Sungai Buloh

I spent one afternoon at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve located a short distance west of the northernmost tip of Singapore. Taking the bus north one Sunday, I noted with interest that the bus filled up with workers from the Indian Subcontinent. Singapore companies employ a large pool of foreign workers, and many of them are housed in dormitories in remote parts of the island. This being a Sunday, I assume they were returning from their activities during their day off. Indeed, as I got closer to my destination, I encountered more evidence that there were dorms nearby as I saw groups of men hanging out in public spaces, and I even witnessed a cricket match. But, I could not identify which buildings were dorms. The living conditions in these dorms attracted international attention in the early days of Covid when the virus swept through that population and they were confined to those dorms for weeks on end.

Sungei Buloh is a coastal wetland known for attracting migratory birds. Back in university, this was an overnight stop during our round island kayaking expeditions, which generally took three days. Back then, the coastal boardwalks did not exist; we simply dragged ourselves up from the shoreline, ate some food, and went to sleep on a concrete deck. We were always awakened well before dawn by a loud cacophony of bird sounds. This time round, I walked along the paths through the mangrove swamps. I had intended to explore this site in the morning when the birds are more active, but a heavy downpour spoiled my plans. In the afternoon, it was mostly egrets and herons that were visible. I also saw a crocodile, a squirrel, and several monitor lizards.

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