Tour of the Kranji Countryside : 30th January, 2013
By Lydna
Sellars
Photos: Heather Lussier
The
day started at Boon Lay MRT station and after gathering for a morning
coffee, we boarded our bus and proceeded to Thow Kwang Industry (Jungle
Pottery). We were greeted by Mrs. Tan
Teck Yoke (Yulanti) who is the daughter-in-law of the owners and she gave us
some historical insight on the kiln and the family business.
Years ago, there were several such kilns
in the Jurong area, but as technology progressed, their use became redundant
and very time consuming for production and eventually most of the kilns disappeared. This kiln has continued
to operate because the family has a keen interest in preserving the art and
firing technique. Firings are usually
conducted once or twice a year, but for the year of the dragon, they are
planning a few more. They were actually
preparing the kiln for a firing two days after our
visit. Hence we were able to walk inside
the kiln to see where the pieces would be placed and saw the wood ready for
burning to raise the internal temperature to 12000 degrees.
We wandered through the wonderful collection of pottery. There are lovely pots
for outdoor plants, vases, dishes, figurines...too many items to list!! Since there is much construction in the area,
the Pottery Jungle’s future is unknown.
They have a lease for another year and then they are uncertain, so a visit to this lovely facility really should be made while they are
still there!
We then proceeded further north to
Bollywood farms. We were given a tour of
the garden by the herbologist. They farm
completely organically and we were able to see, taste,
and smell the delicious produce grown on their farm. In place of pesticides are pools of water
with turtles or fish to eat insects.
Flowers are also planted at roots of plants to attract insects away from
fruit. We were served a delicious lunch
made from ingredients from their garden.
Our morning was then complete and we had run out of time, but I am sure
many will return to the area for another day!
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