Tay Suan Chiang Sunday Times 14 Nov 10;
You have heard of DIY holidays - well, now there are DIY trails on tree appreciation.
The National Parks Board has launched guides complete with maps for four trails, Fort Canning Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin and Changi, which you can download and take a walk on the wild side yourself.
The board has been organising guided tree appreciation walks in various parks around the island over the last six months, which have proven popular.
Its DIY guides are the next step.
They can be downloaded from the board's website at www.nparks.gov.sg/eguides
Each guide comes with a map showing the trail and important trees along the way are clearly marked. There are also pictures of the trees so users know what to look for. Short descriptions are also provided.
Mr Simon Longman, the board's director for streetscape, says: 'The DIY guides are an extension of our initiatives to reach out to the public to create an awareness and appreciation of trees.'
The guides are easy to use, even for someone like me, who can get lost even with a map in hand. Thankfully, I did not get lost on any of the trails and managed to spot all the trees. Here are some of the highlights of the trails.
Pulau Ubin Tree Trail
Rating: ****
Getting there: Take a bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal.
A one-way trip costs $2.50 for each person and an extra $2 for a bicycle. Boats will leave when there are 12 passengers but you can also top up the difference for the boat to leave at once. Bumboats run from sunrise to sunset.
Duration: About two hours by foot or 30 minutes on bicycle one way to complete the trail.
Kids who have their eyes constantly glued to the television or handheld games will find this trail an eye-opener.
The 3.5km trail begins at the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub near the jetty and ends at the Chek Jawa Wetlands. Along the way, there are several fruit trees such as jackfruit, durian and banana, ending with two Heritage Trees, a term given to mature trees, near Chek Jawa.
Most of the trail is along the island's main roads, but near the end, there is a section which is off the beaten track. If you are walking, it is best to wear proper shoes.
The walk takes about two hours to complete including the time taken to admire the trees. There are signs near the trees so it is easy to know whether you are looking at the correct one.
Mr Ali Ibrahim, a conservation officer from the National Parks Board who came along with me, says that many of the fruit trees on the trail were planted by villagers.
I had no problems spotting the jackfruit and banana trees, as they were fruiting. Fruit picking is not encouraged as these trees belong to the villagers.
The durian trees were harder to spot as their season is over. But there is a sign near the tree, so I did not miss it.
Along the way, I walked past some rubber trees, remnants of an old rubber plantation. It was new to me that there used to be such a plantation on Pulau Ubin.
Unlike the other trails, which focused mostly on trees, this one gives visitors a glimpse into kampung life.
I make a stop at the village head's two-storey wooden house where Mr Lim Chu Zi and his wife, Madam Chen Xiu Zhen, have been living in for more than 70 years.
There is also another kampung house along the trail, but it is empty.
It is a long walk to the last two trees, the Common Pulai and the Perepat, but it is worth putting up with the heat, humidity and mosquitoes to see them.
The Common Pulai is 35m tall and its canopy can be seen from the jetty. I feel dwarfed standing underneath it, looking up.
Is this trail worth doing? Yes, especially if you are headed to the Chek Jawa Wetlands, as the trail is the same route.
What is not so worth it for me was the $20 parking fine when I returned to my car at the Changi Village carpark.
Trees of the Fort walking trail
Rating: **** 1/2
Getting there: The nearest MRT stations to Fort Canning Park are City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah. If you are driving, park at carpark B which is nearest to the Fort Canning Centre.
Duration: About an hour on foot
Fort Canning Park is a 10-minute walk from my home, but I can count the number of times I have been there on one hand. But after trying out the four trails, this is my favourite.
I reckon it is because on this 2km trail, some of the trees were flowering and provided splashes of colour amid the green.
Do stop to smell the slightly sweet scent of the flowers of the Cannonball Tree and look for the bright red blooms of the Flame of the Forest. Mr Simon Longman, National Park Board's director for streetscape, who walked the trail with me, says the flowers do not bloom all the time, so I must be lucky.
Compared to the trees on the other trails, the ones at Fort Canning Park seem more interesting.
I got to see up close the bark of the Paperbark Tree, which peels off like pieces of paper.
I felt goosebumps when I saw the big and thick thorns on the trunk of the Kapok tree. I do not want to imagine bumping into them.
At the Saga tree, I picked up some of its red seeds, something I did as a child. They were fun to play with back then, but it is only now that I learn they were traditionally used as weights.
The trail has some light slopes but is an easy walk. Under the thick tree canopy, it was cool even on a sunny day. At certain points, I had a bird's eye view of Clarke Quay across the road.
The good thing about this trail is that although it begins at the Fort Canning Centre, there are several other access routes so you can begin from wherever it is convenient.
A minor quibble: There are just so many trees that I began to lose interest near the end. But this is all the more reason to come back to the trail again.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Rating: ***
Getting there: If walking, the nearest gate to the start of the trail is Tanglin Gate, opposite Gleneagles Hospital.
Duration: 30 minutes on foot
I have visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens many times, so I can safely say that I have seen most of the trees on this trail.
I have walked past the Penaga Laut tree next to the Botany Centre and the Kapok tree beside Holttum Hall several times and know their names by heart.
While I have yet to see the Tembusu up close, I have seen many photographs of it. For those who do not know, it is featured on the back of the $5 note.
Still, it is a fairly pleasant walk on the 700m trail that covers about a quarter of the Gardens.
And I did learn something new. The Jelawi, which is marked out on the trail, is one of the tallest trees in the Garden at 47m high. Its buttress roots are awe-inspiring. The best way to see it in its full glory is to stand about 50m away.
The trail is an easy walk, so even toddlers or the elderly can manage it. Dogs are allowed in the park, so the next time you are out walking Fido, you may want to check out the trees.
Still, I feel this trail will appeal more to tourists who are more likely to head to the Gardens.
Changi Walking Trail
Rating: ***
Getting there: If driving, park at the public carpark at Turnhouse Park, located near the start of the trail. Or take SBS Transit Bus number 2, 29, 59 or 109 and alight either at Changi Village Bus Interchange, along Netheravon Road, or along Cranwell Road to arrive at the trail.
Duration: 30 minutes on foot
Mention Changi Point and most people would think of the good food at Changi Village or as the place to take the bumboat to Pulau Ubin.
But the area is home to some of Singapore's lesser-known Heritage Trees, a term given to mature trees.
Armed with a map of the area, Mr S.K. Ganesan, a deputy director for landscape and arboriculture at the National Parks Board, walks the trail with me.
He has been studying trees in the area since 1998 and can identify each one. He says that unlike other areas where there are more than one of each tree, here, every tree is one of its kind.
'These trees were left behind in the 1930s, when Changi, which was then a jungle, was cleared for development,' he says.
But even without a guide, it is easy to spot the trees that are marked on my map, as there are plaques in front of them on the trail.
It takes about 30 minutes to cover the 1.5km route, during which you will see these mature, heritage trees that are about 70 years old and more than 20m tall.
Each has its own special feature or background. For example, the Kelat Hitam at the junction of Catterick Road and Leuchars Road is memorable for its twisted trunk.
Some of the trees, such as the Sepetir and the Strangling Fig, are inside the compounds of government chalets, so I could look at them only from afar.
With just nine trees to see on this trail, it is not worth a trip all the way just to see them.
But Mr Ganesan has a tip: 'The Changi Point Coastal Walk is more scenic, so visitors should check that out, and, at the same time, come and see these trees.'
Guided tours
Want to learn more about trees but prefer to go on a guided tour? Here are some organised by the National Parks Board to check out.
Trees of the Fort @ Fort Canning Park
When: Every second Saturday of the month, 4 to 6pm. Next guided tour on Dec 11
Fee: Free
Contact: lee_weiling@nparks.gov.sg
Elders of the Forest @ Yishun Park
When: Saturday, then in Feb, April, July and Oct next year, 9 to 10am
Fee: $4
Contact: nanthini_elamgovan@nparks.gov.sg
Roots, Shoots and Fruits @ Admiralty Park
When: Feb, April, July and Oct next year, 9 to 10am
Fee: $4
Contact: raem_tan@nparks.gov.sg
A Forest No Less @ Bukit Batok Nature Park
When: March, May, Aug, Nov next year, 9 to 10am
Fee: $4
Contact: dinushini_williams@nparks.gov.sg
Botanical Wonders @ MacRitchie Reservoir Park
When: Bi-monthly from April next year
Fee: $4 a person and $60 for a group with a maximum of 15 people
Contact: mardiah_effendi@nparks.gov.sg