MacRitchie Reservoir.

I had the most wonderful Sunday morning!

For several weeks, a friend of a friend and I had been playing hang-out tag. Finally on Sunday, we were able to meet.

My friend and mentor, Bob Kucher, from the Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tennessee introduced me to a painter-friend of his via facebook. John Collier and his family moved to Singapore from Japan about 3 months ago. Prior to Japan, they were living in Nashville. And prior to Nashville, they were in LA. John is a wonderfully talented painter and his wife is an executive for Mars. Their two boys are roughly 8 and 9 and go to Singapore American School. And, they have the most beautiful dog.

We all decided a hike would be the best way to meet. So, I met them over at their house at 8am and we drove over to the trailhead. I was excited for several reasons:  meeting new people, riding in a non-taxi vehicle, and seeing nature! It had been almost 3 months since I had done anything outside, non-city related.

We went to MacRitchie Reservoir Park. Constructed in 1867, it serves as a gateway to the nature reserves. We crossed several treetop bridges, and the views were absolutely gorgeous. We walked about 3 miles, of which a good portion was uphill or via stairs. It rained all afternoon, so it was great that we got to experience the park during the morning.

Trees!

Monkeys!

They were so funny. They reminded me of cats: just kind of laying around, wagging their tales. Whenever a person would walk past, they just kind of watched. I was told not to show them anything shiny, or look them in the eyes. It's like passing someone in the street: if you look them in the eye, a conversation could start up. You look a monkey in the eye and that opens up all sorts of interactions that may or may not be pleasant. And, shiny things? Like raccoons, they will take anything shiny up into the trees, and you will never see that item again.

Complete with a foot soak in the pool and iced tea . . . It was such a great way to start the day!