Practice Walk: The Southern Ridges

My afternoons are somewhat flexible in Singapore, so when I have the time, I take walks.
Each time, I check out a different region; like Orchard Road, China Town, Joo Chiat Road. Most of these walks are 3-4 miles and my goal is usually to find the best foods stalls or a bit of Singapore history. But now if I'm going to go for 100 miles, I should at least take one official practice walk. This one was a 7 mile hike taken on March 8th. It was pretty nice day, sunny, and mid 80's.

The Southern Ridges is one of the most popular trails in Singapore. It was part of a 2002 project to link up all of the parks in Singapore.

The day started early at 7:00am with a walk down Orchard. I picked up the MRT and took the red line to VivoCity, a huge shopping mall that serves as the gateway to Sentosa Island. I was greeted by this guy, the Skinny Snowman.

(Not something you expect to see in Singapore.)

As all hikers do, I stopped into Starbuck's to pick up a Mocha and got on my merry way.
First stop was Mount Faber Park. As unlikely as it may seem, beyond this sign is jungle.

Telok Blangah Road. A left here takes you to Mt Faber.

Mount Faber is one of the highest hills in Singapore at 348 ft. and has a cable car connecting the mount to all touristy attractions on Sentosa. The way to the trail was up an uphill slog, but it built up a healthy sweat.

The trail is lush and green and covered with these, some of my favorite signs in Singapore:

Monkey See, Monkey Do Not Do 

The end of the trail is unique due to the "Henderson Waves", a 900 ft. pedestrian bridge which is as much art as it is functional.

 It offers some fantastic views (see below) and provided a great place to take a water break.

(Reflections at Keppel Bay or a post apocalyptic scene from Logan's Run.)

So far, its been a good morning, I'm about 1 hour in, a little hot, but not in the least bit tired.
Next comes the Forest Walk. There are always options in Singapore so while the "Earth Walk" is below, I decided to take the high ground.

At the end of the Forest Walk is Alexandra Arch. The 260 foot bridge crossing Alexandra Road. The Arch lights up in undulating patterns at night to entertain the driver's below. See here. At 9:00am, not so much, but still it was an impressive sight.

Connecting the Arch with Kent Ridge Park is Hort Park displaying varieties of flora from around the world and showcases Singapore's Green initiative. I took a 10 minute sit down and admired the view.

On the final push to Kent Ridge, I climbed another hill to connected through "Reflections at Bukit Chandu", located atop what was once known as "Opium Hill".

This mural depicts the fierce battle that took place there in Feb 1942 where a small number of Malay soldiers defended the hill from thousands of Japanese invaders just before the fall of Singapore.

Last stop on the trip is Kent Ridge Park. The best part of this is the canopy walk connecting Bukit Chandu and Kent Ridge. While less shady, it was easy on the feet.

Canopy walk with "Maintenance Works" notices, a common theme in the city-state as Singapore continues its unparalleled plan for growth.

 

A view from Kent Ridge showing land reclamation at Pasir Panjang

Heading out of Kent Ridge, I headed down this path, probably the most "hike-like" of the whole trip.

 

Finally arriving at Haw Par Villa, the mission was accomplished. Picking up the MRT, I headed back home.

 

Total route: 7.06 miles. 2 hours and 29 minutes.