Despite the fact that it is popularly referred to as a "City" state and its reputation as a densely-populated urban center, Singapore has its fair share of densely green regions. One such area is MacRitchie Park, located in the center of the island surrounding the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The reservoir was built over the course of the 19th century in a series of increasingly expensive public works debacles that finally culminated in a primary reservoir that was still insufficient to keep up with the demands of the growing commercial and residential needs of Singapore, so most of the water has actually been imported from Malaysia since 1927. The reservoir (and more importantly, the old-growth forest surrounding it) have been turned into a nature preserve and hiking area that is substantially more wild than the Botanic Garden to its south.
The park's "trails" are more akin to maintenance roads, perfect for rambunctious children to stretch their legs for an afternoon.
An army marches on it's stomach. Danger Monkey is eating a lightly frosted rice cake whose name transliterates to "Want-want". We have not bothered to figure out if that actually translates to anything.
Armies of ants carried off any dropped crumbs or frosting flakes. The bounty from a single snacking toddler is probably enough calories to keep a moderately sized ant colony fed for a month.
MacRitchie Park has MONKEYS. Also pictured: Long-tailed macaques in the background. They were playing in the road/trail, jumping overhead from tree to tree, chasing each other into the bushes, and eventually devolving into an actual nuisance. I did not think I would get tired of wild monkeys, but when there are enough of anything they can become just another fact of life.
The actual stated mission of the day was to traverse the TreeTop walk - a suspension bridge that traverses a valley between the two highest ridges in the park.
The forest canopy was rich with birds and butterflies, and we were treated to a pleasant breeze on a hot afternoon and a decent view, by Singapore standards.
And then a very long hike down many many stairs. Our legs were rubbery when we got to the bottom, but luckily we were on our way to our (late) lunch!
Afterwards we rewarded the troops with delicious indian food and cold sugary drinks. Barely even a death-march, by Borchert standards!
Looks like a great trip! I was really curious about what kind of natural spaces Singaporeans have. Is hiking popular there?
ReplyDeleteOther miscellaneous questions for you: Do you have any trips planned to neighboring countries for this kind of exploration? How have your kids adjusted, and what is school like/how is it different for them? And how is work for you? How is work culture different? Sorry... too many big questions!
Elizabeth here. So many questions! It's fantastic! Perhaps we should address these more on the blog, but here are a few quick answers:
ReplyDeleteIt is said that the national past-times are eating and shopping - and I'd add travel to that list. I don't know if hiking is exactly popular, but we have never been alone on our hikes, so it is popular enough.
We do have more trips planned - the biggest one in the works right now is 2 weeks in China in June. And we're just finishing up a post on our trip to Hong Kong, which also involves some hiking.
The kids are resilient and overall have adjusted fine. Eldest misses people in the USA the most, while danger-monkey believes home is wherever her family is.