A 16,000 Step Day on the Greenway

There is a "green corridor" in Singapore that connects many green spaces together (nature reserves, woodlands, reservoirs, etc.).  "In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy". – John C. Sawhill This corridor follows the path of a railroad that used to run from Singapore to Malaysia. Theoretically, we could walk this green corridor from Troy's house in Singapore to the border of Malaysia (ha!)--- but that would be significantly over 16,000 steps. Instead, we just walked from Troy's house to the Bukit Timah reservoir (and then took the BUS back to his house!).

A station on the old abandoned railroad line that ran from Singapore to Malaysia

Remnants of the railroad are still evident, every so often, in the Greenway.  
We used the tracks as balance beams to add another element to our training.

It's a race!  Guess who's winning? HINT:  not me!!

There is a lot of lush vegetation bordering the track's corridor.  I think you could use this Elephant Ear leaf as an umbrella.  We also saw climbing pothos ivy (a houseplant in the U.S., but grows wild in Singapore), dieffenbachia,  and lots of fern.

These Elephant Ears were taller than me!

As we veered away from the Greenway heading towards the Bukit Timah reservoir, we saw two signs warning us about mosquitos and monkeys.  YIKES, the mosquito that carries Dengue is a daytime biter -- I better get some insect repellant!

Apparently the monkeys can get aggressive -- best not to take any chances.  Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is home to around 40% of Singapore's flora and fauna.  The reservoir grounds are nicely maintained with bridges across the aqueducts and stone steps to help us with the uphill.

During the hike we observed some interesting monkey behavior:

A monkey sliding down a lamp post, as if using a fireman's pole

A couple of monkeys taking a break during a prison escape

There is a barbed wire fence around the actual reservoir to preserve the clean water that is piped to Singapore's 5.6 million thirsty residents.

Some of the large pipes transporting water from the reservoir

As promised here are the answers to the quiz from the last blog.

1.  OMG -- Do these particular animals actually live in singapore?

answer: Yes, Cobra snakes are found in Singapore but usually not in areas inhabited by humans ---THANK GOODNESS!!

2. What on Earth are THESE THINGS????

answer:     Horseshoe crabs  

There are two species found in Singaporean waters:  The mangrove  and coastal horseshoe crabs.  The National Park service has a project to map their populations in Singapore.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

3. How do you grow one of these little guys?

answer: With great care and attentive pruning. There is a very impressive display of Bonsai at the Botanical Garden and the Japanese Garden in Singapore.

4. Is this species Endangered?


answer: Yup, critically endangered. Although the sea turtles nest on Singaporean shores, more and more hatchlings go the "wrong direction" (away from the sea) as they mistake lights from parks, streets, & housing (urbanized shores) as moonlight, which would have directed them toward water. Disoriented, these baby turtles usually have a sad end.

5. What kind of sea creature could THIS be???

answer: ME!!! as a sotong (malay), Bā dàiyú (Chinese), or octopus (English)

So, what kind of score did YOU get?!!

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