SINGAPORE - In 1998, when my not-yet-husband Jim Rogers was training for the New York City marathon, the two of us walked the 42km route one Sunday before the race. We canvassed the five boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, allowing him to know the course better, while offering me on-the-ground discovery. The next weekend, Jim would complete the marathon, and then propose marriage to me, right after the finish line. He likes to say, "I was high on endorphins."

I have always thrived on a challenge (being married to Jim is certainly one). When I recently met an Indonesian gentleman, who mentioned he had walked across Singapore, I could not believe he had beaten me to it! In my 12 years here, I have traversed many of the lorongs and districts here, but never on foot, and all in the same day.