uniquely bukit batok nature park

bukit batok nature park has become my base for my morning walks. the reasons for my choice: proximity, area large enough for an hour walk, free parking, presence of a body of water, toilet facilities, undulating landscape and funny characters.

another suitable candidate for my base is the bukit timah nature reserve. the only setback: it is very difficult to turn into hindhere road before 9.00 a.m. because of the morning peak hour traffic. sometimes, i am forced to encroach onto the bus-lane which is not worth the risk.

there are certain features at bukit batok which are not found in other nature parks. first, there is this disused granite quarry where granite slabs and earth are still slipping into the pond every time it rains. i have been wondering when some of the vegetation will come down with the earth holding it.

not far from this pond, there is this tree - i do not know if it is a banyan tree - that has wrapped most of its roots around a huge boulder.

free parking is available at lorong sesuai. this was also the site of a japanese shinto shrine and war memorial. the syonan chureito was built in 1942 to honour japanese soldiers who died in singapore during world war ii. according to records, there was also a wooden cross built in memory of allied troops who died during the same war. the cross was not far from the japanese memorial.

there is also a family of white breasted laughingthrushes that has made the bukit batok nature park their home. if you walk often enough in this park, you are bound to meet them. they have become so used to humans around them that they do not shy away when you approach them.

the characters who frequent this park also contribute to its uniqueness. there is this lady, in her 30s, who is rather uninhibited in her singing. she yodels or sings very loudly, sometimes in english and at most times, in mandarin.

there is another character who is always around the park with his partner, an indonesian maid. this man, in his late 60s, carries a support with him when he walks. in fact, he has two supports - the indonesian maid on one side and the four-prong support on the other hand. he is always chatting animatedly with his companion, but if you observe carefully, you will know that he does not need both supports - he can manage very well on his own.