Forgotten when was the last time I walked into the nature, and was beginning to forget how it feels like to be in the nature away from the busy town area. However, the Social Studies field trip this time round gave me a chance to walk into the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve again. I remembered that the very last time I had the chance to visit the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was during the leadership camp when I was still studying in the junior college.
As I drove up the road directed towards the Visitors Centre at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the buildings that are so often seen in the city reduces and was replaced by a scene of greenery. With the slight drizzle around the area, the nature reserve just seems even more different from what I can recall. Leaves from the trees will occasionally have rain drops dripping down due to its drip tip feature. In the nature reserve, as people maintain the appropriate silence to ensure that others and the animals would not be disturbed, the sound coming from the nature just seems to be a form of music playing by the nature. As I walked towards the visitor centre at the nature reserve, I was amazed by the beauty the nature brought upon me. Just at the entrance of the visitor centre, there stood a tall tree with the bird nest fern among the branches at the top of the tree. Unlike the trees that are ‘placed’ at the city areas or even expressways, these trees are not man-made. The plants and trees in the nature reserve survive based on their abilities in the nature.
After the briefing with Mrs Hiew at the visitors centre, we proceed to our short journey hike for the day. Due to the time constraint and that most of us had to rush back to school again for lecture, we were unable to spend more time at the nature reserve that day. Pity, but the journey in the nature reserve was still fun and enriching for me. Frankly speaking, trekking was something that is not as simple as I had thought. Instead of walking on the normal road, we actually ventured into the forest with muddy floors and drops of water dripping on us every now and then due to the weather. Certainly not something I expected when I went for the trip, but something refreshing for me. The morning breeze and the smell of the nature made me feel extra refreshing and alert. Walking into the narrow trail with huge steep steps occasionally, I saw thick tree trunks from the seraya trees that formed such amazing sight. It was only through Mrs Hiew’s introduction that I found out about the seraya trees and observed for myself how tall the seraya trees can grow.
As we walked along the trail passing by the trees and plants, we took many photographs of them and the many differences that may occur in the natural landscapes. The bark of trees tells the health of the tree. The color of the lichens would be able to tell one whether the tree is growing healthily or not.
The nature surrounding may differ from one place to another, and for Bukit Timah Nature Reserve the differences also exist. After the development of the BKE, the nature reserve’s landscape was changed partly for the development of the expressway. As a result, the nature reserve was partly man-made. Through this module, I learnt about how Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was partially taken away for the development of the expressway leaving only part of the nature reserve intact. I walked into the nature reserve learning new and interesting facts about the only tropical rainforest that Singapore has now. Hopefully, in time to come I will have the opportunity to bring my students there for a tour and let them have a better understanding for the nature reserve too.