A walk along Chemperai Trail at MacRitchie Reservoir

Care for a lazy and educational walk with family? Then try Chemperai trail. It is around an hour relaxing walking trail along the edge of the oldest reservoir in Singapore.

MacRitchie Reservoir was built in 1867-68, and originally known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir. It is surrounded by more than 500 ha of forests. It offers so many walking trails, one of the most popular is the walking trail to the Treetop Walk. 

Scenic right? You are actually looking at a carpet moss covering the water!

I love this picture above, the water looks like a well maintained lawn! So green and full of life. Makes me want to step on it and lay down.

The water is very shallow, you can easily see a thick collection of dead leaves, twigs and branches.

In time, these will disintegrate and be broken down, and their nutrients recycled and reused by other forest plants. Fungi and tiny insects, like the termites, help in this process. This ongoing cycle is dependant on every twig, branch and dead leaf. It is important that we do not remove anything from this forest, as this will upset the continuous nutrient flow within the rainforest.  -National Park Board

father and daughter tandem enjoying the trail

A relaxing place indeed! A great therapy not only for the mind and soul but also for the body. The trail is mostly flat, a perfect place for a brisk walk.

Distance : 1.5km
Walking time : About 1/2 hour
Difficulty: Easy

How to get here:

0. By Bus:  Take bus no. 52, 74, 93, 130, 132, 156, 157, 162, 165, 166, 167, 852, 855 or 980. Alight along Lornie Road at the bus-stop in front of MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
   
   By car: The entrance to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park car park is along Lornie Road. 

Picture above: On the right you'll see the end of Chemperai Trail connecting to Lonie trail

Nature is always a great refuge, an outlet from all life's frustrations. So let's enjoy nature more and strive to have a great, fit and happy life! Ciao!

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Southern Ridges : Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore which stands 36 metres above the ground. This structure connects Mount Faber Park to Telok Blanch Hill Park. The bridge is famous for its distinctive wavelike structure, curving and twisting along its entire 274-metre length.

                                              photo by Abdul Rahman Latiff

The bridge is lit with LED lamps at night from 7pm to 2am daily,  giving the bridge an illuminative glow. Unfortunately for us, we went there in the morning, so no night shots for me! Which gives us a reason to come back! Yey!

The bridge is anchored by steel arches and deck that is made out of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia. It reminds me of old houses in the Philippines. It reminds me of grandpa and an ancient house where I used to spend my childhood.

the view from the bridge:

here's us saying, goodbye for now! Till next adventure!

Getting there: 

You can take bus numbers: 131, 145, 176 or 648. From the bus stop at Henderson Road, climb up the stairs to Mount Faber Park and walk towards Henderson Waves. Signboards are available to point you to the right direction.  Have fun!!

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Cycling at Punggol Waterway

Punggol Waterway is Singapore's longest man-made waterway at 4.2 km long. It is also known as "My Waterway@Punggol". It features a landscaped promenade, five footbridges, viewing decks, cycling and jogging paths, exercise and water-play areas, lush greenery and eco-friendly features.

Punggol Waterway has earned global recognition when it won Global Superior Achievement Award (First Asian country to secure top honours from International Water Association) and Gold Award for the 2012 International Award for Liveable Communities, for its excellence in water engineering, innovative design and eco-friendly concept.  

The park is definitely one of a kind! Alas for me, I was lazy to bring my bridge camera so all photos posted here are taken using my husband's HTC mobile phone. Hey, c'mon the photos are still great except for the night shot! hehe..

overlooking Sunrise Bridge 

The park is a great place for the whole family. Fitness enthusiasts will have a fun time running on the well-maintained tracks while admiring the view. Bikers and skaters will enjoy challenging tracks designated for them. The kids will be entertained by their water playground offering a wet-and-wild day of fun. A nice venue also for hanging out with friends, they even created a bridge to best watch the sunrise and named it Sunrise Bridge (picture above).

overlooking Pasir Ris Bridge Connector 

overlooking Jewel Bridge 

One of the viewing decks along the park

Overlooking the other side of the park connected by Sunrise Bridge

overlooking the housing estate 

Pasir Ris Bridge Connector

At either ends of the waterway are a variety of restaurants and recreational facilities. We took a break for a while to take a drink. We enjoyed the bike track!

Wave Bridge

How To Get There: Take the LRT from Punggol MRT Station to Damai LRT Station. Walk towards Punggol Road and you will find a path heading to the waterway. 

Buses to Punggol Bus Interchange: 3, 34, 43, 62, 82, 83, 84, 85, 136

Lighting Hours:     7:00pm to 7:00am

Accessibility Info:  Wheelchair-friendly

Surface:                  Gravel, Grass, Tarmac, Pavement

Reminder:              No fishing is allowed at the park.

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The Southern Ridges : Marang Trail

As a frequent visitor of Singapore, I've seen almost every tourist attraction Singapore has to offer. Thusly, it is time to explore other areas that are not so famous with tourists. So how about a nature walk? Let's go explore Southern Ridges!

Southern Ridges is about 10 km in total, it connects four parks stretching across western part of Singapore: Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, HortPark, Kent Ridge Park and Labrador Nature Reserve. It can be separated into 8 trails: Marang Trail, Faber Trail, Henderson Waves, Hilltop Walk, Forest Walk, Alexandra Arch, Flora Walk & HortPark and the Canopy Walk.

The trail offers impressive bridges like Henderson Wave allowing pedestrians to cross busy highways. Several parts of the trail are suspended high above the jungle like the Hilltop and Forest Walk offering great views of the primeval greenery around the trail. This is great for families looking for a different kind of adventure, great for walking enthusiasts, nature lovers, bird watchers and shutterbugs like me.

My hubby/supermodel/bodyguard... ready for the climb!

 For this post, let me start with Marang Trail. The trail is 800 metres long and 70 metres high. It will take you 30 to 45 minutes to reach the top.

Marang Trail extends from Marang Road, just behind the HarbourFront MRT Station . You’ll find the entrance to this forest trail as you step off the escalator exiting the HarbourFront MRT . Check the picture below:

Marang Trail is just outside HarbourFront MRT station, Exit D

The trail consists of steps and shaded footpaths, all you'll need is a comfy shoes and a bottle of water.

Expect a deck of stairs after the other. Oh boy, I think you will surely decide to love or hate taking the stairs after this trip!

You might want to skip this trail if you have little ones, I don't think you'll have the energy to climb these stairs with a baby in tow! It is better to take the trail with older kids. Bicycles and roller skates are not allowed.

Taking this trail is a good cardio workout, I can't barely breathe climbing but we've met a few people who were actually jogging during our climb! Wow, what an endurance!

Whew! After that 30 to 45 minutes climb, you will be rewarded with this view:

Panoramic view from the top of Marang Trail

Panoramic view of the cable car and harbour from the top of Marang Trail

The walk is as safe as you'd expect in Singapore, the roads and stairs are well maintained complete with warnings about lightnings, emergency numbers and feedings the animals. Please be reminded however, that in Singapore it is illegal to feed the animals in the wild! You may end up in a walking trail straight to JAIL! Yaiks, that is one walking trail I'm not so excited about!

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Cycling Adventure to Chek Jawa Wetlands

Chek Jawa Wetlands is situated in the far south-east of Pulau Ubin, it is one of Singapore’s richest ecosystems. The 100-hectare wetlands was discovered when the area was included in the government's plan for a reclamation project, but because of the immense richness of the ecosystem, plans for the development of Chek Jawa have been deferred and it is now one of the most visited area in Pulau Ubin.

Visitors can either walk, cycle or hire a vehicle to get to Chek Jawa Wetlands.  We love to cycle so cycle it is! You can rent a bicycle for S$8 to S$12 for a whole day use.  For those who love to walk, it will take you round 40 minutes from the main land to reach Chek Jawa.

The bike trail is not for the faint hearted, it is rather rigorous and hilly. There are steep slopes along the way, you are advised to walk your bike at times, and make sure your brake works! It is best to rent a mountain bike going to Chek Jawa.

House No. 1 at Chek Jawa:

In the middle of the jungle you'll find this interesting cottage.  The cottage is a pre-war structure and best known as House No. 1. It was built in the 1930's in the English Lytyenseque or Tudor style. 

Today it houses a small visitor centre which serves as a museum containing information about the wetlands.

In front of the cottage is the restored jetty port:

The wetlands is best visited during low tide. Unfortunately, as you can see, we arrived during high tide. So sorry for us, we weren't able to explore the wetlands.

 the wetlands during low tide (picture not mine, taken from www.yoursingapore.com)

The wetlands provide a home for millions of creatures.

Even wild boars mingle with the visitors occasionally, and boy they are huge!

Chek Jawa includes such diverse ecosystems like mangroves, sandbars, seagrass lagoon, rocky shore and coastal forest. There is an abundance of natural creatures, rare plants and migratory birds.  If you are a nature lover, you will surely love this place. You can bring the kids, both educational and fun for the whole family! 

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