Everyone can go green

Cheryl Faith Wee Straits Times 20 Sep 13;

With more than 300 parks and four nature reserves, the choices are bewildering for those looking to commune with nature. Life!Weekend checks out facilities that will appeal to everyone, from families to heritage lovers


FOR THE SPORTY

Tired of jostling with the crowds at East Coast Park and Pasir Ris Park on the weekends?

Head to Bedok Reservoir Park (along Bedok Reservoir Road) or Kent Ridge Park (Vigilante Drive off South Buona Vista Road) for a workout instead.

At the reservoir, follow the gravel track around its waters for a route that is mostly flat with a few slopes. It covers a distance of about 4.3km.

Those who are keen on water sports can rent kayaks from the People's Association Wate-Venture (Bedok Reservoir) (tel: 9710-1697, www.water-venture.org.sg).

A tree-top obstacle course called Forest Adventure (tel: 8100-7420, www.forestadventure.com.sg), which is popular with schools and companies, can also be found within the reservoir park.

Kent Ridge Park is a well-kept secret of some fitness enthusiasts. It is equipped with 30 different types of exercise equipment for adults and the elderly across 20 fitness stations. These include cross trainers, rowers and Go!Bikes.

After exercising, cool off at the park's look-out points where you can spot off-shore islands such as Pulau Duran Darat.

FOR OUTDOOR DINING

Tucked in the verdant landscape of Punggol Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park are two eateries with roomy alfresco areas where you can enjoy nature while lounging comfortably on a terrace or deck.

Asian-Western fusion restaurant Wild Oats (tel: 6858-2087, www.wildrocket.com.sg) in Punggol Park (at the junction of Hougang Avenues 8 and 10) has a 100plus-seater deck near the edge of a pond.

Relax in a family-friendly setting while dining on dishes such as Sarawak curry chicken shepherd's pie ($8.50+) and beer-battered fish and chips ($12.50+). Main courses range between $6.50+ for mee rebus and $17.20+ for a ribeye steak.

Wild Oats was opened by chef and restaurateur Willin Low who also owns Wild Rocket in Emily Hill.

Perched on top of Telok Blangah Hill is Italian fine-dining restaurant Alkaff Mansion Ristorante (tel: 6510-3068, www.alkaff.com.sg) which occupies a conservation building that dates back to 1918.

The two-storey colonial mansion, which overlooks a canopy of trees, was originally built as a family retreat for the late Arab merchant Syed Abdul Rahman Alkaff whose family was prominent in the sugar, coffee and spice trade.

Its breezy 60-seater terrace has a retractable awning that provides shelter against light passing showers.

Pastas start from $22++ and include spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil ($24++) and homemade potato dumplings with lobster, tomatoes and mint ($38++).

Alkaff Mansion Ristorante also offers a weekend brunch menu with items that start from $8.80++ for banana hotcakes.

FOR NATURE ENTHUSIASTS

Delve into the rich biodiversity of MacRitchie Reservoir Park and the Southern Ridges by following nature walking trails which are easy to navigate.

They will take you up close to the forest ecosystem. You might encounter wildlife such as kingfishers and monitor lizards.

Before you start, plan your route with maps and directions found online (www.nparks.gov.sg). Choose from six routes of varying difficulties that take you into the nature reserve of MacRitchie Reservoir Park.

They range in distances between 3 and 11km and take up to five hours to complete.

For families with young children, there is a wooden boardwalk that goes along the Chemperai Trail. It is 1.5km long and takes you near the edge of the reservoir. Along the way, you can see the Chemperai tree, a small tree that is known as the olive of the East, and the sea apple tree which has white flowers that give off a strong fragrance.

Over at the Southern Ridges, there are do-ityourself guides with maps available online (www.nparks.gov.sg) which can help you explore the area on your own.

Four guided tours (tel: 6471-5601, www.nparks. gov.sg) are offered by NParks around the Southern Ridges, which includes Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill, HortPark, Kent Ridge Park and Labrador Nature Reserve. One of them is the Fascinating Forest Of Labrador Tour in which you can learn about the coastal cliff vegetation that is found only in the Labrador Nature Reserve here.

A minimum of 15 people are required for each guided tour which costs between $7 and $9 a person.

FOR HERITAGE AND HISTORY BUFFS

Nestled in the lush greenery of Fort Canning Park and Labrador Nature Reserve are relics that offer a glimpse of Singapore history.

There is a 2km-long ancient history trail in Fort Canning Park (70 River Valley Road, www.nparks.gov.sg) made up of 16 stops including one at a heritage tree and an old shrine that has a 14th-century Malay roof supported by wooden pillars decorated with carvings of Javanese origins.

You can also check out the colonial history, sculptures, spices and trees of the fort walking trails (www.nparks.gov.sg).

Remnants of the former fort that occupied the hill from 1861 to 1926 are scattered around the park, including at the Fort Gate, Fort Wall and the Sally Port, a small entrance to the fort.

Labrador Nature Reserve (along Labrador Villa Road) contains relics used in World War II, such as former machine-gun posts, and historical maritime landmarks including a red beacon overlooking Keppel Harbour and Sentosa which served as a navigational guide for ships.

Find these relics with the help of the Labrador Nature Reserve Walking Trail (www.nparks.gov.sg) which takes you along the coastline and inside the secondary forest of the nature reserve.

FOR ANIMAL LOVERS

Allow your pooches to run unleashed at the dog run corner in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (along Bishan Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1). It is open all day and is located close to the carpark along Ang Mo Kio Avenue1.

The 2,105 sq m area, which is surrounded by a fence, is divided into two sections - one for big dogs and the other for small dogs. There are benches within and just outside the perimeter of the fenced enclosure too. Owners are expected to clean up after their own pets.

This is not the biggest dog run in a park here. The largest is the 2.4ha one in West Coast Park, but Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park has an added incentive for animal lovers. It has several pet-friendly cafes and restaurants which are worth a visit once the canines, and their owners, are tired out.

The rule of thumb at the pet-friendly eateries in the park is that pets must be leashed at all times and are allowed only in the alfresco areas.

Australian-style bistro Canopy Garden Dining (tel: 6556-1533, www.canopydining.com.sg) is popular with families on weekends for its brunch with comfort food such as waffles ($12++) and classic eggs benedict ($13++). Its 60-seater outdoor area is partially shaded with sun umbrellas.

Its next-door neighbour, a vegan cafe called The Green Room Cafe (tel: 6556-1533, www.greenroomcafe.com.sg), has a 30-seater alfresco area which is sheltered.

Main courses at Canopy and The Green Room range from $12++ to $21++.

There is also the casual family restaurant The Cornerstone (tel: 6554-7230, www.facebook.com/cornerstonebythepark) which has a 30-seater outdoor space set aside for owners and their pets.

Main dishes start from $7++ for a two-piece chicken wing meal and goes up to $35++ for a fillet mignon and signature rack of lamb with garlic crust.

FOR THE FAMILY

East and West Coast Parks, as well as the Singapore Botanic Gardens, are the best one-stop destinations for the whole family from adventurous youth to senior citizens.

The East Coast Park (along East Coast Parkway and East Coast Park Service Road) is one of the best developed and most popular park destinations here, and the range of its family-friendly activities is still unrivalled. Spend a laidback afternoon on a picnic mat facing the sea or take a leisurely cycle with your family on a four-wheel quad velo which takes up to four adults and two little children.

The park also has camping grounds, barbecue pits, inline-skates and bicycle rental shops and open areas where you can fly kites.

Those who crave more excitement can go for water sports such as cable wakeboarding at the cable-ski park Ski360degree (tel: 6442-7318, www.ski360degree.com, ski passes start from $32 for a one-hour session on weekdays and from $42 for a one-hour session on weekends) or visit the free Xtreme SkatePark @ East Coast (www.nparks.gov.sg) for skaters and bikers.

Over at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (1 Cluny Road), mark your calendars for free outdoor performances at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage (tel: 6471-7361, www.sbg.org.sg).

You can sign up as a family for free heritage or nature tours at the gardens every month (tel: 6471-7361, www.sbg.org.sg).

West Coast Park (parallel to West Coast Highway) offers a wide range of activities, especially for children.

There is a large playground with a flying fox and a 9m-tall pyramid rope structure for children to climb on.

Other highlights of West Coast Park include the largest public dog run here as well as pedal go-karts for rental (tel: 6776-6858, www.pedalgokart. com.sg).