Spice it up!

Posted by Kimberly under Heritage Sites and Trails, Nature
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The Heritage TV team was along Hill Street a few months back to film our very first episode at the Armenian Church. After the shoot, we were, for some strange reason, feeling quite sprightly which for us is most unusual. Being an ambitious (and rather naive) bunch that we were, we decided to make a detour on our route back to the office - who knows, we might just stumble upon something to film!

Fort Canning Park was just round the corner so we decided to check it out. Perspiration beads forming at our forehead, we trudged through the park in work attire - not a wise thing to do!

It was when we spotted a chilli plant (Capsicum Annum, to be exact) that we realised we were right in the middle of the Spice Garden. A joint collaboration between the National Parks Board, Singapore Philatelic Museum, the National Museum and the National Archives of Singapore, this 1.3km trail lies along the original grounds of the first Botanical Gardens in Singapore.

Strolling along that beaten track, the HTV team was overwhelmed by the historical significance it carried - these were the very grounds that Sir Stamford Raffles, a keen botanist, walked on!

Getting up close with over 100 different herbs and spices, we couldn’t miss the opportunity of an impromptu shoot at the trail. Without so much as a hint of a script, much improvisation was done on the fly (this includes reading off labels detailing the culinary and medical uses of these plants!).

As we ambled along, we spot spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, commonly found on our supermarket shelves, which were in abundance at the garden. Grand majestic trees of old spread their gnarly branches - their leaves providing much needed shade. Across the green, we spotted Fig trees, Yellow Flame trees and the Bird’s Nest Fern that has harboured itself amongst the lush foliage.

It’s one thing to learn about our heritage through textbooks or artefacts in museums, but interestingly enough, these plants helped us understand our cultural roots (pun intended). We often think chilli is an Asian spice but it is actually native to Central and South America! But can you really blame the Asians for their love of everything pedas (spicy)?

And who can forget Bartholomy the bug who made his guest appearance during the episode? We chanced upon the lonely fellow during our walk and couldn’t resist capturing the moment on film. It’s a rare sight to see so much of our natural heritage in a cosmopolitan city like ours, even rarer still to watch birds of colourful plumage flit about freely as bushy-tailed squirrels scamper joyfully along the trees.

We left the park, refreshed by the deep earthy smell that lingered the air and pleased we had another episode under our belt. This was one detour that didn’t go wrong!

Watch this episode of Fort Canning’s Spice Trail here!

Rating: +2