The monkey that chased me
Yes, I was chased by a monkey yesterday and it was quite a frightening experience! We'll get to this part of my story in a bit...
Yesterday was National Day here in Singapore - the country's independence day (Singapore celebrated its 47th birthday). Joe had the day off, so we went on a hike with our friend Paige, who also works for BASF. Paige is from the U.S. and has been here on assignment for five months. She also lived here as a child/teenager when her dad did a three-year delegation for BASF. Needless to say, she's been a great resource for us!
Yesterday was National Day here in Singapore - the country's independence day (Singapore celebrated its 47th birthday). Joe had the day off, so we went on a hike with our friend Paige, who also works for BASF. Paige is from the U.S. and has been here on assignment for five months. She also lived here as a child/teenager when her dad did a three-year delegation for BASF. Needless to say, she's been a great resource for us!
The entrance of MacRitchie
Paige took us to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park, about 20 minutes away from where we live. The park was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Orchard. MacRitchie is known for its TreeTop Walk, which is a free-standing suspension bridge about 25 meters above ground that allows you to walk among the tree tops.
We started our hike and noticed that there are wild monkeys along the trail. At first glance, the monkeys were really cute and it was funny to see wild monkeys running around because we don't have this in the U.S. Of course, being the tourists that we are, we had to get pictures of the monkeys and got as close as we could to them. As you can see from Joe's photo below, the monkeys aren't scared of humans. In fact, I think they hoped we had food for them. However, there are signs around the park instructing visitors not to feed the monkeys because it makes them aggressive, and boy did I see this firsthand.
We started our hike and noticed that there are wild monkeys along the trail. At first glance, the monkeys were really cute and it was funny to see wild monkeys running around because we don't have this in the U.S. Of course, being the tourists that we are, we had to get pictures of the monkeys and got as close as we could to them. As you can see from Joe's photo below, the monkeys aren't scared of humans. In fact, I think they hoped we had food for them. However, there are signs around the park instructing visitors not to feed the monkeys because it makes them aggressive, and boy did I see this firsthand.
Joe gets close to a monkey
After Joe got close to a monkey for his photo op, I wanted a picture as well. There was a cute little baby monkey carrying a bottle around (see the photo above) and I thought, I'll get close to that one! BAD IDEA. The monkey sat still as I moved towards it, giving me the false impression that it would pose with me. As I crouched down to the grass, the monkey popped up, threw its bottle and ran right towards me. I yelped and ran away (trying to get behind Joe so he would save me), giving a crowd of spectators a good laugh. I certainly learned my lesson and avoided monkeys the rest of our hike!
The treetop trail hike was amazing (minus the fact that I was paranoid a monkey was going to jump out of the trees and land on me). The trees along the path had grown into an arch shape, creating an "overhang" above the path which shaded us from the hot, tropical sun.
The treetop trail hike was amazing (minus the fact that I was paranoid a monkey was going to jump out of the trees and land on me). The trees along the path had grown into an arch shape, creating an "overhang" above the path which shaded us from the hot, tropical sun.
TreeTop Walk bridge
The view from the TreeTop Walk bridge was spectacular. On our right, we could see the edge of the country and the ocean. On our left, we could see the high rise buildings of central Singapore. And, of course, we could see the forest floor below us through grates of the bridge floor. The trek on the bridge was a little scary because I'm not the biggest fan of heights and the bridge was shaky, but it was a fun experience. Joe and I definitely plan to visit MacRitchie Reservoir park again for another hike. Check out the photos section of this blog for more pictures of the park.
Tonight, we head to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and I can't wait! We have a jam-packed itinerary of exploration and I'll have a lot to update you on when we get back!
Tonight, we head to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and I can't wait! We have a jam-packed itinerary of exploration and I'll have a lot to update you on when we get back!
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