Singapore's Fort Canning Park

I look out on a large hill and wooded area from my hotel room and curiosity gets the better of me, I have to wander over and see what it is.  It turns out to be Fort Canning Park, the original fort, overlooking the river, that defended Singapore.

Fort Canning Park

I head up the flights of stairs to the fort and find much of the old structures preserved.

 Structures in the old fort

There is a path around the hill and I follow it for great views across Singapore and for the interesting sights that are set along the path itself.  At the top of the hill is a reservoir with drinking water for Singapore and they clearly don't want us to mess with it.

Picture is worth words in four languages!

Next, the time ball, which can be seen from much of Singapore and was raised at 12:55 and dropped at exactly 1:00 every day (similar to the noontime gun in Hong Kong, but an hour later), allowing government offices, businesses, and residents to set their clocks.  Near the time ball is a flagstaff that was used to display the identity of ships as they arrived in Singapore harbor.

Time ball

The walk around the hill also has numerous historical signs, detailing the history of Singapore over the centuries.

 Learn the history of Singapore

And, also scattered around the park, lots of great sculptures.

 Sculpture in Fort Canning Park

But enough wandering, it's time for dinner and I'm meeting ChongBee again for chili crab (a Singapore specialty).  Stay tuned.