Sweating on the Southern Ridges

View of Singapore from Mount Faber

In the future, if I'm asked what was the most difficult summit I ever accomplished, I'm going to say:

"Mount Faber, the second highest peak of Singapore, 105 meters above sea level."

I'm kidding, right? No, I'm not.

***

Singapore wasn't on my list of destinations I wanted to visit. I dismissed it as just another Asian megacity. I changed my mind because my flight out of New Zealand went via Singapore and as long as I was passing through, I decided to stay for a couple of days.

The only thing I was even remotely interested in seeing in Singapore was to hike the Southern Ridges trail.

After spending the previous month in cooler autumn weather of Melbourne and New Zealand, my body wasn't prepared for the shock of returning to hot and humid Asia. Funny, because I thought that I was beginning to get used to being hot all the time. I even managed to run a half marathon in such weather. But I once again feel just like I did almost six months ago, when I first arrived in southeast Asia, ambushed by the heat and humidity.

Steel canopy walkways

Nevertheless, I embarked on the Southern Ridges trail, smirking at tourists who were buying tickets to ride the cable car or lining up for a bus tour to Mount Faber. I was confident I would reach the summit in a matter of minutes. By the time I finally reached the summit, I was sweating and struggling from the heat, thinking I would rather be on the air conditioned tour bus. I had to sit down and have an iced drink from a coffee shop before I was ready to continue. It took many more iced drinks and rests in the shade until I finally finished the trail.

The trail itself is interesting in that it's not really a hiking trail but more a city stroll. The paths are made up of either concrete steps, wooden bridges or steel walkways. Thankfully it passes through stretches of parks and forest that keep it shaded for most of the way.

Henderson Waves

I admired the Henderson Waves, a futuristic wooden bridge. A sign explains that it's well lighted at night and looks like waves from afar. Which got me thinking why I seemed to be one of only a handful of people who hiked the trail during the daytime. The locals probably come at night, when the temperatures are more bearable.