The first time I heard of Mount Singai was when I read the news about a missing hiker. Just half a year ago, news about a Sarawakian who got lost in the jungle of Mount Singai made the headlines of several newspaper. The man was lost for six days and went he was finally found, he was said to have been following "a beautiful woman resembling a princess". He claimed that the "woman" also took care of him when he sustained injuries while hiking at the mountain.

Most people are familiar with Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak. But how about Bau? My memory on my school days brings me back to my history lesson when I first came across the word Bau – a small gold mining town in Sarawak. Ring any bell yet, fellow Malaysian?

Bukit Payung, which literally translates to “Umbrella Hills” in Malay Language is a small hill in Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat. With an elevation of less than 300m, the hills on this part of the trail is overshadowed by the many other popular mountains in Johor (think Gunung Ledang, Gunung Lambak and Gunung Belumut), and therefore, a lesser known group of hills among non-locals.

Just shy of two hours away from Melaka, Batu Pahat was like a second home to me during my employment in an audit firm in Melaka. With many of our clients based in Batu Pahat, I ended up travelling to Batu Pahat and spending most of my weekdays there. From Otak Bun to Tonic Soup, I’ve tried many of the delicious local delicacies there but after moving to Singapore 5 years ago, I’ve never once stepped foot into this lovely town.