When I was growing up in Singapore, the population was only 2.5 million people. Almost 45 years later, the population is now 5.5 million, with projections to grow to almost 7 million within a few years. To put this in perspective, the City of Phoenix, the 6th most populous city in the United States, has a population of about 1.5 million people, occupying a land area of slightly over 500 square miles. Singapore only has 300 square miles. Another comparison is New Zealand, with a land area of about 103,000 square miles but only a population of less than 5 million people.
The message I am trying to put across is that this is a very populated island. Most people live in high-rises, either government-subsidized apartments or private condominiums. There are not a lot of open spaces but the government has cleverly created parks and park connectors where there are still open spaces for recreation.
Whenever I return for a visit, I am like a tourist. Many places where I grew up don't look the same: New buildings, roads, trees, etc. I only know how to take certain buses and the subway. If you ask me to drive, I'm sure I will be lost. Fortunately, I am still have many friends here. One group that I've gotten to know take long walks, about 2-3 hours, around 10km or 6 miles, in different parts of Singapore on Friday mornings. The best part is following the walk, they ended up at one of the food centers and enjoy some nice local food.
The first walk took us through the city center, up Fort Canning, where the British used to have a base, then ending up in Chinatown. I used to be very familiar with this area but no more.
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| Cannon from the old British Colonial Days |
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| Wall Mural at Fort Canning |
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| Modern Apartment Building in Chinatown |
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| A popular tourist street in Chinatown |
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| Chinese Temple juxtaposed against modern commercial buildings |
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| Typically the group size is about 10-12 |
My second walk with the group took us to Sentosa Island. This used to be a British military base but has been converted into a big recreational island, with casinos, aquariums, hiking trails, hotel, etc. It's interesting because there used to be just villages on this island but it has changed tremendously.
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| We start early, at 7am, before it gets hot |
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| Cycling is popular here |
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| You can take a cable car from Mt Faber or drive to the island |
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| An obstacle course for team building |
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| Beautiful hiking path through the forest |
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| The British had the cannons facing the wrong way when the Japanese came in WWII |
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