Snakes, Spiders, and Steep Stairs: My Return to Mount Singai

It took me 4 ½ hours to get to the peak of mount Singai and down. Singai is a sacred and holy mountain because there is a church on the mount which was build since the 1890s. I stated my journey together with my friends at 10 mornings, as I remember the last time I came here was 4 years ago.

I’m back after four years, just about to start my ascent. I noticed many plastic bags filled with sand at the base. The church at the top is still undergoing renovations after all these years, so my friends and I carried two large bags of sand up with us. At this stage, we were climbing a lot of stairs; some of the wood had rotted away, so we had to be extra careful with our footing.

Most of my friends were here for the first time, and they were already complaining about the steepness. We had to stop frequently to rest. It was quite hilarious seeing their exhausted faces and listening to them mumble about how hard the climb was. Whenever they asked how much further it was to the top, my answer was always the same: “Only 10 more minutes, guys!” :P

Along the way, I encountered many spiders of various sizes. One was as large as my palm, sitting in a massive web built to capture insects. One of my friends tried to poke the spider while I was taking photos; she claimed it would make the spider move into a better angle for the shot!

After all the resting, joking, and laughing at one another, we finally reached the Singai Church. The place has changed significantly since my last visit; I noticed a new building as soon as we arrived.

While I was taking photos by the pond, I saw a frog jump away. Suddenly, I heard my friends screaming at me as a snake crawled right over my foot! It turns out they were screaming about the snake, and I was incredibly lucky, it was chasing the frog, not me. Thank God for that.

How was the climb? It was a lot of fun. On the way to the church, we rested often, but not everyone made it to the very summit. Only one friend and I pushed all the way to the peak. I joked with her that we should team up for the next Amazing Race Asia. The path to the summit was extremely steep. I was exhausted, but my mind kept pushing me forward. During those final few steps, I looked up and saw the sunlight shining through the leaves, kissing my face. I took a deep breath and hurried to the top.

I finally made it! I was drained but excited. I noticed that the platform built there previously had collapsed, but I had a perfectly clear view from the mountain this time, a huge contrast to the foggy view I saw years ago. After a long photography session, we headed down to reunite with the rest of the group. It was a wonderful climb, and I will definitely be back again.

=================================
Read More:
Climbing Mount Singai 2006

Here is another travelogue, destination Mt. Sinai and hope you would enjoy it as much as I did. ~ Thanks to Jungleman :)