I’m not one for outdoor adventures. Sure, I love taking walks and I’ll go on a hike with much enthusiasm, I’ll even attempt to climb a relatively small mountain. But I never thought I’d find myself doing an obstacle course, in the trees, of all places. Why? Well, for one, I’m not the fittest person and more importantly, I’m absolutely, freaking terrified of heights. The kind that makes me swear uncontrollably and turns my legs to jelly. So I have no idea how I let myself be talked into doing the Forest Adventure bright and early on a Sunday morning at the Bedok Reservoir.
What this Forest Adventure is all about is it is a series of obstacle courses in the trees. You climb a rope ladder to get to the first station and complete the obstacles, which can range from making it across from one tree to another on planks suspended in the air to making it across by putting your foot through rings. At the end of each course, you make your way to the next site via ziplining. It’s not the easiest, and it does require quite a lot of work and bravery, because at some stages, you stare at the obstacle and wonder how the hell you’re going to make it over and at the end of it, you just have to trust that the harness will keep you safe.
It started off with an incredibly tough course and as I watched the people in my group climb up the rope ladder that twisted this way and that up a very tall tree, I was like “No way, I’m not doing this.” So I sat out the first course, and as I watched them progress, I was so thankful I did not go up, because once you’re up there, there’s no turning back and I knew I would not have been able to do it. I did do the second course and it was tough, and I was never so happy to hug trees, but I got through it, thanks to my friends being so encouraging and distracting me from the height and even making me laugh from their screams (it was more of a nervous, I-feel-you, kind of laugh, but still, distraction). The one bit I truly enjoyed was the zipline, I did sit there for the longest time because I just could not take that step off the platform, I even tried to stall for time by telling my friend to let me just wait till that big gust of wind blew over *eyeroll*. Then I stepped off, screamed my heart out, realised it was not that bad, I wasn’t hurtling too fast to the ground, and enjoyed the experience and the view of the reservoir.
To be honest, it was actually pretty fun. Yes, I was scared shitless and I only did 1 course out of 4, but, in a sick masochistic way, I enjoyed myself and I was super proud that I actually completed 1 course. However, doing a Tarzan and free-falling (albeit, with a rope) into a net was a definite NO. Our guide, Kelvin, was super friendly and explained all the safety instructions in a humourous and easy to understand manner. Any mix-up up in the trees was due to me being so scared, I couldn’t think straight, thank god for friends who were up there with me. Everything was safe, you’re harnessed and attached to the ropes the whole time and technically, if there are any obstacles you can’t do, just pull yourself across using the ropes, the harness does make sure you’re safe. Although when you’re up there, telling yourself that the harness will keep you safe is 
not really that comforting.
One observation I made that day: kids are fearless. They allow the older kids to do the same course, with adult supervision and in some cases, it’s the kids that are really into it and the dads are the ones being reluctantly dragged up the trees. Even on the children courses, they just whip through the obstacles without hesitation. Ah, the resilience of youth.
I was left with aching arms and a most impressive set of bruises from holding on so tightly to the ropes with my arms but hey, no pain no gain. There are no photos from this little adventure because they don’t allow you to bring your phone up and even if they did, there was no way I would have been able to operate a camera while doing all the obstacles.
After a too adventurous morning, Kelvin, our guide, recommended that we try WaWaWa, a bistro at the Bedok Reservoir and it was a really great recommendation. Tasty food with very generous portions at 
very decent prices. They even have a good selection of beer to settle your nerves after your adventure in the trees! My friend and I shared the English Breakfast and the Bangers and Mash. Loved the Brioche that came with the English Breakfast and although the mushrooms weren’t the most traditional (they fried it with onions), they were yummy and I was told the hashbrown was really good. I really liked the mash potatoes from the Bangers and Mash. We had to pack half the sausage from the Bangers and Mash because we just couldn’t stuff any more food into our bellies.
Service can get a little slow, but it is a nice place to relax and chill so don’t get worked up, just sip your beverage and enjoy the view of the reservoir while you wait.
The Eggs Benedict looked really good and it was a shame I didn’t have a chance to try it, perhaps if I ever find myself in that neck of the woods again, I’d love to give that a try. For another review, go here.
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