Legoland of Singapore

On Thursday morning I traveled over to Bukit Punjang to spend some time with Jo at her place sorting out some of her IT difficulties. It felt so much like what I used to do with the teachers in remote schools of the Top End a few years ago. So much has changed yet so much stays the same. We have lent Jo our little travel laptop while she sorts out what she will buy next. Today she told me it is teaching her patience, waiting for everything to boot up and open, I did warn her it is slow but at least she is able to use her photos and we could rescue all her older files from the other device. Then we enjoyed a lovely lunch before I headed home and went off to work. Felt like I'd been working all day....that's a novel experience for a Thursday of late!

On Friday we caught the train to Sengkang and the LRT to Farmway in the Punggol area. We walked from there to Riviera on the Punggol LRT loop. Here is a selection of the many birds we saw that Eric was able to photograph. Top left Pied Fantail, below left Blue-throated Bee-Eater, centre the lesser flameback (woodpecker), top right Common Iora and below right Brown Shrike.

It wasn't a quick walk as we were thrilled to see 24 different species in all, along the Punggol riverside walk. As well as those above we saw Little Tern, Grey Heron, White breasted waterhen. spotted dove, peaceful dove, parrot (unidentified), white throated kingfisher, collared kingfisher, coppersmith barbet, yellow vented bulbul, sooty-headed bulbul, black naped oriole, house crow, ashy tailorbird, white vented myna, olive backed sunbird, oriental white-eye, euasian treesparrow and baya weaver.
That's as many as we might see on a walk in the bush near the Darwin hospital so a good result here, in this much more built-up environment. 
There was other wildlife to be found too. 

Speaking of built environment, travelling around out there is like entering Legoland. The housing is block shaped (perhaps the colours are a little more subtle), the waterways are fake canals lined with instant transplanted trees, even our mode of transport - a dinky little light rail, feels like it belongs in a child's toyroom. 

Saturday went by in a blur, it is Parent Teacher Meetings week so very busy and lots of talk. On Sunday we turned up to work to discover some staff had been very thoughtful and made the mothers feel special for Mother's Day.After work Eric went home early, full of another cold so I met just Heather and June for an end-of-week debrief at Joe's. June heads off to Kuching in Sarawak in the morning for a weekend away. Peter usually joins us but he is in China. 












Our Monday walk was at Chinese Gardens in Jurong. We were missing a few but those that did make it enjoyed a lovely walk around the tranquil gardens. They are still working on refurbishing all the structures like the main entrance gates and pagoda. The pagoda has now been closed since the middle of November when we were trying to find steps to climb for the EBC trek. It is due to open for the 8th Aug National Day celebrations.

The thrill of the morning was seeing a parent Coppersmith Barbet feeding its baby and a Stork-billed Kingfisher roosting in a tree, both at very close range so I could capture them with my little camera. Do you see the tiny baby's head sticking out of the small hollow under the tree branch below right? 

Monday was also our 36th Anniversary so a real shame Eric was not feeling well. We had planned an evening out with friends but instead I went out on my own to join a few of the girls in Telok Ayer. Well no sense both of us being miserable! He stayed home and watched old episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

We spent Tuesday together instead, walking from Aljunied MRT through Geylang to Joo Chiat, scouting out a walk planned for next Tuesday, after the Great Race on Monday. This will be more of a cultural walk, such a colourful area with well loved shop houses, girls on street corners plying their wares and peranakan specialty stores. The streets of Geylang have a distinctly Buddhist flavour with many vegetarian eateries, temples and even a monastery. Then you enter Joo Chiat and the clothing stores are quite obviously Muslim.

You find something different and interesting each time you walk. Like these 3 giant glazed clay soup pots from China, also known as Man Standing Pots in Cantonese. Not sure any of our men could stand in one but they could certainly hold a crouching child.  When in use, the herbal soup was kept hot inside these clay pots.

At the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery we found a beautiful image of the Goddess of Mercy and compassion, also known as Kuan Yin and in this case representing the one thousand armed Kuan Yin. 





In the afternoon we both enjoyed watching The Water Diviner. While many of the critics might have canned, it we felt Russel played the bereaved father very well and knowing a little about the conflict, having been to Gallipoli and Istanbul too, we understood some of the underlying story lines. Yes, there were some cringe cliche moments but you get that in most commercial films don't you? Good to see Chris Webb, brother of our dear friend Barb, listed as assistant director.