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Get Lost! II A Trek through MacRitchie Nature Reserve
BY LIM SHU NING
On 6 February 2016 I found myself inexplicably escaping from the Japanese army. Apparently my propensity for reading had offended the powers that be, which had set out on a quest to round up “scholars” whose wit and intellect threaten their regime. Upon learning this, I was understandably slightly flattered but somewhat concerned for my health and safety. Fortunately though, all I had to do was trek through MacRitchie Reservoir Park, guided along by a mysterious benefactor who had left clues for me. I even got to do this with all my scholarly friends.
Trekking through MacRitchie
The first task was to surmount a pyramid to obtain and string together Japanese characters. Given my natural intellect, this was accomplished with little difficulty. *cough*. What’s that? You received reports that my team came in last AND had to get help from a rival group of scholars? Um… balderdash! We achieved the task with little difficulty, I say!
Moving on. Following the uncovered instructions, we headed west for several kilometres and I enjoyed stimulating discussions with my fellow scholars. Who knew running for my life could be so enjoyable? Soon we came to a sunny patch of grass where we had to play a puzzling game involving guessing numbers and bidding. By now revered by my peers for my superior courage, I was immediately sacrificed in the first round. A few mixed successes later, our team earned a few tokens, I was resurrected and we continued on our trek west.
A game in the sun
The next set of clues we received was to be pondered over during the walk. It included unfathomable mysteries such as “tie a knot on a rope without letting go of its ends” and perennial questions like “how did the refugees cross the bridge?” Simple brainteasers they were not. (Editorial note: they were brainteasers.) Undaunted, I set my mind to the task and before long, my teammates had solved all of them, earning us more tokens. (Editorial note: we sincerely apologise for hiring this writer.)
After another interminable period of walking, we came to a giant bridge and the purpose of the tokens was revealed. Tokens granted safe passage across the bridge and those without tokens would be subjected to additional tests. Selflessly volunteering to take a token, I looked on while my teammates played a round of “chubby bunny”: reciting a Japanese tongue twister while holding marshmallows in their mouths. This apparently satisfied our captors who allowed us to carry on. The bridge, known to many as the MacRitchie TreeTop Walk, granted an excellent panorama of the primary rainforest surrounding Singapore’s oldest reservoir.
Along the TreeTop Walk
Another hour of walking later, we were free. To celebrate our harrowing escape, we headed for lunch.