An hour of total blindness

When I first learnt that I had to attend Dialogue in the Dark, I freaked out. Not because I'm scared of the dark, but because I'm scared of not beng able to see. I cannot envisage if something happened and I lose my sense of sight, permanently. I don't know what I will become and I dread to think about it. Last Friday evening, I was sort of thrown into a similar scenario, though only temporarily.

I was the last group to enter. It didn't help that each time the door opened for the earlier groups to enter, the room inside was pitch black and a gust of cold wind could be felt. Finally my turn came and I was adamant that I must be able to hold on to the person in front of me. This didn't work out well as we all had our own pace of walking and none of us could see where we were heading. I walked in. I couldn't see a thing. I couldn't breathe and I was nauseous. I wanted to give up and I wanted out. But I couldn't. I knew that I had to finish this.

My fear started to dissipate as I walked from one room to another but it never totally went away. I depended on the walls & my cane to navigate in the dark. The guide who was with us was very re-assuring. Later we found out that he was actually a healthy 31 year old guy who had gradually lost his sight because of glaucoma. It was amazing how he led us throughout the 1 hour journey. He couldn't see, but yet he could operate the metal bridge, work the "boat" and introduce us to the power of our 4 other senses. We used our sense of touch to feel what objects were before us, we used our sense of hearing to decipher the sounds of birds chirping, we used out sense of smell to realise our environment, we used our sense of taste to figure out what our drinks were. It took some of us about 5 mins just to find the hole to poke our straw through the tetra pak.

It was an experience I will never forget. And of course, I couldn't take any photos to post here.

An excerpt from their website:

Journey into the Dark

You begin your journey into the dark in a group of around eight people. Everyone in the tour is given a white cane. Anything that emits light or sound is covered or silenced. A blind guide will accompany you every step of the way to make sure you feel safe and secure.

Then the journey begins…

As you inch slowly in darkness, you come to an open park with plants, benches, and a fountain. The sound of birds and water completes this invisible landscape.

Boarding a boat, you sail down the Singapore River until you reach the city. Moving into town, you will have to navigate a typical Singaporean housing estate and face challenges like crossing the street through the noise of traffic.

The tour comes to a close as visitors are led to a coffeeshop, still within the darkness. Here you may have a drink and chat with your guide before ending your journey.