News and Notes

Walk 11 is posted. Walk 12, the last one, is on its way.

Day 12: Stadium to Home via Marina Bay

The final day of walking is complete! I will update this posting ASAP.

Route: 10.76 miles, 3 hours, 11 minutes.


The grand total for Walkabout Singapore:
126.74 miles, 35 hours, 38 minutes.

Thank you everyone for your support!

Day 11: East Coast Seafood Center to Stadium

After 11 walks, this is the day I close the loop around Singapore.
However, as it is often said, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Today is that day.

It starts out easy enough. Its the afternoon again, so its hot. The eastern side of Singapore, however, always has a breeze, so while its 91 degrees outside, it feels a lot cooler.

I pick up at East Coast Park and head south towards the city.

East Coast Park at East Coast Seafood Center

East Coast Park stretches most of the 10 mile length of Singapore's east coast. Forty years ago, I could not have taken this path as the entire park including the long, thin beach is man made.
Today, its a pleasant walk. I stay on the walking path for speed. Even on a Monday, there are people camping,

Take a ticket and get a campsite

surfing (or at least trying to),

Dude, no waves today... or really any day. The water
in the straits is protected by the Malaysian and Indonesian land masses.

or just enjoying the views.

The government is hugely focused on hygiene (not a joke), so every few miles there is a very clean restroom and shower.

One of the many clean restrooms along the beach

From one of the breakers, I grab a picture looking northeast.

Happy to be headed home

I'm a little busy today but I may come back here to do a little prawning. Click the link to learn more. It's totally worth it. An added bonus is that you get to BBQ onsite whatever you can catch.

Okay, maybe not. But it is popular and open 24hrs a day

A little further south, near Marine Parade, I was surprised to find this: the Amber Beacon.

The Amber Beacon... lovely in the daytime.

The beacon serves as a navigational signal for boats. It was also the site of a nefarious activity in 2009. Singapore culture loves hauntings and this places earned fame instantly for being paranormal. While a non-believer at heart, I didn't stick around to find out.

 

I took a quick break at the Road Safety Community Park before hitting the end of the beach. This is a spot where local fishermen take boats out to sea.

Fishing boats at the end of Tanjong Katong Road

At this point, reclaimed land prevents the walk along the coast. I veer slightly north and continue along the waterway at East Coast Park.

There are a lot of joggers and cyclists here. The path is a friendly reminder of what I'm doing.

I need that reminder because now is the part where my plans go awry. Today's goal was to walk through the reclaimed land to Marina Barrage, then cross over to Gardens By the Bay before completing the Singapore Loop at Marina bay Sands. This construction project at the Tanjong Rhu Flyover prevented that:

I should have planned on more construction.

Diverting back into the city (my only possible plan), I pick up the Geylang Park Connector. In the end, I'm glad I was diverted, because I get this fantastic view of the Singapore Indoor Stadium (center) and the new National Stadium (left) which is where the old one used to stand.

A view of the Singapore Sports Hub

The cool thing about the stadium is that the seats shift to fit any sport being played. Here you can see that the retractable dome is still being worked on.

Thanks to the detour, I'm out of time today. I'll have to pick up the slack tomorrow when I plan to finish this whole thing. Wanting to see more of the new stadium, I head across the river and walk through the sports complex. I take the Stadium MRT back home.

Route: 6.36 miles, 2 hours, 06 minutes.

Day 10: Changi Point to East Coast Seafood Center

Good Afternoon! Its the first time that I have been able to write that. Normally I take these walks in the morning. Mornings offer cooler temperatures. During the rainy season, they also offer less chance of rain. Today, however, I risk it. Per special plan, this walk requires me to arrive at my destination at 6pm. Today also starts the last push to the finish line. As the historical sites are few, the east coast of Singapore is more of a nostalgia tour for me. Of all places on the island (outside CBD), I've spend the most time here.

The day starts out easy enough. I hail a cab at home and arrive at Changi Point at 2:30pm. I start here, at Changi Point Ferry Terminal, just a short walk from Changi Village.

The Changi Point Ferry Terminal

I've used this ferry many times to visit Pulau Ubin, an island in the Johor Straits. Ubin is one of the last locations in Singapore representing kampong life before modernization began in the 1960's. There's a small village there and you can bike/walk around parts of the island. While Singapore has been on a fast track since my first visit in 2000, this place has not. For a glimpse into the past, its worth a look.

I bypass the boat ride today... I've go things to do... and head north over the pedestrian bridge. This is Changi Coast Park which stretches from the Ferry to the Airport. The sun is out  and its hot but there is a strong breeze that is making this trip quite pleasant.

There are views of Malaysia and a few Singaporean islands from here Most notable to me is Pulau Sejahat, which was important to Singapore's defense in earlier days. Today, its almost completely engulphed by reclaimed land emanating from Pulau Tekong.

The sun is now hidden by a long bank of clouds, so instead of the tree-lined path, I decide to walk the beach.

Changi Beach Park

Sadly, its pretty dirty and there's a fair amount of litter. Further on, I run across this guy, who seems to have his hands full.

With the wind, the water is also very choppy here. I retreat back to the path to avoid getting a good splash. Its a nice park over all. I wouldn't swim here but it seems like its a good place to fish, picnic, and enjoying the view.

Relaxin' awhile at Changi Beach

Its at this point above that the beach ends. Just east is the Changi Ferry Terminal. My path turns to the right and I'm back in manicured jungle. I'm headed south east now along Changi Coast Road.

Changi Coast Road

To the left is reclaimed land. There is an airstrip/exhibition center over there which is inaccessible without a permit. I can hear the ever present sound of progress in the distance. The hammering is overshadowed every few minute by the booming roar of jet engines. That because this road also trails along Changi Airport. This international port was my main way into Singapore and in a few weeks will be my way out.

Changi Airport

Changi Coast Road tracks the whole length of the airport. The reclaimed land on the left can serve as future expansion. While its a long, hot 6km (I lost the breeze when I left the beach), there's plenty of joy of watching these massive aircraft take off. I use this stretch to pick up lost time.

At the end (or in this case start) of the runway, East Coast Road tracks left onto the reclaimed land and then along a water way which opens to the east coast. I take a rest and water break at this peaceful location:

Looking East

 Heading south now along the shoreline, I see a few interesting things.

First is this air quality monitoring station. I've seen several on my walks around the island. I'm guessing this is how my phone app can tell me the haze level in real time.

Science in a box!

About a half mile south of here, I get my first view of the city. I'm excited because now I can see my final goal. It really is amazing to see such a modern city against a tropical backdrop of sand and sea.

CBD in the distance

I'm re-energized, but not enough to tackle this playground at Outward Bound Singapore. They were hiring, so if I ever thought about ditching my day job....

More ladders then chutes.

Covering most of the east coast shoreline is East Coast Park which offers many places to sit and reflect or stare at the sea. Happily, its also under the Changi Airport inbound flight path, so its a great place to picnic and watch planes land.

A contemplative moment on a wave breaker at East Coast Park

I'm tire now and its 5:30pm. I'm hungry but I've been planning that. But before I can hit my final destination, I take a walk here:

A walk along Bedok Jetty

This dock stretches way out into the Singapore Strait. It offers an excellent view of the city, but most folks are here to fish. Some of them are working 2 or 3 poles at a time. Most are catching little silver fish.

All along this park are activities for kids and family. You can camp here just off the beach, there are rental houses, bike and skate rentals, and this "Xtreme!" skate park with an water view.

Want to build a giant sand castle? They got that.

Castle Beach

And the most interesting activity: The cable pulled water ski park.

The waterski park

Its 6:30 and observations are over. I finally pull into my final destination at East Coast Seafood Center.

Post walk celebration at East Coast Seafood

One of Singapore's signature dishes is Chilli Crab. Its a wok cooked crab smothered in chilli sauce. 

Its a strange, spicy, and delicious dish who's main ingredient's, strange enough, are eggs and ketchup.  

East Coast Seafood was the place to go in 2000 and 2003 for seafood. Jumbo (pictured), Long Beach, and Red House are the players. Today, these shops and others can be found all over the island.

Tonight, I go back to the basics. Now, while I love Chilli crab, tonight, I request my newest favorite: Black Pepper Crab. Who makes the best? In Singapore, that's a loaded question.

Black Pepper Crab at East Coast Seafood Center

With this and a beer, I'm happy. The day is done. I pick up a taxi at the queue and head home.

Route: 13.42 miles, 4 hours, 01 minutes.