A recap of some events over the past weeks.
31Jan. Trek to Syonan Jinja with Zhiheng,CH and KY.
Zhiheng's an old friend. He's crazy about army. Along with CH and KY, his Armour friends, we ventured to explore the ruins of Syonan Jinja - a Shinto shrine built by the Japanese during WWII.
The trip brought along a sense of deja vu. This was the 2nd time I am undertaking this trip - the previous, with Odac 20th com, 4years ago. An immensely enjoyable trip it was, as anything with Odac! Those were the days.
Canopy
ZH parked at the Macritchie Reservoir Carpark. And we proceeded. 1st stop: the HSBC Treetop Walk. Nothing great, really. Maybe unless you have a very keen pair of eyes. What amused me was CH and KY's fear of heights. These guys operate huge macho tanks in the army!
We hit upon something called the "Engine House" along Terentang trail, some odd-looking structures of brick and concrete. Across, we began on the shrine trail past two boulders. Soon, we were impeded by fallen trees - lots of fallen trees. Taking detour after detour, we were well off the main trail (if it still exists) and bashing thru wave after wave of shrubbery.
My GPS was barely useful - if only to boost our morale with "distance to destination"! We had our directional pointer, but no clear trail.
Some 2hours into the trail, we reached the Guardhouse. Built of concrete, it had a somewhat eerie feel to it. There were creepers and moss all over. A deep pool of water had welled inside. A few photos and we were off.
Ruins
Using the reservoir as a "handrail", we found the numerous steps that led to the main shrine area. We reached the ceremonial fountain, said to be used by the worshippers to wash up before proceeding.
ZH had even brought his videocam along, and we shot a short 'documentary' at the ruins!
To get back to the carpark, we had to cross a small floodgate adjacent to the SICC golfcourse and walk 4km, partly along the oft-used cross-country trail. Crossing the floodgate was a relatively simple affair. Joggers passing by gave us weird looks, like what were these guys up to?!
A really fulfilling day, with plenty of cuts and abrasions on our legs to remind us of our little adventure in the coming days.
More at
20th Com http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/91684780ypvgAt
SPI http://www.spi.com.sg/spi_files/shinto_shrine/Syonan_Jinja.htm
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1 comment:
HEYS! you're from AJC ODAC too? haha i was from 24th comm...that makes you my super super super senior lols....just wondering, how did you find your way to the shrine? i was there last week with a friend and we only got as far as the guard house before the trail grew too tangled to read
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