It was a rare convergence : a beautiful morning, clear skies, sunshine chased by a rippling wind into ‘shadow and seek’, the beginning of a weekend and an hour to spare.
Carpe diem is my resolution for 2014. And so, when I find myself traveling alongside a lengthy, glinting stretch of silver fringed by green and framed by rain trees – an unexpected vista between Tampines and Changi – it snags my attention and curiosity. It is unexpected because it is unfamiliar. There is only one thing to be done. Park and explore.
So I do, and I discover Bedok Reservoir Park.
It is hard to imagine that this was formerly a sand quarry. This morning, glimmering vistas segue into each other, in the green, blue and silver palette of peace and tranquility.
It is not hot, not yet, and the shadows lie cool on the grass. The green swathes beneath the trees call to mind checked picnic cloths, wicker baskets, ice cold drinks and young children. There is a quietude that slows your step, an involuntary relaxing and breathing deep.
An old man is on his morning perambulation, stockings on for circulation, holding on to his silver-haired wife. He falters, stops, starts again, making his way to a wooden bench in the sun. A lone toddler rolls around in the white sand of a play area and in the distance, yellow-shirted elders sway and dip in unison, a group practicing their morning tai chi.
It is a languorous morning, inviting you to stay a while, rest a while, think a while.
Lawns, floating decks, jogging tracks, cycling tracks, benches and much more make up this 41.7 hectare park, which at different times of the day and week allows water sports (wake-boarding, sailing, fishing, canoeing and kayaking), fishing and skating. It has fitness stations and open fields.
All in all, something for everyone.
Photographs by Anita Thomas.
Sayang Singapore 