Sungei Buloh_14th Nov 2004

It was the long weekend last week. I have the time to post this only now cuz my entire weekend was so busy last week. Well, basically went to Sungei Buloh on Sun morning since March 1999 when I visited the nature park with 2 other good friends. They have since changed the name to ‘Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve’(SBWR).

The weather was good. Arrived at the park at 10am. The admission remained the same after so many years: 50cents for students and children; $1 for adults. The front booth is very much the same as well, with the exhibits still there. They have added on an air-conditioned library by the pond though, which is well-stocked with books on local wildlife and flora. Very comfy sofas and tables are found inside the small but well-equipped lib.

I actually only estimated to spend about 3 hours in the reserve, but it dragged onto 5 hours! Whoa! Too bad I did not have a binoculars with me, otherwise, I could have stayed even longer! It’s the migratory season now for the birds from up north to the South on the East-Asian Australasian Flyway. They flew across the Artic Ocean to get to China, S.E.A., Australia and New Zealand which are not experiencing winter. For some of these amazing birds, they can fly as long as 12,000km at a speed of 70km/h just to get to their destinations! And they are not confined just to SBWR, cuz I have seen them around this particular canal which I always jogged to and scattered around on some of the huge green fields besides Chinese Garden and Lakeside MRT stations. They are in fact, all around us, as long as there’s fields and food, there’s them. If only you would care to take a closer look around you…

It’s a good way to spend the Sunday morning among Nature. And definitely low-budget and refreshing as well! However, beware those mossies! ARGH! They ALWAYS seem to have a penchant for my blood. Boy, are they ferocious blood-suckers! Literally! At certain parts of the park, when I paused to take some photos, they would be all over my legs! They bit so hard that I could feel the pain! Whoa! That’s worse than the mossies on Ubin! When I felt it, it’s already too late… The damage’s done… My legs are now filled with dozens of red bites! GROSS! And the citronella oil which I applied on my legs did not work at all! Thought it would be more environment-friendly to use smth without DEET in it, but was I wrong! I shall wear track pants on my next visit and spray ‘OFF’ on my arms! My poor legs!!!!

Spotted some interesting creatures which I captured on my cam! There are descriptions which comes along with them. Geez… My blog is becoming more like a photo album.

The peace and the serenity of the park can really calm one down. At times, there are, and they are always the Chinese nationals who would speak too loudly and spoil the tranquility! ARGH…. Wish I could shut them up! Whatever animal there may be hidden in the bush for u to spot would be frightened away by your hollers!

Had a wonderful time despite the bites sustained. Highly encourage those who want a simple, low-budget and peaceful way to spend ur weekend to visit the SBWR. But do bring an extra towel, plenty of water, a set of lunch/snacks, an umbrella (esp during this monsoon season), binoculars, mossie repellent and lotsa patience if u want to get the most out of ur visit! For those who are interested to see the migratory flock, now is the best season as they would be here till March, after which winter is over in their homeland n they will return! The website should provide u with more info as well: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/

For many of those who may find Singapore boring or the shopping centres too dull after visiting it for the umpteenth time or simply nowhere to go, there’s still more to Singapore than meets the eye! It depends on whether u wanna step out of ur comfort zone only!


In the end, we will conserve what we love,
We love only what we understand and
We will understand only what we have been taught.
-Baba Dioum