Last post from Singapore

I just found out I am leaving Singapore! I am not even going "Home!"
I came here from Clearwater, Florida but I understand my mom, dad and I are going to Florida for only a few weeks and then we are off to Winston Salem, North Carolina. That will be close to my birth place, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee so I get back to a mountainous area with four seasons.

I am looking forward to a cooler climate. I hope we have porch so I can enjoy the cool breezes and can scare away the birds and squirrels.

The move will bring on a major problem though...I can't be known as "Singapore Kitty" anymore! What should my new blog be called??? I know I'll have lots of adventures in my new city.

How about "NC Kitty?" Nah, too boring...
What about "Winston Salem Feline?" Nope, too plain...
I know..."Purrla, the Mountain Cat?" ...too ferocious sounding....
I need help readers!

Anyway, I have really enjoyed giving you a little insight into life in Singapore for the past two years. Check out the blogosphere for my next adventures from my new home in North Carolina.






                                                           

                                                          

A Walk Around My Neighborhood in Singapore

If you keep up with my stories, you know I am a very adventurous kitty who sneaks out of my parents condo and takes adventures all around Singapore. I normally slip undetected on to a double decker bus, hide under a seat upstairs, and then jump off somewhere new, and explore.

Recently I have come to realize I don't always have to go far from my home to see the beauty of this "Red Dot" city/state. I have been taking a 3.5 mile (5.6 kilometer) walk through my neighborhood and have come across some gorgeous landscapes, flowers, and some pretty interesting critters.    

As I pass through a quiet street I come across some lazy pets. I ask them if they want to come along on my adventure but they both say it is too hot and they would rather snooze.

My favorite section of the stroll is going along the path at Sungei Ulu Pandan Canal. People walk, run, and bicycle along the canal enjoying nature at it's best. There are plenty of rest areas along the way for the weary. I enjoy stopping to watch the numerous monitor lizards swimming along the banks looking for fish to eat.

Overhead the MRT passes as well as road traffic.

The most interesting overpass is the remains of an abandoned railroad track.

Runoff water all over Singapore goes through an amazingly designed drainage system. The system around this area spills into the canal through channels that are pleasing to the eye.

As I head home I pass trough a small park, some construction that I messed up, past a street sweeper, and some more potted plants.

I sure live in a beautiful place!

Singapore Community Gardens

The Singapore National Parks Board has a wonderful gardening program described on their web site www.nparks.gov.sg . It provides support for 600 gardening clubs throughout the nation. I found one called Ayer Rajah Zone "1" RC Gardening Club on one of my excursions.

A neighborhood cat named Jake met me at the gate and showed me all around his big garden. He says it is his garden but he doesn't do any work. He says he has a staff of people that do all the hard labor.

The garden is huge and very well organized. It is fenced in and there are stepping stones laid out that separate the different fruits, vegetables and flowers being grown. Jake's staff does a wonderful job weeding and keeping the place well organized and clean.

An odd sight is the plastic bags tied loosely over some of the young fruit to keep bugs away.

 There is a potting shed to store equipment and to start off fragile young plantings. Jake likes to hang out there and sleep in the shade.

 I enjoyed my visit immensely but it was time to go. Before I left, Jake asked me which part of the

garden I like best. Since I am not a big fruit eater, I told him the flowers were my favorites.

I Walked Across Singapore!

There used to be a north/south bound railroad in Singapore that stretched 26 kilometers from Kepple Bay to Woodlands. Most of the tracks have been removed but a path has been preserved and is now called the Green Corridor or the Greenway. There is a lot of internet info on the wonderful web site www.thegreencorridor.org

As you know, I am known as Singapore Kitty and I regularly sneak out of my parents condo to explore the "Red Dot." Early one morning I jumped off a bus in the Kepple Bay Area at a fenced in, beautiful building that had four huge, marvelous statues in front of it. At one time this had been the main train station. The four statues depict commerce, agriculture, industry, and transportation. I walked around the building and saw the original boarding deck where I could imagine lots of people once started their journey across Singapore and on into Malaysia. As there is no longer an active train, there was nothing for me to sneak on to and ride so I just started walking along the trackless path to see where it would lead me.

As I walked along the path I ran into a few joggers, walkers, and bikers but not many. It was mostly a peaceful nature stroll lined with lots of greenery and wildlife. I spotted some small snakes, monitor lizards, monkeys, birds (my favorite was a bright blue King Fisher), butterflies and colorful dragon flies.



After a while I came up to the abandoned Bukit Timah station. It was fenced in to keep people out but the old sign was still up. There was also some track in place that had not been removed.    
  

Next stop was a cast iron bridge which crossed  Bukit Timah-Dunearn Road. Some track remains here as well.

I was starting to get tired and all four of my paws were really hurting, but I was determined to make it all the way to the end of the path. As I continued on I passed a couple of canals and bridges.

Suddenly I saw a huge grey building on my right. I recognized it as the Woodlands immigration building. I had accidentally gone through it several months ago on another of my adventures. I knew I had to be getting close to the end of the path.

Sure enough, in front of me were huge no trespassing signs and further ahead I could see the remains of the last train station on the Singapore side before arriving in Malaysia.

What a great day I had and what an accomplishment! I'll bet I am the only cat to walk across Singapore! When I finally got home I was exhausted, thirsty and starving.  I think my parents knew something was up since they had to fill my water and food bowls up twice that night!