Pierce Reservoir

If we haven't already fulfilled our outdoor/nature quota for the day, The Place to go would be Lower Pierce Reservoir to watch the sunset.

It's not a far walk from the main road or car park to the grass and water. We like Lower Pierce Reservoir because it has a cosy, kampong feel.  Most of the people there are regulars who go at the same time every evening, so after a while, you'll start to recognise some of them and smile at them!

Children will usually be hopping on the rocks, peering at small creatures hidden among the rocks, or rolling on the grass.

There are always some men fishing with rods or catching bait using little underwater cage traps, and they are almost always happy to show the kids what they are doing and admire the prawns and fish that they have caught.

Dog owners are more than happy to let our children pat their dogs and play 'fetch' with them. Our little boy has no qualms about approaching a dog twice his size and asking the owner, "May I pat you your dog?" Our little girl sometimes gets rashes after playing with dogs (especially the slobbery ones!) and we discovered that Apple Cider Vinegar REALLY helps to stop the allergic reaction within minutes! But I digress.

If you're lucky, you'll get to see the two resident White-bellied Sea Eagles flying back to their nests before the sun sets. And also the occasional kingfisher. 

The kids are quite happy to invent their own games, throwing pebbles into the water or going fishing using any sticks they find, so it can turn out to be a romantic evening for the parents to cuddle up and watch the sunset together. 


Official Website:
National Parks Board


Getting There:

By Bus
163, 167, 169, 855, 980

By Car
Lower Peirce Reservoir Park is located off Upper Thomson Road, near the junction with Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

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Venus Drive: Outdoor Haven at 12 noon... or when it's Hazy!

2 stops from Thomson Plaza

This is where we hang out whenever:

1. The dreaded HAZE is back and we want to be outdoors. The air there is MUCH FRESHER than any indoor place you can name... We have the thick canopy of trees to thank!
2. It's 12 noon and the sun is scorching but we want a cool, shady nature walk, NOW!
3. We have less than an hour to spare and we want a relaxing oasis in the middle of the day. Unlike MacRitchie Reservoir Park or Pierce Reservoir, the rainforest is 10 second walk from the carpark, and a few minutes away from the bus stop, so the little ones won't be tired out before we even get to the rainforest.
4. We want to get up close and personal with squirrels, monkeys, dragonflies, pondskaters, monitor lizards, a little stream, unusual trees and plants, without having a boardwalk to separate us from them, or high visitor traffic to scare animals away.

This trail actually leads to the HSBC Tree Top Walk, but we haven't managed to make it that far with the two little ones yet. It's 2.5 km (a 45 mins - 1 hr walk for adults) from the carpark at Venus Drive. But it's worth going in for a short stroll and turning back before the little ones get tired. 

Official Website:

National Parks Board

Opening Hours 

Venus Drive Rainforest Trail

All the time!

Tree Top Trail

Tue to Fri: 9am-5pm, 

Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: 8.30am-5pm.

Getting There:

Park at Venus Drive carpark. It's just further up from Sin Ming Ave, and near Singapore Island Country Club.

Buses: 132, 163, 165, 166, 167, 52, 980. 

Alight along Upper Thomson Road, opposite Flame Tree Park Condo.

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"Give that Skink a beer. No, give that Skink a Tiger."

He sat, motionless, staring at the can of beer. Should I? Or shouldn't I? Frozen in the same position for 15 minutes, the Common Sun Skink mulled over this difficult decision. 

As we sat down for a rest at the MacRitchie Reservoir boardwalk along the Prunus-Petai Trail, we joined the skink in its reverie, enjoying the stillness of the forest, punctuated by the shouts of canoeists having their training.

It was the second skink we saw in a week, but unlike the previous one that disappeared into the bushes when we appeared, this one gave us ample time to admire his sleek shiny body.

Also known as the Many-lined Sun Skink, it can be identified by the five or seven dark lines on its ventral surface parallel to its body line. Older, larger specimens are commonly found lacking the thick tail.  

Skinks are characterised by their smooth, scaled skins, and small legs. Mainly terrestrial and diurnal, they are to be found basking in the sun along forest tracks or on tree trunks.
Source: EcologyAsia

Many of our nature walks end up being litter-picking walks. From empty drink cans, snack wrappers and plastic bags, one wonders why anyone who took the trouble to walk several kilometres through a beautiful rainforest would then desecrate it with litter.

Another time, we came across bits of a torn styrofoam cup strewn all over the forest. We puzzled over which insane person might do such a thing and realized it was probably a monkey that was trying to lick up the last few drops of someone's Kopi-C.

Years ago, when we were scuba diving at Phi Phi island, Thailand, we sat on the dive boat, all excited and ready to jump into the water. Our American dive master finished up his beer and cigarette and tossed them into the sea - the very sea we were about to jump into. So much for pristine waters!

If you do enjoy nature, please help to pick up the rubbish you see along the way. It's all about loving Mother Earth and your fellow human beings, who will then get to enjoy a more beautiful nature walk.

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A Monitor Lizard Went Swiming One Day

This is why I love the outdoors. The second swimming monitor lizard in a month!

This monitor lizard was more than a metre long, and was cooling off in the Botanic Gardens pond at about 3pm in the afternoon. The monitor lizard ignored the koi and had a leisurely swim around the pool a few times before making its way up the rocks and disappearing into the bushes.

We saw another monitor lizard in the water at MacRitchie reservoir at 12 noon, a few weeks back. It was foraging for food near the reservoir bank during low tide.

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The Animal Resort

The Animal Resort is a kampong-style farm with rabbits, guinea pigs, a horse, fish, beautiful grey crowned cranes, a cassowary, white and blue peacocks, chickens, and a fierce Marabou Stork. The geese and ducks are free-range and they will eat out of your hand if you let them. 

 

You have to purchase food to feed the animals. Unless you like animal saliva all over you, it's best not to have your hands full so you can designate one hand to feed animals and the other to do important things like scratch your nose!

The little shop also sells snacks for humans, like biscuits and bottled drinks, if you get peckish. 

When it was time to go....

Me: Come on... We need to go and get lunch!

Little boy: (dismayed) No! I don't want to!

Me: Why not? Aren't you hungry?

Little boy: (sadly) I want to eat nice food... not these animal biscuits!

What to bring:

1. Wet wipes - for cleaning your hands after feeding the animals. The taps were out of order the last time we visited so we rinsed our hands with the hose in the toilet.
2. Tissues - the toilets are very basic and toilet roll wasn't available.
3. Insect repellant - for those with delicious blood. I'm quite yummy (to mosquitoes) so I wear jeans and covered shoes to protect my legs!

Official website:

The Animal Resort

Getting there:

81 Seletar West Farmway 5
Singapore 798061
Tel: (+65) 6338 7665

Opening hours: 10am - 6pm

Admission is free.

The Animal Resort is not accessible by public transport so you will probably have to drive or take a cab there.

From TPE
•Exit by Jalan Kayu slip road and travel for 0.75 km   (passing by shop houses and a petrol kiosk)

•Turn right to Seletar West Farmway 4

•Travel for 0.31 km till the side road and turn right to   Seletar West Farmway 6

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Little Guilin 小桂林

We discovered Little Guilin by accident. We got lost while driving back from lunch at Sunny Choice Organic Cafe. When we drove past Bukit Batok East Ave 5, the astounding view made us abandon any plans to bring our children home for their nap. We parked at an HDB carpark and had a lovely walk. The locals are probably immune to it, but the scenary was so beautiful and there was such a great sense of space, that we felt like we were overseas!

It's an easy walk, and there are dome-shaped caves for people who want to rest, picnic, or meditate!

We went slightly off the beaten path and explored the secluded bushes and wooded areas. We found cigarette butts and condoms, but that was hardly surprising. The walkways were fine, though.

Some background information from Wikipedia:

Also known as Xiao Guilin among the locals, the Little Guilin looks similar to that of Guilin in China – a granite rock sitting within a lake. It was originally a disused granite quarry. In fact, the name "Bukit Batok" has been suggested to be derived from the noise made by the blasting in the granite quarry that now form the natural surroundings of Little Guilin.

In Malay, "Bukit" means hill, "Batok" means cough. So the Coughing Hills might be referring to the explosions from the granite quarry.


National Parks official website:
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parks&id=10&Itemid=73

Getting there:

By car: We parked at the HDB open air carpark next to 524 Bukit Batok Street 52, Singapore 650524.
Little Guilin was just across the road.

By bus: 945 from Bt Batok Interchange / Bt Gombak MRT.

There are bus stops at various points along Bukit Batok East Ave 5.

By train: Apparently, it's a 2 minute walk from Bukit Gombak MRT station Exit B.

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The Influence of Barney on Businesses

I must confess that of late, a few of our evenings have been spent at United Square, awaiting the appearance of a purple celebrity.

It was 6pm on a Saturday night,  and the restaurant was packed, each table with at least two eager children. The air was filled with anticipation and even the adults seemed more cheerful than usual. All the children seemed unusually well behaved. By 6.50pm, my own husband could bear it no longer. Armed with two portable chairs, he strode out of the restaurant to reserve place with a good view. At 7pm, the restaurant was practically empty.

When I commented to the friendly waitress that business was good, she explained that the Barney show split the customers into two frenzied sessions, before 7pm, and after 7.30pm, and that they even had to extend their working hours because many people started dinner late after the show ended!

Thanks to my eager husband, we managed to get front view box seats! We sat through Angelina Ballerina, Bob the Builder, and Fireman Sam, but when Barney came out, you could practically hear a collective intake of breath, followed by cheering!

It was then that I realised that a large number of Singaporean parents know Barney songs by heart. Very impressive. Some were even singing along as they walked around the mall.

At 7.40pm, the mall was back to normal, but with everyone smiling just a bit more than usual. Just because of a purple dinosaur.

*

Live musicals daily at United Square till 16 Dec 2013. It's an annual event.

Visit the website for more details.

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