Weekly Travel Feature

Take a walk in singapore

Prepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International

Singapore is made for walking. There are the crooked little streets in the downtown section; there’s an Indian town and Arab street and of course there are all the parks and reserve areas. You can’t enjoy these places by looking out a car or bus window. You have to get out and walk. What better way is there to get a feeling for Singapore? Singapore is an island and it’s not that big, some 26 kilometers by 22 kilometers but I am not suggesting a marathon walk around the island. I am talking about small areas that can only be enjoyed close up. A number of travel companies have set up walking tours; which brings to mind, why pay for a tour when all you need is a map, especially with the new Google Maps. Well, the companies that are set up to perform walking tours in Singapore know the interesting places to go, and guides to point out these sites and give histories of each place. Also if you join Royal Orchid Holidays’ Singapore Minibreak (ROHS16), three days and two nights, you will have time for a walking tour. You can’t go wrong if you make one of the heritage trails walks around Singapore's colourful ethnic districts, such as Little India, Kampong Glam and Chinatown, as well as the colonial district. There’s also variety with tours like “Of Bomohs” and “Pontianaks,” which are tailor-made for spook seekers. Walk tours cover everything from Singapore's colonial past to the origins of the Singapore Sling to traditional Chinese medicine and even to WWII sites. You venture into graveyards, haunted houses, shop kitchens, wet markets, gun batteries and even archaeological sites. Very popular is the Changi Boardwalk, also known as Changi Point Coastal Walk. It began as part of the Singapore Green Plan 2012. The 2.6-km boardwalk is located on the western part of Changi Point in Singapore. The boardwalk faces north-northwest to northeast for much of its length. It connects Changi Beach Club in the western end to the Changi Sailing Club at its mid-point and the Changi Point Ferry Terminal in the eastern end. The boardwalk is accessible from four entry points, namely Changi Village, Changi Sailing Club, Changi Beach and Changi Beach Park. The walk, with footpaths as wide as 2.4 metres, replaces mud tracks and trails that lead from the road towards the rocky coastline. Night lighting, tuned to a romantic glow, and rest points along the waterfront are among a host of amenities that the government has put in place for visitors. The area also offers a glimpse of giant heritage trees, such as the Damar Gajah Hitam, Tampines tree and the Malayan Rengas – all signposted – in the Netheravon Road area, which is connected to the coastal walk by a 1.5-km long park connector. The new park connector from Netheravon Road to Changi Village links Changi Point to Pasir Ris and Changi Beach Park. Here are some of the walks as listed by the Singapore Tourist office. Sunset Walk This is the westernmost portion of the boardwalk. It is flanked by a hill of lush greenery on one side and the sea on the other. Its western end has a beautiful view of the sunset, hence its name. Kelong Walk This stretch of the boardwalk is built above water on kelong-like stilts. Several lookout pavilions on this walk are popular fishing spots. Cliff Walk Built slightly inland, the Cliff Walk is a path through lush greenery. Viewing decks constructed along the Cliff Walk offer panoramic views of the surroundings. Sailing Point Walk The longest stretch of the boardwalk, the Sailing Point Walk, is built beside the sea in front of Changi Sailing Club. Beach Walk This is the second longest stretch of the boardwalk. The Beach Walk faces the Serangoon Harbour and Changi Beach. Creek Walk The Creek Walk lies on the southern bank of Sungei Changi. The ultimate Singapore walk is The New Paper Big Walk, a mass-participation walking event held annually in Singapore. It holds the official Guinness World Record as the world's largest walk when a record-breaking 77,500 participants joined in to mark the 10th anniversary of The New Paper Big Walk 2000 which was held on May 21, 2000 at the Singapore National Stadium. The event was founded by The New Paper; the inaugural walk, on June 16, 1991, had 7,000 participants. Over the last years, the event has grown, attracting thousands of participants every year from all walks of life and all sorts of age groups. The 10 kilometre walk will take participants an estimated 3 hours to complete and usually flags off from its traditional starting point of the Singapore National Stadium at 6 o'clock in the morning. Although there are limited amount of registration slots, others can still be able to participant in the event as unregistered participants. As you may know, Switzerland is French, German and Italian. Next week I will take readers into the Italian section. Prepare for some good food.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. Dear Mr. Stephens, I enjoyed very much your story on your visit to Myanmar, and I would like to visit the country, but how safe is it to travel there these days? Many countries have put out warnings to their citizens to stay away. Can you enlighten me? Thank you. —Karen Jameson, Los Angles, California.

Q. Dear Mr. Stephens. I hear that that the rainy season is coming to Thailand and this is not a good time to visit counry. Can you comment on that? Norine, Lake District, CA A. Dear Norine. Thailand is in the monsoon belt, and there are two monsoons—the northeast and the southwest. They do not blow at the same time. Thus, you can escape the monsoon by traveling to another area. Most people think of the monsoon as rain. It is not rain. It is a wind. Generally, however, the winds bring the rains, but no always. At the moment we are in between the rains in Bangkok. --HS

Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)

Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.