SBG Walk

Man, that was a wonderful walk. 8.80 mi clocked in 2 h 57 min at the Singapore Botanical Gardens (SBG) with Harish on this public holiday---tired but satisfyingly so. The last time I went on such a walk/hike with him was way back in January, and the last time I actually walked in SBG was to watch a concert held by Audio Image Wind Ensemble at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage out in the middle of Symphony Lake.

I have never really walked about in SBG as a choice of leisure. It's one of those mystical places that one knows the existence of, but have no sense of what it is. I think I have better recollection of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve than that of SBG, and even that is from memories nearly a decade ago when I was much more active in the geocaching scene.

Ah SBG. There was definitely the start of a morning crowd of people when Harish and I met (we were supposed to meet at 0900hrs, but ended up meeting at 0845hrs instead), but it was the type of crowd that would eventually disperse itself outwards after the initial choke-point that was the pathway from the gate. Masking up was expected, but given the way Harish and I walked (we brisk-walked while discussing sociology, physics, mathematics, and metaphysics), coupled with my generally crappy fitness, I deemed it strenuous enough that I refused to mask up, as it was allowed to do. It is one of those rare occasions that I would wear my Garmin Forerunner 35 for walking---I wanted to ensure that if I was ever confronted by a zealous enforcer, I would have the means of providing evidence to support my claim. That heart rate monitor was sufficient to demonstrate objectively that I was undergoing something strenuous with little to no contention. It is sad that I even had to think of such measures to counteract these kinds of potential zealotry---I like that we are enforcing the law, but when the law itself has provisions pointing out its applicability, it is important that they are well-understood as well; if the provision itself requires a judgement call of the subject, then perhaps some level of trust ought to be allowed on the subject instead of doing any of those stupid ``zero tolerance'' response.

The walk itself had no specifically planned itinerary---the sole intention was just to get some walking going among the wonderful greenery that SBG has to offer. We began with something that looked like we were going in small loops near the Bukit Timah Gate, before heading southwards and getting trapped in a small loop there, before finally heading north-west into the new Gallop Extension across the road.

Lunch was at the Guzman y Gomez at Serene Centre---it's always a treat to have some nice burritos with chips and guac at the end of a long walk.

I don't have anything else to write about---I want to end this blog entry on the endorphin high from all that walking. And so, till the next update.