The burning sensation on the wounds started to manifest on day 2 with some swelling…
Date 180112, Bobby and me met up at Macritchie reservoir with a adventurer’s mindset – Explore Syonan Shinto shrine made by British POW and Japanese Army in WWII to commemorate those Japanese soldiers that died in war.
The only preparation we did the night before was to search for a possible map, basic landmarks to watch out for and ration (water and choc).
To be frank, It was quite mad to go there with such minimal preparation, especially without compass or gps. We walked from Venus drive all the way to Terentang trail (the entrance is before ranger station from this direction) where we stumble upon the infamous 3 large stones.
Our journey begins.
We started trekking based on estimation of the path most taken. We followed some markers placed by others who were here before but until some point we got misled. We were supposed to reach to the water tank area but we ended in a wrong direction. What was before us, were purely entangled branches and bushes to bash through without any parang… We used our hands and legs to carve a way through the dense forest.
To some point, I felt pretty desperate… Bobby suggested me to use my iPhone compass to navigate and veer ourselves to the location. It was then that we realized we were heading directly towards the shrine! We persevered and just went for the direction towards the water bank where we can reach the pathway leading to the shrine.
After 1/2 hour of intense bashing through the thick undergrowth (including the thorny branch that slashed my forehead), we finally reached the water bank.
I felt a huge sense of relief when we reached a proper pathway. Following the compass on my iPhone, we stumbled upon the steps of the shrine within 5 minutes.
There was a sudden rush of ecstasy as though a explorer unraveled a hidden treasure!
We spent the next 20 minutes exploring the remains of the shrine, checking out the purification basins and the round stones, which akins to the pillar structure of that area.
After that, we started to make our way back to our start point, this time, following the “official” route before it gets too late.
It took us an about 1/2 to an hour to get out of this forest.
Tips (not in order):
1) Trust the pink or striped red-white markers only! Backtrack if you cannot see it unless you are willing to bash through, like us. =D
2) Bring a proper compass
3) Bring parang or at least a pocket knife
4) Bring a map of the place
5)Wear proper trekking shoes (Thorns may pierce through shoes. A thorn pierced through my trekking shoes so imagine what it can do to your running shoes)
6) Wear a pair of glasses (Be it you are 6/6 in vision as some thorns may swing backwards on your face unknowingly)
More information about Shinto Shrine:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_236_2004-12-24.html
http://www.spi.com.sg/spi_files/shinto_shrine/shinto_shrine_close_up.htm
Enjoy my simple pictures!
Tags: syonan shinto shrine, shinto shrine, macritchie reservoir
