mountain turtle at bukit timah

did the first training session at bukit timah today. we went down Taban Loop, Cave Path, Tiup-Tiup path, Dairy Farm Loop, Seraya Loop, Jungle Fall Path and finally, up to the Summit. click here for the map. kabs calls it the mo-gui (devil) route becos of the infinite no. of steps. khoon initially intended to run from his home (at yew tee) to bkt timah before he met us for the trek. that's before he knew how gruelling it would be..... after the trek, he said lucky he didnt run before the trek....

took off my sandals midway cos it was causing my feet to have blisters. once again conquered bukit timah on barefeet. soft clayey soil and bed of wet leaves on the feet.... nice.

on the way, we passed by a rare spiny turtle Heosemys spinosa. cute! it ranges from Burma, Thailand, Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo to Sumatra. it is traded widely as exotic pets : (( and for food in china: ((( i hope that guy managed to get out of the footpath in time before someone else saw him. for this reason, shall not reveal where we spotted him in case he falls into bad hands. didnt have my camera with me at that time but you can find a good picture of the juvenile here. he is a forest floor dweller. that's right, a sua-ku (mountain turtle)...

bkt timah was nice and misty today.... it was raining but the forest canopy was so dense we heard the raindrops but it didnt reach us. great experience. but legs aching badly now...