Jakeb and I ran Saturday morning. As we stepped out of the hotel there were the sounds of tropical birds. It was obvious we were not in Lake Jackson any more. From the hotel we ran down a road called Bukit Timah to the Botanic Gardens. It is a beautiful place with lots of vegetation and small ponds. There were people practicing Tai Chi all around the park – some in groups and some alone. It is a beautiful form of exercise. We returned down Holland Road through the shopping district on Orchard Road and back up a hill towards our hotel.
Yesterday we ran down to and then along the river to a place called Clark Quay (pronounced ‘key’). We ran past parks and restaurants. We passed people walking and running. We passed a guy sleeping on a park bench, but he was a well dressed teen-ager so I am sure he was not homeless. Our run was a 6 mile out and back and by the time we got to the turnaround at 3 miles I was already drenched. Even though the Texas coast is humid, it must be more humid here. I sweat more if that is possible.
I guess one of the most unexpected aspects of Singapore is that even though it is urban, there is an amazing amount of vegetation. I expected that since there is a lot of concrete and high-rises it would be like Houston. But it is much greener and more tropical.
As we have searched for a place to live I have talked a lot to our realtor about how important it is for me to live in a place I can run. I am not sure there is a place that would be bad for running in Singapore.
Although there is much more to see I feel like I am starting to get to know Singapore even if only slightly - mainly because we have explored. There is no better way to see the world and the places that are new to me than to see it on foot.
Run on …
