Okay, its day 2 and I'm raring to go. It's sunny today, about 81 degrees at 8 am.
I was worried about this morning... not sure how I would feel. But my feet are fine. Only my legs could use some stretching.
After breakfast with the family, I pick up the 36 bus and head down to
Dhoby Ghaut at the bottom of Orchard Road. From there I take the MRT to HarbourFront. Its a busy morning on the MRT.
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| The crowds at HarbourFront MRT |
Walking through a now empty VivoCity, I end up at the bottom of the country. Across the harbor, you can see Sentosa Island, which is, strange enough, the southern most point of continental Asia. (This is disputed but a fun fact.) Its the home of beaches, a quick pint or meal, and Universal Studios. It's a walk for another day. Instead, I turn west and hit the road.
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| Sentosa in the distance. |
First stop today is a walk around Keppel Island. This little island was home to Keppel shipyard. It flourished in the mid-1800's when the Suez Canal opened, allowing easy passage from East to West. (Thanks to the local signage for details.) Even before that, Singapore was prime docking location because its geography provided safe harbor to meet, trade and make repairs. It also explains why the local population is so diverse.
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Keppel Island. Note the giant boat with shipping containers in the distance.
On the right is reclaimed land to be used for shipping. On the left, more islands fused into an oil refinery. |
Keppel Island is now a public park and protects the Marina at Keppel Bay, where all the luxury yachts stay.
Following the coast line, I get more views of the Singapore Strait. It is here that I stop for water and meet a lovely older couple who are relaxing the morning away. They agreed to take this picture:
Not my best look, but it'll do. A 10 minute rest and I move on.
Around the corner from that pic is the Labrador Nature Reserve, both a jungle and coast line. Its here that I decide to leave the coast and for some crazy reason, head up these very steep steps:
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Trail leading to the remains of Fort Pasir Panjang.
You can see another one of my favorite signs. Also up ahead was a freaky huge spider. Eww. |
Severely winded now, I hobble along to this place: a replica of one of the 6 inch, 32 ton guns that protected this beach from Japanese invasion. The shell could travel 10 miles, effectively covering most of the island. Sadly it saw little action as invasion came from the North. While there are now trees in front, there is a cliff that used to offer a clear view into the Strait.
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| Gun Battery at Fort Pasir Panjang. . |
Its downhill now, hard on the legs, but I wanted to point out this: A well placed covering that protects from the beating sun. Awesome. Similar ones appear all over Singapore and is a nice touch.
Back on the West Coast Highway, it's several blocks of cars and nothing. Then, I get excited as I pass by the Pasir Panjang Hawker Center.
Hawker Centers are outdoor food courts. They were established in part to get food carts off the road and organized under one roof. They are my preferred place to get very tasty local eats.
I stop by one stall and pick up some Char Siu Pau (BBQ Pork Steam Bun). Its not the prettiest thing, but it is one of my favorites.
A quick check of my GPS, and I see that I am further along than I thought. Good, because my phone battery is getting low. I'm thinking to myself that the pics are done until I spot this abandoned building in an old parking lot.
Its not often you see "old and abandoned" in Singapore, so I stop and check it out.
I have no history on it, but its safe to assume that it used to belong to the
Haw Par Villa theme park located across the street. At $3 SGD for parking, I'm guessing its been abandoned for awhile.
The theme park was built in 1930's by the Tiger Balm guys and depicts dioramas of Chinese mythology and history. Curious and needing to cool down, I went in to take a look. It was a bit dated, but pretty cool. I was partial to this dragon mural which I took in panorama.
Rested now, I walk back down to the MRT and head home. Assuming good weather, I'll continue tomorrow.
Total route today: 6.90 miles. 2 hours and 06 minutes.
