This cache brings you to a now popular photo-spot at the edge of Fort Canning Park known as the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel. The cache is located just off and out of sight from where all the crowds congregate for their photo opportunities, so you shouldn't have to worry about having too many eyes trained on you while you are searching for this cache. After finding the cache, you can decide whether you want to join in the hype, or take a quiet walk through Fort Canning.
It is remarkable how the social media has changed the places we choose to visit when we are out and about. Just a decade ago, this serene spiral staircase in Singapore was virtually unknown to the masses, overshadowed by the big ticket attractions like the Singapore Flyer and Sentosa or iconic landmarks, like the Merlion. Back in a time when place recognition was controlled by the tour companies and the tourism board, no one thought that the tree tunnel was worth visiting. After all, it had nothing any tourist attraction would have: no history, no panoramas, no natural sights, no concession stands, no rides, nothing. It was just a piece of public infrastructure in a pretty place. In fact, I had known about this tunnel since 2007 at the very least, and barely no one visits the place back then, even on the weekends.
So, imagine my bemusement when the spot suddenly started popping up on lists of IG-worthy places in Singapore. At some point in the last few years, more and more people had started to discover this place. Indeed, for the longest time, NParks never did signpost the existence of the "Tree Tunnel" around the park, but in their latest set of signs and maps, the Tree Tunnel started to make its appearance. I could only guess that this was in response to increasing number of questions about where this "mysterious" location was. I can still remember vividly walking in Fort Canning one day a couple of years back and being stopped by a lost tourist looking for this very place, so I guess NParks had gone through the same thing.
For better or for worse, the geo-tags on social media have catapulted this and other insignificant but very photogenic places from obscurity to overnight fame. From the Blue Boathouse in Perth, to #thatwanakatree in New Zealand, many places around the world have become well-known simply by the multitude of photographs taken from the location. These have real-life implications on these locales - the quiet lakeside town of Wanaka is now a major tourist stop because of the tree, and city authorities had to construct a brand new toilet near the boathouse because of the increased number of tourists who walk all the way out to the spot just for the photo. There are also horror stories of people trespassing into private land and increased weathering of natural sites in the US because of previously unknown places becoming tourist hotspots virtually overnight. As with all things to do with society and technology, it is a double-edged sword, and one that we will increasingly observe.
You can see the hype for yourself here through how a quiet spot in a city became a tourist sensation overnight. Even during this time of social distancing, people still risk coming here to take that perfect shot. You have a choice, of course, as to whether you want to join them and participate in the hype. No matter what you choose to do, the place is undeniably beautiful, especially at certain times of the day. But, perhaps you might to put your phone camera away for once, and just enjoy the spot for what it is?