Now that my training has been suspended, I decided to switch my focus to something less strenuous on my lower back. Walking and hiking seem doable so today, I decided to explore a less-known park – The Pearl’s Hill City Park.
Located in the heart of Chinatown, you can enter the park just behind Outram Park MRT station (EWL). But before burning any calories, may I suggest stopping by at People’s Park Food Centre for a nice and well-deserving breakfast. Back in the 1920s, there was no food centre with proper chairs and tables to comfortably eat. Instead, the popularly known ‘hawker shelters’ were set up and located at a public park near to where the current Pearl’s Hill stood.
So back to ‘Pearl’s Hill City Park’ and a little history behind its name .
James Pearl, the Captain in command of a ship belonging to Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, set his eyes on a hill when they arrived in Singapore and was determined to acquire it.
Back then, the hill was covered with ‘Gambir’ plantations owned by Chinese planters. It was mentioned that Pearl eventually bought over the whole hill and named it ‘Mount Stamford’ after Sir Stamford Raffles.
But when Raffles found out that Pearl had acquired the hill without his approval, he ordered its repossession by the British government but changed his mind soon after.
Unhappy with Raffles and his initial intention, Pearl renamed the hill after himself and called it ‘Pearl’s Hill’ instead. And that’s how the name ‘Pearl’s Hill City Park’ came about.
A few minutes up the hill, and you will be greeted by nature’s awesome sights, sounds and colours. I took plenty of moments just freely soaking in all that nature has to give. It was a good break from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life.
And then feast your eyes on all the colourful man-made structures below. If you are lucky, you will get to see a family of squirrels running everywhere!
The hill is about 9 hectares big, and on top of it sits a service reservoir. Unlike most reservoirs, it does not collect rainwater. Instead, it stores treated water and is supplied to nearby households. The British built this service reservoir back in the 1800s, and it is one of the oldest surviving service reservoirs today. Security is rather tight up there, with barbed wires fences, so be careful not to get caught by any of the CCTV cameras while taking snapshots. These pictures were taken as close as I can get.
The truth is, Pearl’s Hill City Park is not known to be a picturesque park with a lush and beautifully manicured garden, but it was still a delightful walk for me. I spent about two hours or more walking the park when all it takes was no more than an hour to complete it. I had no agenda or a list of ‘instagrammable’ things to see and capture. I walked to where that sound or that sight led me, climbed up and down slopes and stairs and sometimes, ended up getting lost and seeing the same things I saw a while ago. And it was fine because I got to see it from a different perspective. Like, how cool is that?!
And the same goes with life; not knowing exactly where we are and where to go ( destination) is scary because we fear getting lost. We fear the unknown and the possibility of landing ourselves in a place or a situation that we have no control over. Just the very thought of it becomes unthinkable, which is why many of us choose to get comfortable and stay where we are.
But the truth is, there is also beauty in getting lost; We learn to trust ourselves (our inner compass) to take that first step forward. And while we are at it, we may unknowingly make a wrong turn, trip and even fall but aren’t those not opportunities in life to help us grow? By staying put, we are indirectly telling ourselves that this is as far as we can go. What happens then to the notion that the sky’s the limit?
In hindsight, although it was a short walk at ‘Pearl’s Hill City Park’, I actually walked out feeling nothing short of a full-body workout (literally both the mind and body), and it helped reframe my thoughts on whatever that has happened and whatever that will come. I am glad I took this walk here at Pearl’s Hill City Park.