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  The Sydney Morning Herald 29 Oct 06
Jungle strikes back: Green is the colour of Singapore's progress
Tom Cockrem

PARKS and gardens to be sure, but genuine rainforest is something you don't expect to find in Singapore. But there it is in abundance - in public spaces such as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Labrador Park and MacRitchie Reservoir; and out the window of my MRT train as I head back to Bugis Junction from the far-flung high-rise suburbs in the west.

In fact, my last two days in Singapore have been nothing if not green. And I am horticulturally inspired.

It was the allure of orchids mainly that drew me to the gardens. Singapore is famous for them. It boasts about 900 species and more than 2000 hybrids. They are grown for the market and the delight of every eye.

The main commercial centre is at Mandai Orchid Garden in the island's central north. The orchids thrive here, with giant sprays ballooning out of rows of robust stands.

A highlight is the Vanda Miss Joaquim. It is a hybrid that Miss Agnes Joaquim discovered in her garden in the late 19th century. This mauve and white beauty has since become the island's national flower.

If Mandai's patent is profusion, then that of the National Orchid Garden is pure art. Established within the botanic gardens in 1995, it is three hectares of lush orchid-friendly forest. The piece de resistance is the Tan Hoon Siang Mist House. Here a tropically moist atmosphere spawns some dazzling blooms. Among them is the phalaenopsis hybrid, whose deep pink linear markings would seem to have been etched on by an artist.

Endowed with three impressive ornamental lakes, the botanic gardens proper cover 52 hectares. And they have long been a favourite with Singapore's nature lovers, early morning joggers and exponents of tai chi. They serve also as a proving ground for the many new plant species that are introduced from all parts of the world.

A perennial drawcard for Singapore's regular visitors is Sentosa Island. It has a theme park for the kids, a state-of-the-art aquarium and plenty of rainforest to explore.

And there is the spectacular approach. This begins at Mount Faber in Singapore's far south. From here a cable car swoops downwards, traversing Keppel Harbour and tiny Brani Island. Mount Faber too has been copiously greened. The cable car station is set within a verdant garden park and is draped, for some strange reason, with artificial autumn leaves.

Oh well, we can forgive one aberration. Singaporeans, a taxi driver told me, don't go to the parks much. They don't need to. For there is garden all around. This may explain why I had the Chinese Garden as good as to myself. A little kitsch, some might say, but this is nonetheless a garden lover's delight. It is modelled on a Sung Dynasty imperial garden, complete with multi-tiered pagodas and open-sided tea pavilions - all fastidiously maintained.

The garden's sprawling central lake is spanned by two arched bridges. One of these leads you through palatial Chinese gates to the Suzhou penjing garden. Here about 2000 penjing (a Chinese form of bonsai) are artistically displayed in a series of walled courtyards.

And here is Botswana's Okavango delta! You might almost think you've arrived there as you trek the paths and boardwalks of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore's north-west.

Such is the sensation of wilderness that you get, and the profusion of birdlife that's on show - egrets, striated heron, white-breasted waterhens and pink-necked pigeons. The reserve is also home to countless critters of the mangroves - monitor lizards, giant mudskippers and lobster crabs among them.

And nor have Singapore's rustic human habitats entirely disappeared. They still exist on Pulau Ubin. This is an island that lies in the narrow strait dividing Singapore from the Malay Peninsular. Most come here to cycle or to hike. There is plenty to explore.

Street Centre is a Malay-style port-side town, with its timeworn clapboard coffee shops and temples. And Kampung Melayu is the last authentic rural village that remains in Singapore.

But the island's main attraction is the forest. It is not exactly primary, but it is big, and harbours 145 species of birds, a troupe of long-tailed macaques, wild pigs and the red jungle fowl from which domesticated chickens are said to have descended.

Singapore, I concluded, can rightfully claim to be "green". The process to make it so was initiated by the government in 1967. The green goal was pursued with customary zeal.

The 700 hectares then devoted to parklands have since been extended to 4000. But that is not all.

The ambition to create a true "Garden City" has been realised in full. Every major highway is now lined with giant shade trees - yellow and red flame trees, rain trees and mahoganies. Recreational facilities abound. Cycling and jogging tracks have been installed right along the eastern foreshore. Even busy city streets have been copiously greened.

Orchard Road shoppers stroll in the generous shade provided by the enormous angsana trees. Palms and ornamentals grace pocket parks and squares throughout the CBD.

I had intended on my three-day stay in Singapore to cover every green space on the island. This, I soon realised, would take the best part of a week. Awaiting me still are the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (with its 70 hectares of primary growth rainforest), Toa Payoh Town Park, and Sembawang Park.

A mere 200 years ago, Singapore was clad totally in jungle. What is now the "Lion City" was then the habitat of tigers. The big cats may have gone, but not the climes and soils that spawned their jungle habitat.

It's great to see the island's forests fighting back, and ironically expanding with the habitats of man.

TRIP NOTES

* Getting there: Singapore Airlines flies to Singapore from Sydney 21 times a week, from Melbourne 17 times a week and Brisbane 14 times a week. See singaporeairlines.com.au.

* When: The Singapore Garden Festival will be held this year from December 16 to 25.

* Bring: Light cotton clothing, sun block, sun hat, insect repellent and comfortable shoes for walking.

* Stay: Five-star: the Fullerton Hotel, phone 65 6733 8388. Boutique budget: Hotel 1929, phone 65 6347 1929.

* Contact: The Singapore Tourism Board. Phone (02) 9290 2888. See http://www.visitsingapore.com.

* Visa: Not required for holders of Australian passports for stays of up to 90 days.

* Read: Singapore, City Of Gardens by William Warren and Luca Invernizzi Tettoni (Periplus). Lonely Planet's latest Singapore guidebook has useful maps and information on Singapore's green spaces.

Source: The Sun-Herald
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