A Very Long Walk!

Whew...Am I ever worn out! I jumped off a bus next to the starting point of Alexander Walk and maneuvered along the walkway, high up at tree-top level over the beautiful jungly area below. The walkway is made of steel grating so it was a little scary to look down between the metal bars and it was rough on my little toes but the view was well worth it.

At the end of the trail I took a rest and licked my sore feet before proceeding on to Terrace Garden, located in Telok Blangah Hill Park. From this elevation I could see all  over Singapore. Their were very few people around so it was very peaceful but I understand their are a lot of picnics and other activities held at this picturesque setting.

I am afraid my father would not like it much in this park.You see, he is learning to play the ukulele and there is a sign stating, "No Playing of Music"...??? In his case he is so bad that when he plays it really doesn't sound like The Sound of Music lyric, "The hills are alive, with the sound of music." When he plays, it is more like, "The hills are alive with the sound of noise."

From there I traveled along the wooden walkway called Henderson Waves. It stretches  274 meters and is lined with covered sitting areas that connect to each other, forming a series of wooden waves. Very ingenious! I am guessing a very creative cat must have designed it.

At the end of the waves I came across a very long skink. He was stretched out on a concrete beam and was absorbing the heat from a sun. He looked like he was in seventh heaven. He totally ignored me so I left him to continue on enjoying his blissful nap.

The trail entered a shady part of the woods and ended up at the cable car station at Mount Faber Park. There was no way I was going to ride the wiggly cable car down the hill so I walked on down the path to Harbor Point. From there I jumped on a bus that dropped me right in front of my home.

I think I walked about 5 kilometers today. Not much for people but lots for a kitty. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was gorgeous but all four of my feet are killing me! I can't wait until my mother comes home to pet me and rub my feet.  

Ukuleles...???

I have been hearing a lot about ukuleles becoming popular in Singapore. Kids, young adults and old folks are all getting the urge to play these 4 string mini guitars. I understand they are easy for people to learn to play. I wanted to try one out but realized since I am a kitty I would be all paws and never be able to get the hang of it...or could I...?

Imagine my surprise when on one of my recent illicit bus excursions I ended up on Sentosa Island and stumbled on a ukulele concert called Ukulele Groove. The concert was held at a big fountain in front of a humongous Merlion (The symbol of Singapore). The place was packed so I had to take extra care to stay out of sight by hiding under the tables that had been set out for the Bar-B-Que dinners being served. Some little kids who didn't realize cats were not invited "accidentally" dropped some delicious sausages  for me to eat.

There were 4 groups that played classic rock so the audience knew all the words and sang along. At one point, one of the groups invited people to come up on stage to learn a couple of chords and play along with them. Everyone was having a great time and I hated to leave but it was getting late and I had to beat my parents (who would have loved the event) home.
A couple of weeks later I was snoozing in front of my favorite window facing the warm sun when my parents came barging in, acting all excited about something. I could not believe what they had done...! They bought my crazy father a ukulele from Ukulele Movement. What was he going to do with it? He doesn't know how to play anything except the radio! Well he plopped down in his favorite chair, took the instrument out of the carrying case, tuned it like a pro and then proceeded to plink horribly. He made the most unpleasant sounds come out of that poor defenseless uke. Mother went to the kitchen to get away from the noise and I hid under the bed hoping the screeching would stop. Luckily his fingers started to hurt so our ears were spared for the rest of the night.
I am sure he will learn to play melodically pretty soon. I just hope he doesn't start to sing too!
Maybe, while my parents are at work during the day, I'll try my paws at playing. I couldn't possibly be a worse player than my father.

Bukit Batok Nature Park and the Lost Dogs

Located only a short bus ride from my home is a wonderful nature park called Bukit Batok. It is quiet and peaceful and full of birds and animals and has beautiful vistas at every turn. It is not very crowded and a great place for people to walk their dogs. (As everyone knows, cats don't get walked.)

When I arrived, I was met by a Colombo Crow named... Colombo. He was an old crow but very fit. He lives in this park and I now know why he is in such good physical shape. The park is not that big but there are a lot of brick walkways that lead you up some pretty steep hills.
Colombo offered to give me a tour of "his" park so I was happy to accept the generous offer. The pathways are very well maintained and meander through some very thick forest. We saw lots of pretty flowers as well as a Many Lined Sun Skink, a Monitor Lizard, and some Long Tailed Macaques (monkeys) who scampered away through the woods as soon as they were spotted.

We also saw some White-Crested Laughing Thrushes pecking at the ground. I could not stand the noise they made! They made a screeching sound followed by a very loud squawk that sounded like crazy people laughing. They were doing their best at ruining a  perfectly tranquil afternoon. Colombo took flight and I ran to get away from them.
We ended up at the top of a hill where there is a small monument dedicated to the Allied and Japanese soldiers that died here in WWII. We slowly sauntered back down the hill and came upon the remains of a rock quarry that is filled up with water, creating a beautiful, serene pond.

As we were resting at the waters edge, a couple of dogs came running up to us. They had harnesses on with leashes dragging behind them.










They appeared very agitated. I told them to calm down and to let us know what their problem was. They introduced themselves as Pepper and Henry from USA and they had escaped from their master. (By the way, did you know dogs have masters but cats have staffs.) They had playfully gotten away while being walked but were now very worried because they were lost.
Colombo told them not to worry. He knew their master was probably still in the park and just as worried as they were. He flew up high to get a better view and spotted a nervous looking lady who was obviously upset. He glided back down and then guided us directly to the lady who was so relieved to be back with her pets. Colombo and I left their reunion and continued on to the park exit.

I had a very fun day but it was time to go back home. I thanked Colombo for being such a great tour guide and for being so resourceful helping out those poor lost little dogs. His kind response was so typical of an old crow. As he flew off he replied, "The pleasure was all mine pretty kitty."