Singapore's Coney Island

We had a lovely walk through the Botanic Gardens on Fri, one of the aims was to find a particular flight of steps to the Plant House near the Tanglin Gate. We have enjoyed the gardens many times but I only recently read about these two flights of brick steps which were built by Australia Prisoners-of-War during the Japanese Occupation. The Japanese took over the Botanic Gardens on 20 February 1942. A closer look at these steps reveals their rough-cut form and non-uniform arrows on almost every brick surface. While arrows were commonly used to mark Government property and identify key survey points during the colonial period, these arrows were actually an example of subtle defiance by the Australian POWs to identify themselves as ‘property’ of the Japanese.

No one was aware of the origin of the steps until 1995, when 8 surviving Australian ex POWs returned to Singapore and asked to see the steps and explained that, during their captivity, they were required to make the bricks and steps. Today, the steps remain as a sign of bravery and reminder of the days of the great hardship during the Japanese Occupation.

We finished our walk at Gastonomia, a landmark colonial building we have often walked by or ridden by in a bus, and said "One day we must try that spot". Actually it reminds me very much of the Cool Spot Cafe in Darwin. Food was delicious too, but here very over priced. Good to try it once.

On Saturday night we stopped off on the way home for a drink at Nectar and Vine to see some of the activities taking place at the Hougang Tou Mu Temple, the oldest Nine Emperor Gods Temple in Singapore, just across the road. Each year they celebrate with very colourful and noisy processions that cause huge traffic jams though no one seems to mind. We were invited right into the interior to watch as the devotees paid their respects and sent the gods on their way, before walking to Grapevine for a quick dinner. 

We returned to Joe's on Sunday night where Peter dropped in to join us on his way home from the airport. He missed us.

On Monday we lead the walkers from Marsiling MRT to Woodlands MRT via park connectors we had linked together on an earlier test run. We met up at a coffee shop in an HDB beside the MRT which was also beside a popular "bird singing corner" frequented by men in their 60s and 70s who all own oriental-white eyes. The men gather in the designated void deck of the HDB with their birds to chat and enjoy the birdsong, the only legal places to display them. So prized are these oriental white-eyes or peaceful doves for their birdsong, that their cages are made of finely-carved ornate rosewood, with some containing little ceramic jade bowls for food and water. While this unique activity is slowly dwindling, there still remains a healthy number of mainly male hobbyists looking to display their birds.  

It was once very popular, but it seems like everywhere else in the developed world, young people are more interested in being online or commercially-driven activities like shopping and movies. Bird singing corners are becoming harder to find though some strongholds remain especially around Ang Mo Kio it seems. Every morning, bird enthusiasts still gather over a cup of breakfast kopi (local coffee). I was a little surprised to be told peaceful doves, so common in the NT, are prized for their singing ability and can cost more than S$1,500. Another popular bird kept for its song is the red-whiskered bulbul. 

In the evening, before leaving for the Mustafa Centre and dinner in Farrer Park with Bev, we got the news that Mum has been offered a room in Barradine, her first choice of aged care facility. Col took her back there for a personal tour on Tuesday so she got to see her room and the plan is for her to move in by Nov 12. We are all very happy as her place is also basically empty now and settlement is Nov 2. She also got to her Stitches group in the afternoon and was out with the Burnt out Babes on Monday, so she is not missing out on anything while she awaits the transition.

We went to Coney Island (also known as Pulau Serangoon) on Tuesday morning with Heather and Sally. It lies just 100m off the north-eastern coast near Punggol with Pulau Ubin further out. It was opened to the public on October 10th. 

Our interest is that it hosts a wide variety of habitats, including coastal forests, grasslands, mangroves, and Casuarina woodlands and is known as a stop for migratory birds. The different habitats in the park allow for a high diversity in bird species, which should make it an ideal location for bird watching. Apparently there is a chance to see the nationally endangered spotted wood owl. On that walk we saw Baya Weaver nests, the pied fantail, Oriental Magpie-robin, a flock of parakeets, a lone tiger shrike and a number of kingfishers and woodpeckers among others. Eric got great shots of the collared kingfisher, tiger shrike, weaver nest and brahminy kite below.

The island was purchased in the 1930's by the brothers who developed Tiger Balm and Haw Par Villa and they built a beach villa here but then the war came to town. Sometime after WWII an Indian businessman, Ghulam Mahmood, purchased the place with the intention of turning it into a resort like the one in Brooklyn, however his plans failed too, and the place was once again left idle, some locals visited for boating and fishing. With recent reclamation works, the island has almost doubled in size and the URA's Master Plan reveals that a part of the island (about half) is going to be developed for residential purposes while the other half will be left as an eco bird watching and fauna/flora sanctuary. The area on the map to the right below that looks like a big sandy beach, isn't. It indicates the area set aside for residential waterfront development. I hope the migratory birds, like the blue-throated bee-eater, understand how generous the authorities are being. The villa stands in a mangrove area and is only accessible on a guided walk conducted by NParks now as the building is structurally unsound.

Taking a break near the East Exit we watch this enormous load of reclamation material (see pic below) being dragged to another site. That's Pulau Ubin in the hazy background. 

The 2.4 km pathway on the island is part of the park connector network and it is hoped they will make a connection to the one through Pasir Ris Park. We tried to negotiate our way but ended up calling a taxi! We were all getting too hot and tired and had walked too far on sealed road for my knees. We had lunch at Pasir Ris Lake and then went home for a swim. 

In the evening we had a lovely evening with friends at the Kazbar in Capital Square near Telok Ayer MRT. We have eaten here before, but outside on the street. Mindful of the haze we ate indoors this time and were very comfortable at the mosaic tiled table surrounded by enormous sofas with low tables, pleasant mood lighting and a very snazzy looking bar. We shared the Cold Mezze platter then each had a main. Everyone agreed the food was delicious though some might have eaten a little too much. .