Last Saturday, we went on an urban hike. At 0800, we 集合-ed at the foyer before boarding the bus that would drop us off at Central. We were split into 5 groups of 2 patrols. In these groups, we would travel to 3 locations in the area: Singapore River, Chinatown and the Asian Civilisations Museum. On the way, there were questions in the hike booklet that we needed to answer. These answers could be found at certain points in the locations. In addition, there were also other tasks to complete and bonus questions to do.
Unfortunately, it started raining on our way and some patrols had to use our umbrellas throughout the entire hike. :( Nevertheless, we still started off the hike in high spirits. Before we left Central, there was a stagger activity in which we had to piece a jigsaw puzzle. However, each group also had other groups' puzzle pieces! Hence, we had to communicate with one another in order to obtain the puzzle pieces we needed.
My patrol, P10 Swallow, was paired with P4 Orchid. Our first stop was the Singapore River. We had to find a few sculptures and answer the questions about them.
Eg. What does the River Merchant sculpture show?
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| http://www.singapore-vacation-attractions.com/images/the-river-merchant-sculpture.jpg |
Ans: It shows Scotsman Alexander Laurie Johnston, a prominent merchant of early Singapore mediating between a Chinese trader and a Malay chief, whilst Indian and Chinese coolies load sacks onto a bullock cart - a common sight around the river as trade expanded.
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| Task: take a photo with the Raffles Statue with the same pose XD |
However, as the rain slowed our movement and we were rather slow in finding the sculptures, we did not have enough time to go to Chinatown. :( Hence, we had a short break, during which we attempted any questions we could solve using our knowledge. Afterwards, we headed to the Asian Civilisations Museum.
The exhibitions featured cultures of Southeast Asia, China, West Asia and South Asia, showcasing items such as bronze tools and exquisite jewellery. It was indeed an eye-opener for first-time visitors. Best of all, it's free so we can drop by any time. :D
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| Task: find a military official at ACM and take a photo with him |
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| Task: take a photo with a foreigner at Chinatown! |
At 1130, we 集合-ed back at Central and had Patrol Corner while the I/Cs calculated the scores. After prize presentation, we were dismissed. Hope that everyone had fun despite the rain!:)
Reflections from Guides:
"This hike was actually really enriching and interesting. As a Year 3, I'm really thankful that I was given most of the opportunity to lead our patrol to the different venues to carry out the different tasks as this really boosted my confidence in leading others. I'm sure the other Year 3s also thought so.
The 3-4 hours hike was an enriching one as we managed to visit places which some of us might not even have visited previously. Places like the Asian Civilization Museum was the most memorable one to me when we got to experience galleries which were exquisite and fascinating at the same time.
I'm really happy this time that I was able to be closer to not only my patrol, but the partner patrol which carried out the tasks with us. It was a very fun experience and I look forward very much to the next hike we'll be having :)"
"I was really excited for this hike as it was one of the more fun thing in Guides (: But my mood was quite dampened by the rain as it would result in some inconvenience. I had thought that the hike always took place at Fort Canning Hill and then later at Central, but this year, unlike last year, there were three different locations! Chinatown, Singapore River and the Ancient Civilisations Museum. We faced difficulties in reading the map and at times, were quite lost. Often, the gaps between the different batches were significantly huge and as we walked in a pack, it was quite messy. Then a Year 3 stepped up and told us to walk in two straight lines in 集合 order. I felt that that really did the trick as we became more organised and were able to 报数 too. Overall, this hike was really enriching as I learned loads about Singapore's history through like hands-on instead of browsing through some book. I saw many interesting sites such as the Raffles statue in real life for the first time haha. And although everyone's shoes were soaked thoroughly, I really enjoyed myself and look forward to the hike next year! (: "
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