This morning James, Eddie and I visited the Singapore
fresh water marshes at Kranji. Before the visit I imagined the marshes was
like in the old days where the ground was dirty, wet and slippery. At some places, the
water could be ankle deep. For me, then and now with more than 60 years apart
makes a difference. I brought a walking stick along in case I need to steady myself but it was not necessary.
On week days there was no crowd and many parking lots were vacant. On entering the marsh land, I
was surprised to see a manicured
marshes. I was hoping to see some birds but they avoided me. I managed to
see them only in pictures. However, I was not disappointed at all for as I walked along
there were things that reminded me of the past.
The piles of logs placed at the side of the road reminded me of the firewood we used for cooking. I was
living in Chai Chee during the war. We chopped down some rubber trees, cut them into size and pile them up just like those exhibited at
the Kranji Marshes. The logs were split into small pieces by using an axe
before they could be used as firewood
A pile of logs
I love to see morning glory flowers. They were creepers
growing on the fences. Near where I live, there were many compound houses. I went
there to catch spiders. Creepers growing wild and morning glory flowers made my
day with their beautiful colours. At Kranji Marshes, I saw only the purple
morning glory.
Morning Glory Flowers
I like to see the trees on both sides of the road as we
walked along. In the estate where I live, there are more concrete jungles than
trees. There is a small garden below my apartment. Every morning I open the
window to enjoy the beautiful instant garden that was once a carpark.
Marine Terrace Garden
Time passed very fast when you took a leisurely walk. We
reached the viewing tower not knowing the time and distance covered. Viewing tower
‘die die’ must go up to survey the surrounding area. I was surprised at myself
that I could still reached to top as an octogenarian.
Before saying farewell to Kranji Marshes, we took a few
pictures to remind us that we are ‘3 musketeers’ for more than 20 years.
