Monkey See, People Don’t

There were too many of these signs for comfort along the Southern Ridges walk in Singapore!

When I saw this sign the first time, I asked myself – am I comfortable with the presence of wild monkeys?  Then I figured that, hey, it’s Singapore – if the monkeys are only half as well behaved as the people there will be no problem!

I’m just finishing a 12-day trip to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, having left home last Monday night and getting home Friday night.  I’m glad to say that I really love both cities, especially the people and the food.  The heat, however, is another matter entirely; when I was going to bed the first night in Singapore at about 1am local time the Internet said that the temperature was 88F and it felt like 101F – always crazy hot and humid 365 days a year!

On my last morning in Singapore, when the working was done, I decided to try the Southern Ridges walk.  I had read about this on my first trip there a year ago but didn’t have time.  So, I got up very early, skipped the shower, and headed out.  Now, you might be thinking that nature and me don’t go together, and you’d be right; but I was attracted by the chance to travel out of the city center to a different part of the city-state (use different metro stations!), for a chance at some views, and for some of the architecture there in terms of bridges.  I figured that if I went early enough I could at least deal with temperatures in the 80s instead of 90s, reduce my sun exposure, and even make it back for the hotel breakfast!  And, dare I say, even I was yearning for a little physical activity and time outdoors after more than a week where there is virtually no walking and everything is sealed indoors due to the heat.

My chosen access point was the Alexandra Arch.  The curved deck and titled arch are like an opened leaf (thanks, Wikipedia – I didn’t get that on my own!).

So, after a quick trip on the MRT to HarbourFront and a connecting bus the last 10 minutes or so and uphill, I had reached the trail.  The elevation and the threat of serious rain produced a nice breeze.  After crossing the bridge I immediately entered the Forest Walk, a 0.8-mile path through the woods.

Right away, the city and its people disappear – a really nice feature in such a dense place!

The walk soars over the ground, apparently as much as 60 feet up in places. Unfortunately there were some hills to climb too!

Lest you forget where you are, though, the prolific residential tower blocks of Singapore are never too far away…

Then abruptly the forest ends, leaving you in Telok Blangah Hill Park and a short “Hilltop Walk” connects to the next point of interest.

This is the Henderson Waves, another high-design pedestrian bridge. It is 118 feet above the road, and the undulating wave form would probably be better appreciated from under than on the bridge. It gets lit with LEDs at night which would be cool to see.

Visible from the bridge is the waterfront ‘Reflections at Keppel Bay’, which I learned is a luxury residential complex designed by Daniel Libeskind. Astrid and I have been seeing Libeskind works scattered around the world, and have developed a general distaste for his work – but this is probably the first high-rise work I’ve seen and I have to say that I kind of liked it, at least from a distance (he was involved in the ex-Freedom Tower, but I think the design was modified by others).  

Looking back through the canopy of trees the other way was a nice view of the city core.

The last section of the walk is in Mount Tabor Park, which is more accessible and more popular – including through this cable car that goes through the building in the middle by HarbourFront and then continues over to Sentosa Island, which is a big beach resort. You can really see the moody sky out over the water beyond – I was ready to be drenched but instead only got a few small drops.

There were some lovely bright orange flowers on a trellis all along the walk through the park (don’t ask me what kind – but I can still appreciate them!), and I thought it was neat to see that framing a view of the massive industrial port operation down below that has been so critical to Singapore’s history.

So, after a very nice and nearly solitary walk, I hiked down massive staircases to HarbourFront and dashed back to my hotel on the MRT during rush hour.  Singapore is one of the most densely populated places on earth, in a sense – it is the third-most dense country or territory (after Macau and Monaco, just ahead of Hong Kong), but as a city it doesn’t even make the top 50 (but neither do any other modern fully developed world cities).  The Singapore model, though, involves lots of towers with residences and lots of green space, which helps to temper at least a bit the incredibly hot and humid climate.  I really like Singapore, but I will be glad to return to my chosen climate in the UK!