the fellowship of the ring in modern day singapore...

Those who have read the book will understand what the title means.

That was the first thought as my boots hit the soft muddy ground, and sunk in until water soaked my socks. The chamber stank of mold and dampness. All around, dripping water and the splashing of boots echoed, and while these events were small and insignificant, the long and winding chamber of stone amplified it, bringing it to the baritone grandeur fit for the Royal Albert Hall.

In the middle of this chamber ran two metal snakes, each a meter in diameter, side-by-side, snaking their way through the chamber. And they bore scars - numbers etched in chalk along them, depicting part numbers, fitting schedules and date of import, like the last scratchings of dead messengers from times long past.

Something hits my head. It is a small slab of stone. Appropriately, the chamber is not as safe as it is labelled to be. The stone hits the water spraying foul liquid all over me pants.

And then the ground drops off suddenly and in a split second, i am up to my shins in water. So much for keeping the pants dry.

Indian workers holler from up ahead and the air is getting dustier.

As we move from the wetness of the chamber to its drier areas, you can sense the temperature is rising, moving from the chillness of a flood, to acrid harshness of a mining colony.

They are welding the pipes up ahead. And the metal snakes, which started at one end, are still growing at the other, and like dragons, they spew red hot sparks from their mouths as the workers weld more sections into their scales.

But it is here at the mouth of serpent, that the chamber ends. And like in the movie, the confined space suddenly gives way to open flatness.

Huge pillars rise from the depths to almost three storeys in height. And at once, everything seems small. I tell myself, I am in Moria. And i am almost tempted to summon a Balrog from the depths. How they will report the Balrog in B5, i am almost too amused to consider.

The only passage to the world above is a small elevator. 2m by 4m. It is all that will save us from being imprisoned in this dark chasm. A pile hits the ground somewhere above and dust shakes from the ceiling far far far above. Lights flicker. Work halts for a microsecond.

I take the lift and head upwards, the cold metal box is comforting in its own way.

And i am done with this place. The halls of Modern Day Moria can stay like that a little while longer.

Now on to the Three Towers...