Beauty of the land...

In Thursday's class with 4-8, I shared with them what I viewed on tv the night before - top 20 islands showing on Central. The unanimous choral response went "Huh? but S'pore have (sic) wat??" What comes to mind when we are asked for Singapore's iconic places? Synthetic beauties (?) like Changi Airport, Esplanade and NS? If my memory didn't fail me, S'pore landed at 17th position, ahead of the pristinely white Santorini, marvellously enchanting Mallorca and terrific Tenerife...

....but I think we do have a lot (2 separate words, ok!?) in terms of views, just that we never bother to look at what's in our backyard... at least, I feel our skyline from Sheares bridge is nicer than HK's.

Anyway, in faithful deference to MOE's 5-day work week thrust (can we have 4-day? maybe Fri for CCAs only?), I optimise Saturday by satisfying my wanderlust with nature, going to Sungei Buloh. Greeted by a familiar sight...someone I knew from that ineffective story-telling course, the day looked good with the skies a fortuitous shade of grey-white, allowing the sun to peep through only occasionally.

Perhaps I should have trekked with WT, for the guided tour was dominated by some (overaged?) scouts, too crowded to ask teacher questions :(

(<--- beautiful picture of heron eating a lizard. See the trail of water? Can only be captured with cam with high shutter speed. Picture courtesy of Wang Tao. Thanks!)


Enjoyable though was the chance to see:

• water monitors
• cattle egrets
• lots of tree-climbing crabs (with one poster boy doing the necessary on a branch)
• remmants left by burrowing lobsters (yes, Singapore has it)
• an unidentified but definitely majestic raptor, and the highlight of it all
• a Siberian plover, a laggard who hasn't embarked on the arduous return homeward
• attap chee palm
• the mangrove teeming with lots of unseen bubble-blowing residents, lurking just below the surface of the deceptively quiet waters...

Apparently, some migrant birds, estuarine crocs, otters and many other creatures, big and small, have decided to apply for Singapore PR, residing in Neo Tiew Crescent. I was also surprised to see that puffer fish is really a small guy, but of course its ability to pull off a big bluff is legendary...

Definitely a place to return to a lot of times....need to be earlier next time... the tide waits for no man and so do the fishes.

Next stop on the beautiful Singapore nature trail ....Khatib Bongsu...