Duration: 2:20

03 November 2009, Scouts, Girl Guides and NPCC went on a hike at Bukit Timah. We had to do some preparations before going on the hike. A few cadets and I prepared the ponchos in case of wet weather. Well, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. This led me to believe that the hike was going to be an enjoyable one. Minutes after we left school, the sky turned dark and the clouds drew a curtain across the sky, blocking out all sunlight. The officers and I started to worry that it would rain. Luckily it was just a light shower and the sky cleared very quickly. Alighting from the coach, we organized ourselves into groups so that the instructors had an easier time looking after the cadets. Each teacher was definitely assigned to a group of at least 18 students. Being an avid photographer, I took photos with my camera phone and at the same time, organizing the cadets. After a few minutes, it started to rain heavily. We had to seek shelter under the Bukit Timah visitors centre where Mr. Ibrahim, one of our teacher officers, briefed the whole uniformed groups on what to do and what not to do and the safety issues of course. There was something that made me feel uneasy one of the cadets carrying the bags of ponchos into the cars. Why do they even want to bring ponchos in the first place when they are being stowed away in the boot? I thought. Well, I couldnt bother much further as I believed that the weather was going to be just fine after a few minutes. Well, it did! The sky cleared once again and off we go! I was busy snapping photos as we walked deeper into the jungle. An officer told us that the hike was going to be physically demanding which caused many cadets to whine. Anyway, through the hike, we stopped at an open area to take a short break. I forgot to bring my water bottle and had to share with someone else. After a few minutes, we are off again. As we were hiking, the sky turned dark and I immediately knew that a heavy downpour was coming. A light drizzle was followed by a heavy downpour. We kept on going since there werent any lighting risks. Suddenly, one of the teacher officers stopped us in our tracks and told us that we had to turn back. Everyone was soaking wet by then and had wanted to continue the hike as we had already completed one quarter of it. It was a lightning risk and everyone had to turn back. Through the hike back to the Visitors Centre, many of us realised that our cameras was made without any water proofing material. This led us to frantically search for the units medic so that we can dump our cameras into the bag without it getting wet. As we were making our way out, we met Chai Chee Secondary School. It was lucky for them as by the time we reached the Visitors Centre, the sun was out again. Well, I hoped they had a great time making it to the top of Bukit Timah Hill (if CCSS cadets are reading this). Upon exiting the forest, we chanced upon a group of wild monkeys! I dared myself to take a close up of a monkey as I feared that it my grab my camera and make off with it. I gripped my camera tightly with both hands and successfully took a photo of it with its head faced the other way. The monkey showed signs of anger and naturally, I retreated and joined my group later. I heard that a surprise was in store for the whole unit and guess what we have got after a tiring hike that left us both wet and dehydrated? A can of drinks for everyone! Every one of us heaved a huge sigh of relief to be able to get out of that forest. With wet attires, we boarded the coach scheduled to leave at 5pm and went back to school. Of course the driver felt a little annoyed at the fact that he would have to clean up his bus after we left our dirty foot prints on his bus. After a mass debrief by the Teacher Officers, each and every one of us made our way to the lobby and dried our shoes before putting them on again. Although we did not make it to the top of Bukit Timah Hill because of the bad weather, I have learnt that before planning for any outdoor events, always check http://app2.nea.gov.sg/12hnowcast.aspx to check if there is going to be any rain or sun on that day.