The 'Mazing Race 2004

First of all, a very happy new year to all who are reading this blog entry. This entry is very much about the above-mentioned event. There is quite a lot of things to talk about actually, but don't think I can put them all down at one shot (esp not when i'm writing at this time...).

The Team (BSBH, Team #110)

Consist of JX (captain), ET, HT and me.

Rules and Definitions

The race is about deciphering checkpoint (defined as CP) clues to locate the next CP. At each CP, teams must solve a puzzle and/or complete a task to obtain a CP sticker and proceed to the next CP. Clues to the next CP will also be given. This process goes on until the end point is reached.

Let the game begins

All the participting teams started at the same location CCK CC at 10pm (30 Dec). And when the game kicks off, the teams scattered in all different directions to get to the next CP (since for this part of the game, we are given the clues to CP1 - 5 and need not go to the CPs in a sequential order). Here how our teams' progress during the race.

CP1: Hai Inn Temple (click here for the location)

Our team travel by foot to this CP by simply navigating through the street directory. Nothing much here, except that we are given the clues leading to CP7 at this CP and part of the clues to CP8. The puzzle here is rather straightforward as well.

CP3: Limbang Park (click here for the location)

After much deliberations, we decided to come to this CP instead of CP7, which we are not sure if we can actually get there (might need to bash through dense vegetation). Along the way, we managed to hitch a hike from a van to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, which had save us a fare bit of walking time. There is a task here: the team divided into 2 pairs, where 1 member will carry the other member through the stony walkway while in a blindfold. HT carried ET and I carried JX through.

CP5: Chua Chu Kang Sec Soccer Field (click here for the location)

Again to get to this CP, we managed to hitch a hike, this time from an SAF personnel who was driving in his private car. He ferried us all the way to our destination. From the clue, we thought that the CP was at the polyclinic. So we went one round around the clinic and searched near the adjacent block before finally spotting the CP. At this CP, we needed to perform a task, i.e all 4 members have to tie our legs and walk 1 round around the soccer field. At the same time, we must also take note of the partial clue leading to CP8. We managed to compete this task without much trouble though it takes us quite some time to do it.

CP4: Bukit Panjang Park (click here for the location)

I think our team is quite lucky, in a sense that we've managed to hitch a hike to the next CP again (hehehe...). This time it was a kind taxi driver (if you have been following my blog, you'd have known that I've got a lot to say about the taxi drivers. But actually there are many friendly ones around) who picked us up from the school and then dropped us off at Upper Bukit Timah Road. We then walked a short distance to the park. At this CP, we solved a puzzle which was a bit tricky, especially when we are tired (but I think at this point we are still fresh bah... and so managed to solved the puzzle). It was at this CP that we obtained the clue to CP6 and yet another part of the clue to CP8.

CP6: Zhenghua Park (click here for the location)

Now we have a choice of going to either CP6 or CP7. And from our current location, it makes more sense to head to CP6, and so we did just that. By following the instructions given in the clue, we made our way to the next CP on foot (at least along the route are all proper footpath, i.e. no bashing required). After some 15 ~ 25 minutes of walking, we finally reached our destination. Again we had to solve a puzzle which was a bit tricky, but not really that difficult to solve. And here, we obtained the final piece of clue that reveals the location of CP8.

CP8: Kranji Secondary School (click here for the location)

After piecing all the clues obtained along the way, we concluded that CP8 is at Kranji Sec. To get there by foot wouldn't be a good idea, so by now you would have guessed what we've done... hitch hike of course, :) , thanks to Mr Taxi Driver #2... Nothing much at this CP, just the clue to the next CP.

CP9: Somewhere near Kranji Camp (click here for the location)

This is the start of a really long walk to the next CP, according to the clue given. If we knew the exact location of the CP, a straight trajectory distance would be rather short (but of course the organizers wanted us to walk a big round right... I think we walked along/around Sungei Peng Siang/ Kranji Reservoir...). And so we walked on the trail for like 1 hour++ or 5km+ (from what I heard, we were supposed to complete the walk within 15~30 minutes), if I remembered correctly, following the markers left there by the organizers. It seems like we were circling round and round, and the path was uneven, but certainly not that tough as well... Along the way, JX was complaining, but eventually still managed to complete the long walk (lets give her a round of applause)... By this time everyone has already got into gear, one person copy the clue to the next CP, the rest solving the puzzle. Additionally, the task which we had to complete for the next CP was also given to us. The puzzle for this CP is a simple maths problem. which we had no problem solving. But it was the clue to the next CP that we had a hard time deciphering.

CP10: Jurong Hill (click here for the location)

After some time, we still had no luck in deciphering the clue, so the other team decided to use the Tikam card, which gave us 2 possible location for the next CP (fyi, my company have 2 teams competing). It was concluded that Jurong Hill should be the location of the next CP. And so we got into Taxi #3 to head to Jurong Hill. Along the way, the driver commented that "we had nothing better to do that we've joined this event?" but added also that "I probably also had nothing better to do to ferry you guys there for free..." (loosely translated from mandarin). I really have to commend this driver, cos he'd went back to the place where he picked us up after dropping us at Jurong!

At this CP, we had no problem completing the task given, cos HT knew the solution beforehand, unlike some of the other teams. The task here is to balance all the steel nails on the one attached to the wooden block ... Again the problem comes in deciphering the clues leading to the next CP. To save time, we decided to use our Tikam card for this round.

CP11: Kranji Nature Trail (click here for the location)

By this time, it was around 2:30 ~ 3am... Although we knew that the next CP is Kranji Nature Trail, the problem is this place is nowhere to be found in the street directory! But we are lucky enough to meet another nice and helpful taxi driver (#4), who suggested that the trail could be at Kranji Reservoir Park or Sungei Buloh and gave us a lift there (for free no less!). Once there, we circled around for quite some time but still cannot find the CP. So we alighted from the cab and search for the CP on foot. And finally one of us managed to spot a sign saying "Kranji Nature Trail" (how did we miss that sign in the 1st place!! Maybe tireness is getting into us..). From the sign is another 2km walk to the actual location of the CP, an it started drizzling as well. The CP is on a bridge somewhere inside Sungei Buloh Nature Park I think.

To solve the puzzle for this CP, we had to read through a pretty long passage... and the answer is very much related only to the ladies... As we try to decipher the location of the next CP, the rain starts to come down more heavily...

CP12: Choa Chu Kang Cemetery (click here for the location)

Think the location of this CP is pretty much expected... But at least the organizer did not make us come here in the middle of the night, cos by the time our team arrived, it was almost daybreak... And as usual, we got a free ride here in another taxi... hehe... Although this time, the driver dropped us at the outside of the cemetery, and we had to walk like 10 minutes to the exact location...

Something different at this CP, there was a puzzle and a solo task. We took no time in solving the puzzle, so I should touch on the solo task. As the name suggest, only one person in the team may perform this task, in which HT volunteered to do it. So the rest of us just laze around while HT went to work... The task goes like this: There's a crossword puzzle, at each square of the puzzle is some direction to a tomb. In order to solve, the person need to find out the tomb number and from the number, convert it into an alphabet by some algorithm (or just a simple sum)... This puzzle is the clue that would lead us to the location of the next CP...

We got stuck at this CP for quite some time, cos the words did not make any sense to us... and we were not allow to use any cards to help us solve the clue... And it took some time before we realized that we got some of the alphabets wrong (dud)... Finally we managed to solve the puzzle, literally until the sunrise...

CP13: King Albert Park (click here for the location)

By the time we walked out of the cemetery, it was around 7:30 or so... We have until 10am to reach the Haven, which is a special CP, and failure to do so, we would have to race on unranked... Once again, don't think I need to say liao, we got yet another free ride, although this time its a private car. Initially, the uncle wanted to dropped us off at CCK MRT, but later changed his mind and agreed to bring us all the way to KAP, which is good because it was raining heavily now. Think by this time all of us are so tired that we gave him the wrong direction and he drove to Yew Tee MRT area. After circling our way out of CCK area, we managed to finally got onto the expressway.

By the time we reached the CP, it was 8+. Think I was really too tired to remember if there was a puzzle at this CP. But I do remember that we had to politely ask the Guardian here for a CP sticker. And CP14 to CP16 are parallel checkpoints, which means the clues to these checkpoints are all given and we can go to any of them in random order.

CPXX: Somewhere near Ulu Pandan (click here for the location)

Cannot remember which the number of this CP, and this is really a tough one to get to......

(to be continued yet again, please bear with it, its coming to an end soon...)