The mountain biker looks at me with big eyes. Hike? In Singapore? "I would not have come to that", he says and rubs a bit of mud off his bike. On his day off he wants to visit Chestnut Nature Park, a paradise for mountain bikers. I am drawn to the jungle of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and then to the south. Once through the 712 square kilometer city-state.

Anyone stopping in Singapore is usually only for a stopover or at most a few days on site. Tourists see the famous three skyscrapers of the hotel Marina Bay Sands, the shopping street Orchard Road. And then it usually goes further into the jungles of Indonesia or for hiking in the Malaysian highlands. But Singapore - also known as "Asia light" - has all that to offer in compressed form.

The city state has more than 400 parks on its map, including four nature reserves. A network system, the Park Connector Network, aims to make it possible for pedestrians and cyclists to cover the approximately 30 kilometers as the crow flies from north to south of the country almost entirely in the countryside.

That's exactly my plan on this day.

My walk starts in the morning at Woodlands Waterfront Park in the north of the island republic. The taxi driver gets lost first, because he apologizes: he would never have brought anyone up here. What I want here?

For example, take a look at Johorstraße, which separates Singapore from its Malaysian sister city Johor Bahru. Here in the morning the workers and employees from Malaysia rave about their motorbikes. Joggers get fit for the day, an old man stretches extensively on the park bench next to me while I approve a quick breakfast. The road through the country is flat but wide.

The very personal favorite green

On the way I meet inline skaters, cyclists and construction workers, only no hikers. Another mountain biker tells me about the legendary Woodcutter Trail, which cuts through the rainforest in the center of the country from west to east.

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Once through Singapore: From North to South

Whether he is not afraid of a punishment, I ask him. He dismisses it: "You can always say that you got lost." I laugh. Singapore is known for its draconian punishments. The wegschnippen a cigarette can quickly cost 400 euros, repeat offenders can pay up to 800 euros. The country is slowly moving away from its image as a "fine city". The punishments serve as a deterrent, they are at least rarely enforced on tourists.

Soon six million people live in the city state, which is smaller than the city of Hamburg. The government is therefore green to the high-rise canyons. Recreation, but also water extraction is the goal of many parks. From gardens such as Fort Canning Park to the slow-moving peninsula Pulau Ubin to the lagoon-like Admiralty Park in the north, everyone can find their own favorite green.

But Singapore is not enough. At the beginning of 2019, a new, 36-kilometer coast-to-coast trail will open up the country from southwest to northeast. Currently being renovated is the "green corridor", a disused railway track, it should provide in a few years on 24 kilometers a continuous park landscape. It extends from the Malaysian border in the north down to the financial district, from where it is only a stone's throw to the hills of the Southern Ridges.

At the Park Connector Network, green and asphalt alternate: South of the natural Admiralty Park, my path follows several kilometers along a busy road. On the other hand, the Mandai T15 Trail, which soon passes next to the zoo at the country's central reservoir, is already miles long through jungle, still extended by the adjoining Chestnut Nature Park and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

I reach this at noon. Shorea trees prevail in the still primitive tropical forest, lianas hang down, the air is stuffy. A macaque female pushes his baby protectively against her chest when she sees me coming.

Not a detour anymore

Later, I approve of a strong mocha at an Indian street stall. The kopi called coffee is sweetened with sweetened condensed milk and is the energy drink of the tropical latitudes. I will have a meal in the evening. For a few dollars, the coffee shops in Southeast Asia perhaps the best food - such as Laksa, Roti Prata, Nasi Lemak or Salted Egg Chicken.

Further south in front of a bridge I come to a construction site to a halt where actually a sidewalk should be. Slowly my powers are disappearing. Do not go around now. A helpful pedestrian asks where I want to go. No, the pavement is unfortunately not finished yet, he would be sorry. When he hears me sigh, he says, "But you know, there are those who just cross the bridge over the bridge in the middle of the road, so - I did not see you."

Thanks to the abbreviation, after twelve hours, around 8 pm, I finally reach the "southernmost point of continental Asia". A controversial tourist attraction on Singapore's artificial resort of Sentosa - the adjacent golf course is actually further south - but a good destination for my hike. I'm sweaty from the heat, the sunblocker was beaten at some point by the sun. My cell phone will later show 45 miles of itinerary, including arrival and departure, and repeated walks.

If you like it less exhausting, visit only a few green highlights of the city - such as the trails at the MacRitchie Reservoir, the Forest Walk at Telok Blangah Park or the island park Coney Island in the northeast. Singapore actually offers everything to the visitor: shopping malls, futuristic architecture, culture and good food anyway. And if you want, a far-reaching network of hiking trails.