Two Sides to the Peirce

I've heard of Upper and Lower Peirce reservoir but I had no idea if they were places you could visit. So it came as a surprise when we found ourselves there for over four hours checking out one of the more hidden spaces of greenery that Singapore has nestled in its central water catchment area.

Lower Peirce 

Thamsy and I kicked off our exploration of the Peirce reservoirs through the Casurina Entrance, which houses some familiar Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood and Casuarina Curry Restaurant near by. There are at least two boardwalk routes from Old Upper Thomson Road that lead you through Macritchie-like greenery and into Lower Peirce Reservoir. 

When we were there on a weekday morning, we saw a lot of folks doing their morning exercises and workers cleaning up the reservoir. 

It was nice, but not as spectacular as its "twin", the Upper Peirce Reservoir. 

Upper Peirce

The only sensible way to get to the very out-of-the-way Upper Peirce reservoir is to drive. We didn't, so we ended up walking some 3km down the ridiculously long Old Upper Thomson Road clearly meant for cars. (Let me know if you have a better way in for people who walk!)

Random drain pretending to be a soothing stream passing under the road is somthing Thamsy likes

There weren't many cars passing through so we made good of that by doing things like this

The great part about Upper Peirce Reservoir Park is, when you eventually get to it, its dramatic view is definitely worth the trip. It was my first time there and I've only ever seen it in pictures. Because of how inaccessible it is, we saw very few people. It might be different on the weekends but I'm sure it's way more chill than its counterparts like MacRitchie.

Unlike PM who saw a snake on his recent visit there, we didn't get a chance to see much wildlife. Hence you can be assured that it would  be unlikely that you'd encounter slithering reptiles or crocodiles or other dangerous animals, making the place extremely human-friendly.

The highlight was this strip between Upper and Lower Peirce:

Hiding under the trees for a picnic is something I'd do when I go back

For a different perspective, you could check out this blog - https://mynatureexperiences.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/13-upper-pierce-reservoir-park/  for some bits of wildlife and more pictures, and also, of course, the NParks website.

Where should I explore next?

Let's be good friends

Let's be good friends
You said

When we first met

You swept me off my feet

With a kiss 
We've never been friends

I don't know what I want
You said

I know what I want
All you need is to
Want me

Too

I like you
You said

Maybe not enough
Maybe you're scared
Maybe I'm not scared
Maybe we can keep trying

We can't try without an end in mind
You said

Yes
We can't
But it's been perfect
Why stop now

At least we have the memories
You said

There's permanence in the ending
A finality, like death
Once we move on
There'd be no reason to remember

I take it back
I hoped you'd say

You didn't
And I didn't protest
I hear you
This is what you want

PerhapsI shouldn't have pressed for an answerI was happy Now I'm slipping under

Let's be good friendsYou said

Okay
I said

Strolling the Green Corridor

The Green Corridor is possibly one of the most interesting walking routes that I've done in Singapore and I highly recommend that you check it out! 

Also called the Rail Corridor, it is the path that traces the route connecting us to Malaysia by train. The Singapore portion is about 24km, stretching from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to Woodlands Road, which would probably take an entire day to complete! Being flexible and to a greater extent, less ambitious, we started at Buona Vista and headed northwards with no fixed end point in mind. It took a morning for us to cover 6km leisurely, bringing us to The Rail Mall, a convenient place to grab lunch. 

The terrain is flat, clearly because that would have been most ideal for a train, making the walk easy and relaxing. The path snakes through swathes of greenery, housing estates and sometimes schools. Often, there'd be interesting landmarks, most commonly bridges and the most iconic, at least along this route, being the Bt Timah Railway Station. 

Parts of the track have been left intact, such as those at the railway station and bridges. The impressive steel structures make for dramatic photos and were the highlight of the trip. 

Walking in the "woods". There's a clear path where the rail used to be.

Off the path, there are spaces to discover.

Bamboo doesn't break. It bends.

A Bangladeshi woman was getting some vegetables that apparently goes well with prawns.

One of the railway stations that is still standing! 

Bukit Timah Railway Station

A bridge overlooking the road, near Jardin condominium, with Bt Timah nature reserve ahead.

The bridge overlooking the road near The Rail Mall

Explore, go your own way. Throw caution to the wind. 

What to bring for the Green Corridor walk:

Unlike other NParks-type of places, there aren't shelters along the way having an umbrella would be helpful if it rains. It's a continuous route apart from when the rail intersects some roads and finding a convenience store would be challenge so bring all your refreshments - chips, biscuits, water - with you. You could even stop and have a picnic at the wide open spaces such as the Bt Timah Railway station if you wanted (I hope it's not illegal) - just whip out a mat!

I read these before the walk, just to get an idea of what I was getting into:

The Green Corridor website, with maps and suggested routes: http://www.thegreencorridor.org/category/maps/ 
Development-weary Singaporeans back Green Corridor: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/development-weary-singaporeans-back-green-corridor-000451690.html
URA calls for proposals for Green Corridor: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/development-weary-singaporeans-back-green-corridor-000451690.html

Since I haven't completed the entire trail, I'd definitely be back to complete the last segment from Buona to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

Let me know if there are other walking routes that I should explore!