If you think the trip to Chinese Gardens is far, the journey to Jalan Murai is much farther. By app is telling me its 109 minutes by bus. So at 8am, for the sake of time, I hop into a taxi which cuts my ride to 30 minutes. The weather is good, partly sunny and 81.
It is tough getting a taxi this morning. Strange for a Sunday, so after waiting awhile at the apartment, I walk down to Orchard and hail one. I tell the guy I want to go out into the middle of nowhere, Bus stop Lim Chu Kang Rd B31A.
On the way, we see some guys fighting outside Orchard Towers. That leads to a healthy discussion about multiculturalism, local politics, class isolation, individual vs group happiness. Its a pretty heady discussion for a Sunday morning. One thing I like about Singapore is that the drivers have a lot to interesting things to say.
Its still Qingming, so we get in a huge jam at the cemetery. 1 mile later, I'm at my stop. Here's what I see:
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| Lim Chu Kang Rd next to Tengah Air Base. |
Boring, right? But thanks to my driver, it has a good story. This road is next to the
Tengah Air Base, where most of the Singapore Air Force's front line squadron's and early warning planes are located. Note that the road has no center divider which is extremely uncommon in Singapore. The reason is that this road can also be used to land planes and other military aircraft in an emergency. There is another one out near Changi Airport on the northeast side of the country. Its a great economy of space in a country where space is limited.
Up the road a mile or so, the road narrows, going from 6 lanes to 2. It's here that the sidewalk ends and I'm walking in the grass, one side or the other depending on the twist and turns in the road.
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| Cyclists on Lim Chu Kang Rd |
Along this road, I see many cyclist. Its part of the Kranji Loop, a 50 km stretch covering most of the Northwest. This is a great loop for its historical significance... the Japanese began their invasion in this area in 1942... and for the relative reduction in the number of cars. A many riders know, cycling downtown can be very dangerous.
Passing by Lim Chu Kang Lane 3, I unexpectedly ran into this guy. No explanation was given.
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| A friendly face |
I'm now heading into farm country. Many things are grown in this part of the country.
Fresh vegetables, tropical flowers, tropical fish, crabs, frogs. I was fascinated by the frog farm but didn't want to invest the extra 2 km to find out.
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| Farm fresh in the Northwest |
Lim Chu Kang keeps heading north until it runs out. When it does, you arrive at this dock, near the Police Coast Guard base.
It was busy this morning. There were about 30 seats at the end of the dock and it looked like a ceremony was about to start.
I backtrack down Lim Chu Kang and took the first left onto Lane 8. Lane 8 to Lane 6c, 5, etc. All of this is farm land. On 6C, I had to stop here and get a view of the thousands of Orchids being grown under dark mesh. Lovely on a grand scale.
I went along a few more lanes, eventually catching up to the frog farm and then this massive hydroponics garden of which this picture is just a small slice.
Exiting the "Lanes", I hit Kranji Way, and head northeast. One last picturesque farm scene, a tractor in a field. This is a picture I never expected to take in Singapore.
I'm getting back into civilization now as is evident by the sidewalks and the bus stops. I start to cross the Kranji Reservoir, but before I do, I take a stop at Kranji Beach.
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| The entrance to Kranji Beach |
Its an unassuming beach, really not a beach at all, but its significant in Singapore's history as the place where the 27th Australian Brigade defended the coastline from Japanese invasion in
Feb 1942. They ultimately pulled back as the Japanese made inroads in the west.
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| A picture of Kranji Beach Battle Site. |
Over the reservoir, I take Kranji Way into a more industrial area. Here, there are Granite manufacturers, Timber shops, car parts dealers. Many people are working, even on this Sunday. I watch as the workers take lunch, or a rest, and set up chairs to perform ad-hoc hair cutting by the river side.
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| Water reclamation in Kranji |
Coming down Kranji Road to Woodlands Rd, I pass by a Water Reclamation plant. This plant and all the reservoirs are very important to Singapore's future. There have been and still are
contentious battles here over the supply of fresh water. Singapore is working now to be totally water independent by 2061, a big feat.
Just up the road, I pass by the Turf Club and on to the Kranji MRT. A pretty good and interesting day.
So far, I have covered 50.7 miles in 14 hours and 48 minutes. That's halfway there. Tomorrow is an off day and I can look forward to shorter distances over the next few walks.
Total route: 11.54 miles. 3 hours, 21 minutes.
