Where are you from? The press?

The much-awaited Khatib Bongsu hike takes place today after morning gym. Ahmad and I, plus Eamon. We set off with a homecooked lunch in our bags, binoculars too, with no map, and just a general sense of direction. And well, it isnt too hard to find. The hike begins fairly easy enough as we slip pass the "security" at the beginning of the track. Just ten minutes into the walk and we lose sight of the last HDB block. Birds are singing somewhere behind the leaves of the tree, so we never get to see them. What we do see are massive bird's nests and bird's nest ferns (after a little debate). There's also a scoring system for spotting cool stuff, naming it gives you bonus points. So there're papaya and coconut trees, tapioca and banana plants, a snake, running streams and empty mangrove ponds. We pass by the first obstacle, contractors putting up the "shoot at sight" sign, by waving them away. Dithering a little bit and stopping every five seconds to peer at things, the sky turns overcast and starts to piss down (hence the lack of pictures). The ponds begin to fill up as we trudge along through puddles of water, Ahmad with his brolly, Eamon in his jacket, and I in my, uh, trash bag. Rain aside and an hour and a half into our little hike, we meet our last and final obstacle in the form of A Civil Servant. Dressed in his statutory board-issued office gear and driving his trusty Toyota (prolly from years of toiling behind his desk), he scrambles to us in his leather shoes, avoiding puddles, screaming, "Where are you from?"



Strange looks are exchanged. Me, "Uh.. nowhere in particular."



"Did you take any pictures? Are you from the press?"

No, NO!"



He tells us to turn back and even tells us to walk carefully, lest we fall and our insurance companies sue him for making us walk back in Stormy Weather. Born-and-bred Singaporeans, we accept his as yet unproven authority and make our way out without challenging him (Eamon is too wet and tired to bother). Emerging from the wilderness, we go to the park gazebo for the lunch, eating on the floor with our hands, much to the bemusement of Yishun primary school children passing by. So, while the Singapore Troubadours suffer a moral setback at the hands of the Civil Service, Australian Backpacker Eamon gets a right instructive introduction to Singapore 'Burbs, Wildlife and Government.



And.. we go to the NS40 exhibition at Orchar Road, where we get to wield rifles in the middle of the city. Uniquely Singapore! Nothing is disallowed, every is just yet to be allowed.