"Singapore has an average temperature of 32-35 degrees. Occasionally our temperatures can go down to 25 degrees, but that's very rare. One thing we're known for? Our notoriously unpredictable weather. The sun can turn to rain very, very quickly. So it always pays to bring along a small umbrella wherever you go."
That's what I tell tourists every day in my job as a duck tour guide (see other post). Plan a beach outing, the rain spoils it. Want to have a picnic, it's scorching hot. So i always tell tourists that Singapore has built mega malls for us to escape into if the weather is unfavourable. And boy am I proud of our bigger malls in Singapore like Vivo City and Suntec City...
But I digress. Sifting through all these malls, there is a particularly neat one along orchard road called Orchard Central. Boy do i love this mall. Huge empty spaces, very arty designs and exhibitions, and not to mention a magnificent sky garden on the eleventh floor. (yes you heard me right, on the eleventh!!!)
But then i have digressed again. Someone please stop me.
OKAY here's my point: The point of me bringing up orchard central is that there's this neat tidy place on the 4th floor known as Border X. For all you rock climbing fans, even this name might come across as something foreign to you. I used to love rock climbing back in secondary school. Being here in Singapore with its predictable weather, rock climbing outdoors isn't particularly enjoyable as it may sound, with you being at the mercy of the sky above. I used to love heading down to Tanjong Pagar many years ago where they had this really neat indoor air-conditioned rock climbing facility for use. And then...it closed down!!!
So I read the papers recently about 'Border X' located in the heart of town, with very very interesting walls and various levels of difficulty in terms of climbing for amateurs to seasoned climbers! Every fan was raving about it so I simply had to see what all this fuss was about being a former climber myself! I immediately google pictures of this structure and I was surprised to find a wall that looked pretty sweet from the official website. Copyright belongs to Joel Lim who took pictures for the website I think. :)))
After oogling at the pictures, I simply had to confirm it for myself and off i went to town! I was really really excited to check it out so i headed to orchard central two days ago and boy was i not disappointed! Infact i was in a bit of a shock. The actual place was even better than i had imagined!
For one, it is brand new. So that means the safety equipment for rent is also new, nice-smelling, and shiny. No sweat!
And the wall is structured such a way on the 4th floor of this new big spacious mall, that you really do feel like you're very very high up, even before you start climbing! Now one thing special about Border X, which has featured in our media a huge amount of times (you only have to google them), is that apart from the traditional rock climbing facility it has, it also houses the very unique and exciting 'ferrata'.
Now i know many of us would go 'ferra wha?', and so did i, until i went down today and asked around. (:
Ferrata is a traditional European mountaineering activity, reputed to have been started in Italy in WW1 as a means of letting the Italian troops cross the Dolomites. Since then, many other via ferrata routes have sprung up around Europe, allowing hikers and mountaineers to ascend peaks in total safety.
Bearing in mind that a climbing course had to be built with mass participation in mind, the via ferrata course is designed with multiple courses of varying difficulty. This allows climbers to choose a via ferrata route that will let them challenge their skills, allowing them to also cross their own personal borders.
BorderX is not only sited in Orchard Central, a shopping mall in the heart of Orchard Road. (many schools and facilities in Singapore may have indoor rock climbing today, but few have outright ease of access and entry as Border X).
A few days back when i was there, there was this bunch of kids from NUS having the time of their lives, racing up the walls. A 'Gelare' is situated right below the wall, and i bought a huge smoothie, sat down at the comfortable couches, and enjoyed the view!
So the next time you complain that Singapore is too small, and there isnt much to do, and that all the malls here are boring, think again (: There's always something new and exciting sitting around the corner, just waiting to be discovered.
I didn't go for the ferrata as i wasn't in the most comfortable of attires (Skinny jeans and Rock Walls arent the best of friends) but personally, i cannot wait to try out this new and interesting ferrata experience. How about you? (: