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SINGAPORE: My eyes had barely adjusted to the sunlight streaming through the curtains in my resort room in Lim Chu Kang when the phone began to ring.
“No caller ID,” the screen read; it was probably too early in the morning for a scammer posing as a Chinese official.
“Hi Matthew, I’m Zoe Tay. Have you started walking today yet?” came a familiar voice. “I’m out here. I hope I haven’t missed you yet!”
It was the morning of the fifth and last day of our expedition and actress Zoe Tay surprised us with the bread and the offer to be our walking partner to start the day.
He had already spent a morning with us at the beginning of the hike, after contacting us on Instagram. That was pretty weird.
But just as we had started to get addicted to our long exploration of Singapore, it seemed that Zoe wanted more from this experience as well. Hence the unexpected early morning call.
I had to pinch myself to make sure this was real.
FUN IN THE FIELD
We had mixed feelings before the start of the last day of our Singapore marathon walk.
Walking through Bollywood veggies with Zoe Tay. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
On the one hand, we were looking forward to completing the journey and enjoying a long break. On the other hand, the route of the day would take us through the Lim Chu Kang and Jalan Bahar Highway, areas that my colleague Gaya Chandrmohan and I only knew contained cemeteries and military camps.
There would be hardly any pedestrian walkways, and with trucks speeding up and down the two-lane road through the Kranji field, we’d have to keep our eyes peeled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCXJlnjgo8I
So Zoe’s arrival gave us a welcome boost. Having grown up in Lim Chu Kang, this was an area that she was more than familiar with. She proved to be the perfect guide.
And so what would probably have looked like a jungle covered in vegetation took on much more meaning when she patiently pointed out the areas she was familiar with from her childhood and how they used to look.
Zoe Tay pointing out where coffee shops and the market used to be when she lived on Lim Chu Kang Road as a teenager. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
There was the store where he got the perm for the first time and then he regretted how it turned out. There was the community center where they gave her the BCG injection and the nurse was so abrupt she was scared of needles. There was one of the first HDB blocks in the area, where she played on the playground slide and tanned too much.
The field had come to life.
Instead of long stretches of anonymous brush and bland roads, Gaya and I were now looking into Singapore’s past. Without a doubt, this area has changed, like much of the country, and learning a little about its history was a pleasure.
On the way to Zoe’s old house area, we visited Bollywood Veggies, a large farm located in the Kranji countryside. We had the pleasure of a short guided tour in one of the resort’s gardens and I even got a taste of the rice harvest, which was completely enjoyable.
Despite the farm’s remote location, excited guests were already walking through its doors at 9 a.m., eager to explore the grounds or enjoy breakfast at the farm’s bistro.
Leaving the farm with a belly full of banana bread, I made a mental note to return. If only there were a public bus service that runs this route instead of the only shuttle service!
With Zoe saying goodbye to us after about three hours on the road, we were left to conquer the remaining miles, ending our journey just as we left.
Walking towards Jurong in the relentless midday sun. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
This turned out to be easier said than done in the fierce heat of the midday sun. We had foolishly neglected to buy water when we left and the back of our throats was starting to dry up.
When a gas station finally materialized in the distance, we couldn’t get there fast enough.
A FINAL FLOWERING
After resting, drinking and stretching, we got back on the road, with all eyes on the finish line.
This was the moment we had been thinking about for some time, and when the Taman Jurong Food Center and Market sign came into view, we couldn’t help but smile under our sweat-soaked face masks.
As unglamorous as it may sound, we made sure to stretch every chance we got. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
It had been a journey that had seen us time a distance that we would not have otherwise walked (140km instead of the originally planned 110km), saw us explore parts of Singapore that we might never have otherwise encountered and meet people. what ”. otherwise he would never have met me.
The island had proven to offer much and something more. From the rolling lalang fields of the Jurong Lake gardens to the flooded mangroves of Sungei Buloh, we had had an adventure that we and our aching bodies would not soon forget.
We had made it. But there was one more unfinished task.
I trudged down the escalator with my backpack in search of that elusive plate of parrot I had wanted for breakfast the first day. And just as I was heading to the stall in question, I noticed that the street vendors were packing for the day.
My lord would have to wait, perhaps until the next return to the island.
