Chong Pang Trip to The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum and Kampung Kampus

My ward organised a trip to Ground-Up Initiative in Khatib. It offered guided tours of Kampong Kampus (a farm) and The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum.

The trip was a big hit with families. Chartered buses were provided from the community club to the beautiful farms in Kampong Kampus. We were split into three groups to go on different legs of the tour - the museum, farms and rock-painting.

My first station was the museum. At the entrance, we were greeted by record-breaking numbers of tortoise and turtle figurines. We were then introduced to the residents of the museum - exotic tortoises and turtles.

African spurred tortoise

Aldabra Giant Tortoise: Give me some food!

Elongated tortoise

Red-footed tortoise

Red-eared slider

My favourite species - pig-nosed flying turtle

It enthusiastically flapped its flippers wherever people approached its tank, which caused some water to splash out.

Next, our guide introduced to us the crops which were grown in Kampung Kampus. I wish I have a small plot of land or even a balcony to grow some crops. Not only is gardening therapeutic (when plants do not die), farm-to-table allows us to appreciate the process of growing plants and provides some food security for Singapore.

A mealybug destroyer (ladybug) larva. Easily confused with the actual pests.

Bees

The tour ended with rock-painting and lunch. Well-fed and tired, the residents were ferried back to Chong Pang. It was a great way to spend a Sunday by being outdoors with nature.