With the exams finally out of our way, we decided we required a breather. We did take the thought quite literally and headed off to Singapore’s largest fresh water reservoir – the Macritchie Nature Trail and Reservoir Park.
A Sunday Trek
Ever since we moved to Singapore, we have been enthralled with its collection of well curated nature parks. This little country has displayed quite an efficient way of being “carefully careless’. Nature is allowed to flower at its own pace and passion aided with a few minor human touch-ups only to enhance its beauty. The Macritchie Nature Trail and Reservoir Park is perhaps one of its finest examples.
As we entered through its gates at 7 in the morning, the place was already teeming with morning walkers, runners, trekkers, canoeists and of course its resident population of macaques. All toilets, cafes and water stations are located at the park entry gate. There is nothing again till after 5-6 km at the Ranger’s Station. Get fuelled up before you start your trek.
The runner in our family (who we came to know later had come for a recce of the place rather than a casual family outing as we had thought) surged on ahead behind the other joggers leaving us to trudge meekly behind him.
The place in short is mesmerising.
It has the capacity to inspire and perk up even the most sedentary person to tread on with gusto. A lungful of the fresh air is enough to put you on your feet.
The whole area is divided into multiple trails that are interestingly colour coded as per their difficulty level. But none of these trails are an Everest expedition so there is nothing to worry about. The climbs are steep but the cool canopy over your head and the sound of silence punctuated by the warbling of the starlings and the cooing of the doves provides an enjoyable distraction.
The crunch of the gravel beneath our feet was oddly refreshing as we pounded ahead. Runners and regular trekkers gave us encouraging smiles as they passed us by. We had just started up the first trail when we were caught in the rain. It came down as a slow drizzle forcing its way through the thick canopy and soon pelted us with large drops. We hurriedly snuggled into the raincoats we were carrying. However, though the rain merely drenched our hair with its ardour (as the foliage above us worked as a natural umbrella), it hardly managed to dampen our spirits.
We squelched over the soggy leaves and twigs, tip toeing to avoid skidding on the muddy trail. The smell of the damp earth filling our core with a freshness we had been craving for.
A blockade, boardwalking and the zig zag trail
Soon, friendly trekkers informed us that the road ahead is blocked. We were disappointed but decided to continue just to see how far we could go before we come across the blockade. As we reached the top of the hill, we came across the board restricting us from moving ahead.
As we started our journey down, we came across several signs leading us to boardwalks which we decided to take later. It was like in life when you are faced with a block at one point, you are given the option to take detours but you decide to reverse your steps and start from scratch once again. We decided to do just that.
We reached the start of the trail and decided to take the boardwalk from there. A long flat path with the forest on one side and the reservoir on the other meandered its way towards some unknown destination. It took us through a dense growth of foliage. There were patches where the Sunlight filtered in from above. Benches were laid to help us rest our tired feet. But we ignored these as we trudged on curious to know where it would all end. Plaques with the trivia and information nuggets on the flora and fauna of the place were sporadically placed to help us gain knowledge of the place.
The Petai and Prunes boardwalk, as it was known, soon led us back to the first trail which we had recently completed making us realise that we had completed one full circle.
Satisfied we decided to move on.
The blockade made us decide to explore the other part of the park.
On our way back we watched enthusiastic canoeists lugging their large kayaks to start paddling on the cool placid of the reservoir. My little water baby added this to her wish list. Singapore has done that to her. Helped her start with a wish list. It has just started to take shape and is already quite an eclectic one.
On our way back we crossed the Promenade and found ourselves before a huge zig zag trail. The lilting tunes of Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on” floated through the air as we looked around for the source. We found a man sitting on one of the benches. He was lost in a trance as he played the song on his violin. The soulful music did something to our minds. We lost ourselves in our surroundings. We moved our lips to the tune as we followed the zigzag path that led us towards another trail.
The Lornie Trail
A gravely walk marked the beginning to the trail. It seemed easier as compared to the earlier one we had to leave half way. Soon as it snaked its way up, we found ourselves moving beneath another canopy that was thicker than the first. There were patches where the foliage above us thinned out. At these stretches we realised that the sun was gearing up to start its day. It was beginning to get hot but we hardly felt it once we moved inside the trail again.
The Lornie trail, at one point branched out into the Chemperai trail. It was another boardwalk that was hugged by the reservoir on one side. But the Lornie trail with its deep dark routes and the whistle of the cicadas seemed to have established its magnetic hold on us and we decided against detouring.
Tired Soles and Refreshed Hearts
We reached a point when our feet finally gave up. By that time we had already covered around 6-7 km. But we still had not seen the star of the show – the tree top walk ( a bridge that is suspended at a height of 250 mt from the forest floor) and the Jelutong tower (An eight-storey high watch tower that provides a 360degree view of the lush surrounding).
Well, something needs to be kept for a next time, I guess.
As we sat waiting for our taxi to go back home, flexing our tired feet, the sweat making our clothes stick to our back and our faces red with exhaustion, unknown to us all a slow smile was spreading through our faces. We had found our breather and we knew it.
The Macritchie Nature Trail and Reservoir Park is truly a treasure trove. Read The Smart Local and Visit Singapore to know more about this magical place.
But every place of travel is as good or as bad as you perceive it. You need to visit it to really understand its true essence. So just lace up your trek boots and pack a backpack to hit the trail.
Trust me it’s definitely worth it!
