Rocks and more rocks - bouldering at Bachelor's Pad

Just when I was really getting depressed about the fact that here, as in Singapore, I am pulling plastic, one of the girls I now climb with suggested that Saturday we go to a place called "Bachelor's pad" and we boulder.

First of all, I was eternally grateful that she asked me to go. ROCKS! Real rocks again! The good thing about this place is that it is easily accesible. That is, if I remember where to park, and if I survive the steep ascent through a forest of olive trees. Yes a forest of olive trees. I wonder how people actually started to eat olives, because raw olives are absolutely dreadful.

If one does survive the ascent, here is what one finds: A cave! Very steep mind you, and with very few problems that yours truly can actually do, but still, a cave!!

The cave is completed with a couch - I do not know who and how dragged that couch up that hill, but god bless their sweet little hearts for doing it! - and several sponge mattresses, which, while not being a very good substitute for crashpads, and giving yours truly goosebumps, will do very well if one wants to go bouldering by oneself. There's even a guidebook with printed photos and drawings of the routes. Purely heaven.

These are my current bouldering companions, from left to right: STRONG! & bigspan, YOUNG & strong, and skinny & FLEXIBLE! I've climbed more (3 sessions, ahem) with STRONG! & bigspan, and skinny & FLEXIBLE! . The young un (19!) is a new addition to the pack. The more girls, the merrier.

The routes are slopey and pinchy. And most of them are on various iterations of roofs. Here's yours truly on one:

And that's where it ends (the routes are short so the possibility of injury on those mats is minimal. I hope)

Now, the other reason why I am consistently dragging my ass out of the house on weekends (rather than staying in and being very, very depressed), is that I am hoping that one of these days I will get to show these places to people that will come visit. So people, come visit!