Clementi, Singapore
In October 2020, a Singaporean by the name Brice Li captured a stunning footage of the misty foliage of Clementi Forest, which has since attracted the attention of many. It was a fun experience trekking in the muddy forest, which led me to an old Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway tunnel.
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SIN: Clementi Forest <YOU ARE HERE!>
SIN: Changi Beach Club [Before COVID-19]
SIN: Village Hotel Changi [Before COVID-19]
As mentioned in the previous post, I accessed the forest via the
Green Corridor. Once you see some prehistoric-looking trees, you're not far from the forest trail.
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| If you're coming from Bukit Timah Road, you need to turn right there. |
The entire forest is about 85 hectares big.
When I was there, many parts of the trail were muddy and slippery. While wearing jeans made it slightly more difficult for me to move, it eventually protected me from spiky tree trunks and other plants.
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| The first challenge was to cross that gap, which would've been easier had the ground not been slippery. |
Here's a photo of the only insect I saw that morning. According to one of my ex-students who's currently enrolled in NUS Life Sciences, it's a white-legged damselfly.
Just a short distance away from the gap is a fork. The path to the right leads to a slightly lower altitude, which I didn't take.
I took the path that'd obviously lead me deeper into the forest.
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| I wonder how long did it take for the thick vegetation to claim the train track. |
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| I did wear my mask throughout the trek. |
To avoid the watery mud, I had to balance myself on the slippery steel rail to proceed. To top off the fun, there's a tree branch blocking your way.
In a research done by botanists from the National University of Singapore in 2012, a total of 98 species of vascular plants were found in the forest. Also recorded were 90 bird species and 61 butterfly species.
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| There are two water channels running through the forest. |
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| Can we eat those mushrooms without geting sick? |
Along the way, I met a few other trekkers coming from the opposite direction. One of the things I like about trekking is that we're usually no stranger to other people. We greet people and people greet us. Simple conversations, which end with asking one another to take care, have always made my day.
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| At that point in time, I was craving for iced Milo. |
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| I had a hard time washing my jeans and shoes when I got back home. |
Enjoy the serenity captured in the short video clip below.
Two people told me that I'd eventually need to cross a small pool of water. I chose to avoid it by taking an ascending path and jumped down afterwards.
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| I successfully headed down the slippery path. |
I was finally at the last stretch of the trek before reaching the tunnel.
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| That tree is sharp. Be careful! |
The trek can be completed in less than 2 hours.
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| Cheers! Look at how much I sweated! |
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| There's always light at the end of the tunnel. For one, we survived 2020! |
The trail continues beyond the tunnel. Does anyone know where it leads to? As much as I'd like to venture further, I had a lunch appointment that day.
The railway tunnel is located near the bus stop opposite Maju Camp, one of the Singapore Army bases. From there, I took a bus to go home.
Let's hope that Clementi Forest can be conserved instead of being cleared to make way for housing in the future.
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