Day 3: HawPar Villa to Chinese Garden

Its a banner day! In 3 days, I've covered 27 miles. That's a marathon plus in 8 hours. I'm no athlete, so I count that as pretty good. In celebration, I'm taking tomorrow off.

So, onto Day 3, which started out as a great and ended in exhaustion.

The morning was cool: 79 degrees at 8:00 am and a little bit of a breeze. I felt pretty good, just tight muscles. I was out the door early, picked up the 7 bus to Dhoby Ghaut, and then retraced the MRT route I took to get home yesterday. You can see me here, looking pretty happy:

At the entrance to Haw Par Villa

Continuing yesterday's journey, I'm again walking along West Coast Highway, a 3-laner that goes around the southwest of the island.

I add this pic here for a reason. Even though this a major road, you can really see how nice it is. These overpasses are frequent, colorful, and make all parts of the island completely accessible. On this road, I thought I was going to be out on my own. I was surprised to see that there's neighborhoods just over on the left and many people going about their day.

Then just ahead, I duck into West Coast Park. Its bigger than I expected and plenty shady. There were quite a few things to see here:

First note the irrigation. In the rainy season in Singapore, it can really come down in buckets. All that water has to go somewhere. Throughout the country, small channels like this one lead to bigger ones, which lead to major ones, which end in the surrounding waters. It's really amazing that between this and the sun, the ground can be completely dry 30 min or so after a major storm.

Next, I pop out to the coast and take in some more views of container ships, refineries, and yachts.
This catches my eye:

Local fishing boats and a beach. I did not believe that there was a single natural beach in Singapore, well maybe a few small ones in the north. Back along the tree line, fishermen were busy putting together their traps for the day's work, just like you can see in Malaysia and Thailand.

In the far back of that picture, the road runs out and I follow the trail back inland. So, I'm just walking past "Marsh Pond", when "Whoa!!":

I see this guy. I think, is it a croc? It's 3 feet long, nose to tail. Pretty cool. I immediately text my wife to let her know my peril. Turns out, its a Malay Monitor Lizard, one of the largest lizards in the world. I had reason to be afraid. I put my palms out flat and slowly back away.

North of West Coast Park, I say a little good bye to all the shipping containers, well aware that I will see more. I decide to head left across the Pandan River and then what I think will be a relaxing stroll by the Pandan Reservoir.

Pandan Reservoir near Jurong East

The reservoir is the largest in Singapore serving up water to the businesses that surround it. I pop up on the southeast side and make it for a miles or so. That was enough, because while beautiful, it was completely un-shaded and the sun was hot. I quickly finished my first bottle of water. As soon as I could, I detoured off the west side.

And it didn't get  better. That's because we were headed into Jurong, designed as an industrial area. It contains many, many building that look like this:

 Now, I knew this part of the journey was going to be boring and long. But its getting on 9:45 now its both hot and humid. The weather crept up on me. Worse, as its an industrial area, there was little consideration for trees and places to stop for a rest. So, what do you do when you get down, get out your umbrella:

Jim and his 'Caring for Cambodia' umbrella. The smile is just a ruse.

So, its another 2 mile slog through industrial parks, until I finally make it to this hawker center:

Time for a break, some cold water, some Pau and a repositioning of the shoes which are starting to hurt the feet.  I'm short on steam at this point, so I make one final push to here:  The ChineseGarden.

 I stopped in here with the family back in October and it was lovely, a great spot to take the kids. The Ru Yun T'a Pagoda in the picture above is climbable and offers some fantastic view. I did not make the attempt today.

 

At the end of my journey, I made one last stop at the Rainbow Bridge that connects the Chinese and Japanese Gardens to rest up.

Just around the corner was the Chinese Garden MRT, the end of my trip. In a well thought out decision, I decided to nix the MRT and take a taxi home.

Total route (walking and slogging): 10.23 miles. 3 hours flat.

Day 2: HarbourFront to Haw Par Village

Okay, its day 2 and I'm raring to go. It's sunny today, about 81 degrees at 8 am.
I was worried about this morning... not sure how I would feel. But my feet are fine. Only my legs could use some stretching.

After breakfast with the family, I pick up the 36 bus and head down to Dhoby Ghaut at the bottom of Orchard Road. From there I take the MRT to HarbourFront. Its a busy morning on the MRT.

 The crowds at HarbourFront MRT

Walking through a now empty VivoCity, I end up at the bottom of the country. Across the harbor, you can see Sentosa Island, which is, strange enough, the southern most point of continental Asia. (This is disputed but a fun fact.) Its the home of beaches, a quick pint or meal, and Universal Studios. It's a walk for another day. Instead, I turn west and hit the road.

Sentosa in the distance.

First stop today is a walk around Keppel Island. This little island was home to Keppel shipyard. It flourished in the mid-1800's when the Suez Canal opened, allowing easy passage from East to West. (Thanks to the local signage for details.) Even before that, Singapore was prime docking location because its geography provided safe harbor to meet, trade and make repairs. It also explains why the local population is so diverse.

Keppel Island. Note the giant boat with shipping containers in the distance.
On the right is reclaimed land to be used for shipping. On the left, more islands fused into an oil refinery.

Keppel Island is now a public park and protects the Marina at Keppel Bay, where all the luxury yachts stay.

Following the coast line,  I get more views of the Singapore Strait. It is here that I stop for water and meet a lovely older couple who are relaxing the morning away. They agreed to take this picture:

Not my best look, but it'll do. A 10 minute rest and I move on.

Around the corner from that pic is the Labrador Nature Reserve, both a jungle and coast line. Its here that I decide to leave the coast and for some crazy reason, head up these very steep steps:

Trail leading to the remains of  Fort Pasir Panjang.
You can see another one of my favorite signs. Also up ahead was a freaky huge spider. Eww.

Severely winded now, I hobble along to this place: a replica of one of the 6 inch, 32 ton guns that protected this beach from Japanese invasion. The shell could travel 10 miles, effectively covering most of the island. Sadly it saw little action as invasion came from the North. While there are now trees in front, there is a cliff that used to offer a clear view into the Strait.

Gun Battery at Fort Pasir Panjang. .

Its downhill now, hard on the legs, but I wanted to point out this: A well placed covering that protects from the beating sun. Awesome. Similar ones appear all over Singapore and is a nice touch.

Back on the West Coast Highway, it's several blocks of cars and nothing. Then, I get excited as I pass by the Pasir Panjang Hawker Center.

Hawker Centers are outdoor food courts. They were established in part to get food carts off the road and organized under one roof. They are my preferred place to get very tasty local eats.
I stop by one stall and pick up some Char Siu Pau (BBQ Pork Steam Bun). Its not the prettiest thing, but it is one of my favorites.

A quick check of my GPS, and I see that I am further along than I thought. Good, because my phone battery is getting low. I'm thinking to myself that the pics are done until I spot this abandoned building in an old parking lot.

Its not often you see "old and abandoned" in Singapore, so I stop and check it out.
I have no history on it, but its safe to assume that it used to belong to the  Haw Par Villa theme park located across the street. At $3 SGD for parking, I'm guessing its been abandoned for awhile.

The theme park was built in 1930's by the Tiger Balm guys and depicts dioramas of Chinese mythology and history. Curious and needing to cool down, I went in to take a look. It was a bit dated, but pretty cool. I was partial to this dragon mural which I took in panorama.

Rested now, I walk back down to the MRT and head home. Assuming good weather, I'll continue tomorrow.

Total route today: 6.90 miles. 2 hours and 06 minutes.

Day1: Home to HarbourFront

It's a sunny day, so I have that going for me. Temperature is 82 degrees.

On this inaugural day, I got a little breakfast and a late start as I wanted to drop the kids at school.
We decide to start here: On the corner of Orchard and Tanglin Roads.


A quick shot with the kids
 

After a quick detour, I picked up on Orchard. Orchard Road is the shopping hub of Singapore.
Think of it as 5th Avenue New York, only more-so, with mall after mall, some of them going 5 stories up and 3-4 stories deep. Here's one of my favorite:

A view of Ion Orchard - note the ever present construction.

Its a 1 mile walk down Orchard Road before I veer off for Fort Canning.


Fort Canning (formerly known as Bukit Larangan or "forbidden hill") was the ruling home of Malay kings and served as the British Fort for the island leading up to WWII.

There are great views of the city from here, showing both the old and the new, sometimes in the same snapshot.

A view from Fort Canning over Clark Quay

Exiting Fort Canning, I headed down to the Singapore River and walked along Boat Quay.

Boat Quay, great restaurants next to the financial district.

Bumboats run up and down the river offering taxi service and some great sights, especially at night.

 

Its getting hot now, so I walk down to Marina Bay and get a cold beverage.

Here you can find the Merloin; half lion, half fish and the mascot of Singapore. 

It's also a good place for people watching.

 

Behind the Merlion, there is the "Theatres by the Bay", two bug eye shaped buildings where they have both indoor and outdoor concerts. Many folks say the building also look like the local and very stinky fruit: durian.

 

After a rest, I wrap around the theatres, across the bay to Marina Bay Sands, a hotel/resort that defines the Singapore skyline.  

A view of Marina Bay Sands from the theatres

Its 90+ degrees now and I'm pretty hot, so instead of following the outside route, I decide instead to take my point A to point B inside the giant mall that's part of the resort.

 

Rounding the other side of the bay, you get this view:

Marina Bay from the west side of the bay

Near the end of day 1, I head north to Amoy Street, once noted for its Opium Dens. I like the architecture here.

Shops along Amoy Street

 Heading south and west again, I finally hit the coast. Here its clear that the industry that made Singapore strong was shipping. There are literally thousands of containers here.

One last push, gets me to VivoCity, the starting place of my practice run in March. It was none too soon as the sun was beating down and my water ran out.

Grabbing a quick drink, I hit the MRT and head back home. A good day overall.

We'll pick up here again tomorrow.

 

Total route (due to some missteps and getting sidetracked: 10.39 miles. 2 hours and 53 minutes

 

 



The Big Plan

Okay, so here's the plan:
At my rate, it will take 11-12 separate walks to get around Singapore. I'll do these in a relatively short time, taking time off for work, weather, or just wear and tear. Start date is today, April 7th with the expectation that all will be complete by the 25th of April.

Day1: Home to HarbourFront:  

Down Orchard Road, across Fort Canning, through Clark Quay, around Marina Bay, down to HarbourFront.


Day 2: HarbourFront to Haw Par Villa:

Past Sentosa, around Keppel Island, through Labrador nature Reserve to HawPar Villa Theme  Park



Day 3: Haw Par Villa to Chinese Garden

Through West Coast Park, around Pandan Reservoir, across the Jurong River through the Japanese Garden.


Day 4: Chinese Garden to Jalan Maurai

Through the Chinese Garden, along the Jurong River, past NTU, into the Choa Chu Kang Columbarium to a bus stop in the middle of nowhere.


Day 5: Jalan Murai to Kranji

From the bus stop, past the goat farm, a quick view of Malaysia, then across the Kranji Reservoir.



Day 6: Kranji to Admirality

A quick backtrack to the WWII cemetery, skirting the border crossing at Woodlands, up to the coast, then through the park.



Day 7: Admirality to Yishun

A quiet walk through Sembawang, back to the coast, along the waterway to Yishun.



Day 8: Yishun to Punggol

Through the park, across the Lower Selatar Reservoir, past the Seletar Airport, onto Barat and Timor Islands, settling in Ponggol.



Day 9: Punggol to Changi Point

Across another reservoir, along the Selarang River, past the Wild Wild Wet WaterPark, up to Old Changi Village.



Day 10: Changi Point to East Coast Lagoon

Ocean view of Changi Airport, a couple of pier views of the Johor Strait, down to East Coast Seafood, one of my favorites.



Day 11: East Coast Lagoon to Home

East Coast to Gardens By the Bay, Past Marina Bay Sands to complete my loop, through Chinatown, and then back home.



The last two walks are a little long, so I may break them up into 3.
Total distance: 97.69 miles.

 

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.