10/52

Week 10 of 52
Little Guilin
Bukit Gambok, Singapore

This afternoon I visited Little Guilin in the Bukit Gambok area of Singapore.  The official name of the park is Bukit Batok Nature Park but is named Little Guilin because of the resemblance to Guilin, China. 

Bukit Gambok is located just a little west of the center of the island.  I chose this place for my 52 weeks project this week because it is an area of Singapore that I haven't been to previously.  While the area itself is quite pretty I have to admit that the best part of my adventure today was actually the travel to and from Bukit Gambok.  I took the MRT which once you get out of the city center is an above-ground train so you get to see quite a bit of Singapore that normally you wouldn't.  (For those of you who are familiar with the MRT system, green line towards Joo Koon and then switch to the red line to Bukit Gambok.)  There isn't much country-side in Singapore but you do get away from a lot of the shopping districts so that most of the high rise buildings are mainly residential condos.  On my way back I took the red line the long way around and saw lots of grass, some more water, and even went through a bit of an industrial area. 

Traveling outside of the city center where I live is also interesting to me because you get about 5-6 stops out and it very quickly becomes local.  For a good bit of my trip I was the only Westerner on the train.  I got a few second glances but not too many...I must look less like a tourist and more like a local these days...  When I first starting coming over here I experienced this when I was scouting some condos for a friend.  I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable and being really aware of the fact that I was the one that didn't belong.  Two years later...I couldn't really care less and actually didn't notice this until a Western couple got on the train in the middle of my trip and it triggered the thought of "hey...one of these things is not like the other"...and then I remembered that I was also not like the other...

Back to Little Guilin...
The park itself is actually really small.  The lake and little mountain (I use that term so, so loosely) take up most of the area of the park.  There is a walking trail along the water and a few grassy areas to sit but that is it.  For some reason it was really breezy and much cooler there than in the city.  I'm not sure if the weather is always like that but if so this would be a great place for a little picnic.

Of course when I was there this afternoon it was cloudy and a bit drab.  It has also rained this morning so the water wasn't too clear.  Not ideal for taking photographs but this project isn't just about the pictures...is also about getting me out and about during the week.

When I first saw pictures of this place I assumed it was in the middle of a big park... something that you might need to hike or take a long walk to be able to see...

Picture #1 - 

This was taken standing on the path looking at Little Guilin.

Picture #2 -  

This was taken from about the same place (had to get clear of some trees) but just turning so that my back is to Little Guilin.

I did get to see a little critter hanging out...

I had a good time today riding around and seeing parts of the island that I haven't seen before.  I even have some ideas for some future 52 weeks projects!