18 Dec 2008 – Walk in the woods

Exercise always help when frustrated or stressed. Took the bus bright and early to HarbourFront and started to walk from MarangTrail to MtFaberPk, HendersonWaves, TelokBlangah Hill crossing SIN’s highest pedestrian bridge (above HendersonRd), HilltopWalk, ForestWalk, AlexandraArch, HortPk (gardening hub), CanopyWalk, KentRidgePk and ended at SciencePk. It was hot when not shaded by the trees but was pleasantly surprised to discover that one can be far away from the 4.6 million maddening crowd here. The concrete paths are clean and well marked.

A snake slithered across the path. Strangely enough, I did not jump out of my skin as I thought I would, even tried to take a picture but it disappeared into the jungle by the time I had my camera ready. Spotting it in advance might have helped, but still do not like the creepy feeling when I see them. This is the first one I met in SIN since I left in 1965. 5 TemenggongRd was surrounded by trees and jungle then (still is); now without 5, I can recognize the undernourished rambutan tress where the snakes were and probably still there.

Once bitten by a snake, she is scared all her life at the mere sight of a rope – Chinese Proverb