A Software Developer's Vacation In Singapore: Coast-to-Coast Trail Edition (Part 4/4)

In the weeks that followed, I would constantly revisit these sub-routes. I would do them again, and in reverse. The point was to get myself familiar with the entire route. Prepare myself for the day I attempted to the entire thing in one go.

And then the day came. I scheduled it, right on Good Friday, 3rd of April, and prayed it wouldn't rain.

In the morning, I had a McDonald's breakfast at Jurong East Mall, then headed off to Chinese Garden MRT where I prepped two bottles of water and a sandwich, and a Snickers bar from the Cheers store. Minimal prep, I know. That's me - minimal to a fault.

There, the Anywheel bike was rented, and I started off from Checkpoint One. Things were smooth-going much of the way; I was pretty familiar with the route by now, after having gone back and forth over it obsessively.

This time, I rode on the other side of Bukit Timah Road just for a more varied experience. This took me right past the Rochor River, and this was surprisingly beautiful. I might have caught it at a good time.

Rochor River was
quite the eyeful.

It was just before 12 noon when I arrived at Checkpoint Four. So far so good. I was feeling fine, and barely even breathing hard.

The First Break

I sat down at the Kheam Hock Park to eat my sandwich. The sky was overcast and I was concerned it might rain and cockblock my entire day. It was maybe ten minutes past noon.

Kheam Hock Park, right at the
end of a boardwalk.

I hadn't had time to really take a look at the tiny park. Charming. Good for a dog walk.

Once I reached the overhead bridge at Lornie Highway, I got over the bridge, passed MacRitchie just like the last time, and audibly groaned when I arrived at the construction going on at Bishan and Ang Mo Kio. Damn, I really hate this part.

Once I got that part behind me, the best part of the journey began - starting from Ang Mo Kio Linear Park to. the entire Waterway stretch at Punggol. I took some time to settle in and eat my Snickers bar.

Huddling under this bridge
for my Snickers break.

Once done, I was on my way again, passing Checkpoint Ten at Coney Island without bothering to stop. The sun was blazing but I soldiered on out of the beautiful cycling paths and onto the hellish landscape of Punggol Tingkat.

By this time, my ass was killing me and my right leg had gone numb. I was conscious of a light but persistent burning sensation on the back of my neck. When I finally crossed from Punggol Barat back to the mainland and was greeted by the sight of the entrance to Rower's Bay Park, it was like water in a desert.

Rower's Bay Park entrance.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was making the water sparkle. The beauty of the sight was indescribable. I'd just completed the Coast-to-Coast Trail, and it was glorious.

The alternative route from Checkpoint Seven

On a separate occasion, just out of curiosity, I returned to Checkpoint Seven at Sengkang Swimming Complex, to explore the alternate route to Checkpoint Ten. This was actually the Sengkang Floating Wetland, a patch of swamp that was somehow eerily beautiful in the day. I had to dismount from the bicycle and push.

The bridge over the wetland.

Nice park after the wetland.

The route led on to Sengkang Riverside Park, which I largely skirted to embark on a long stretch of road leading west, parallel to the Tampines Expressway.

Road leading out of the park
and under a flyover.

Long stretch ahead
next to TPE.

After some riding, I arrived at the Seletar Aerospace Flyover, and headed north again along Seletar Aerospace Way, right up until I came to this idyllic green patch called The Oval. 

Very nicely manicured
infrastructure at The Oval.

I was pretty much winging it at this point, with a rough idea as to which direction to my destination, but no real clue as to the paths I needed to travel to get there.

That final stretch!

Aerospace greenery. Pretty fly!

The next twenty minutes saw me meander around the aerospace until I discovered Seletar West Link, after which I simply rode the green stretch all the way to the welcoming entrance of Rower's Bay Park.

Thoughts on this route

Now this was underwhelming, and I suspect this was because I really didn't know the official route. In fact, part of the problem might be that this part of the Coast-to-Coast trail simply wasn't meant for cycling. It was akin to trying to find semicolons in a Python code base. Sure, you'll probably be able to find them, but they won't mean the same thing to you especially if you cut your teeth on Java.

I don't feel like revisiting this part anytime soon, though the other parks around the area do look promising for exploration.

Epilogue

This little foray into cycling in Singapore, would soon expand into a more extended exploration of similar trails in Singapore. The fact that I had also quit smoking at this point, also meant that I was able to spend more time in these parks.

This was a side of Singapore I hadn't appreciated up to now. And I intend to remedy that.

Where there's a wheel, there's a way!
T___T