My painful and fruitless search for the corpse flower
I wrote about the corpse flower in 2023 and again last week.
Chalk it down to FOMO (fear of missing out) or curiosity, but I decided I had to see it for myself.
After all, it is a rarity to come across the plant in its full glory as it blooms only once every few years, typically for at most three days before it starts to wilt.
Stomper John Lee, founder of Wildlife Asia (Singapore), has seen the elusive flower at least three times.
He kindly shared with me the location of his latest sighting after I promised not to reveal it to anyone, due to concerns of sabotage or vandalism.
Alas, my quest on June 12 was not exactly smooth-sailing.
I fell down while running to catch a bus to my destination. Unfortunately, the driver did not stop and I had to wait for the next bus.
People gawked at me at the bus stop and on the bus as I tried to stop the bleeding on both knees.
Undeterred, I continued my journey and reached my destination without further hiccup.
I encountered chickens and a monitor lizard, but had difficulty locating the flower.
I tried keeping a lookout for a pungent odour and a bright red bloom, but had no luck until John provided me with more specific directions.
Finally after more walking, I found the corpse flower - but a wilting bulb was all that remained.
Nevertheless, I am glad that I managed to still spot it and shared my findings with John.
He, too, was surprised at how quickly the flower had wilted and said: "I thought it would last up till June 14 or June 15."
I visited a doctor later that evening and was given three days of medical leave, a tetanus shot, antibiotic cream and painkillers.
All in all, it was an unforgettable experience, even if not for reasons I had hoped.
View more photos in the gallery.
