Wednesday 14 January 2015

Cycling - Kampong Buangkok to Punggol

So recently my friends and I have taken on a new hobby called cycling. As they say, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Thanks to the awesome park connectors that have been built around Singapore, we've been doing our arounds the North Eastern Riverine Loop. 




I extracted the above from the Nparks website and there are currently 7 different cycling loops around Singapore. As I stay around the North Eastern part of Singapore, naturally my route would tend to revolve around this area.

                                                                        Source: Nparks website

The above picture shows a larger version of the North Eastern park connectors in purple. I usually start at the Gerald Drive area. My cycling journey starts with me cycling past Kampong Buangkok, the one and only kampong left on this island. There's a cluster of houses at this Kampong, with a few families staying here with their dogs. However, this last standing kampong on Singapore island will soon have to make way for the new HDB projects that are currently under construction. 

As I cycle further,  on my left, I see the new HDB flats at Fernvale Riverbow that are currently under construction and towering over the river that it lines. From time to time, I see the workers still working after my dinner time. I feel thankful for this short but important break that allows me to cycle.

Passing these blocks of flats leads me to the Sengkang Sports Complex. Sometimes, we cycle into the complex just to get a box of chicken nuggets from McDonalds. Opposite the sports complex is the Sengkang floating wetland. There are bushes of pandan leaves here. We stop here from time to time to smell the pandans. 

Most of the time, we cycle onward, passing the Sengkang Riverside Park. The end of the park meets the Tampines Expressway. We cycle below the expressway and continue on the Punggol Park Connector. This stretch of the park connector is an extremely long forested stretch. I get very scared when my friends do not cycle next to me. Very often, I get swarms of flies brushing past my face at this forested stretch. We cycle quietly. We can't talk as we do not want the flies in our mouth. 

I always heave a sigh of relief when I cycle out of this forested stretch. It's like light at the end of the tunnel. The newly constructed My Waterway@Punggol greets us at the end of the 'tunnel'. It is a long water stretch filled with a water playground, fitness corners and even shelters to hold gatherings. At night, it is mostly filled with foreigners and couples. 

As for my cycling journey at My Waterway@Punggol, well thats another story for another time. 

To be continued!