately, the last tiger was shot in 1932. Can you imagine if there were still wild tigers in Bukit Timah and Dairy Farm as there were a hundred years ago? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the amount of respect for wild animals and nature that would generate? Now all that can be seen were immoveable fat cows, haunted houses and fungi.
The leisurely trek took about an hour or so. There was another trail leading to a quarry but I decided to stop, because the path that led there was exposed to the late morning sun and heat.
Another day lah.
Early this morning I sent my wife and two trekking friends to the Changi airport.Together with nine others they flew off to Kathmandu.
She had been packing for close to a week and even then last night she was at it past midnight, and this morning she was again at it before we went off at 6.20am.
Are women different from men in the way and the amount they pack? Or is it just that my wife would be in the scenic and cool mountains for many many days? When I went two years ago it was for a less than a week. This time they would be trekking about ten days.
How many days would it be before the fun and sense of wonder evaporates, and the drudgery and hardship and longing for ease and laksa kick in?
For me it was the connect with the Creator, and the good company of friends that sublimated the hardship, sacrifices and weariness.
A great incentive was to become toned, healthier, and to have achieved it while enjoying a holiday.
As I waved goodbye to them I felt a tinge of longing to be with them. Nostalgia descended as I viewed slides of two years ago.
Have a look, and consider planning a different kind of vacation one day.
Jewels of Nepal from Blogpastor on Vimeo.