East Coast Park

Finally, on Sunday, I did manage to get myself to the East Coast Park! The bus from Bedok MRT station runs earlier on a Sunday (very unusual eh?!) so I elected to go this day instead.

First of all, though, I walked with Marianne in to the centre of town, showing her the Singapore River, Padang recreation area, the Esplanade, Marina Bay etc before parting ways at the MRT station. The journey took about an hour, and then I was dropped off beside a wakeboarding 'lagoon' where people seemed to be having lots of fun scooting round on a line pulley system - just like a drag lift.

So East Coast Park is a sort of beach resort, with lots of cycling and rollerblading trails, camping areas, some attractions and miles and miles of beach - some rocky, some sand, mostly imported. The locals come here to relax and being a sunny Sunday, there were many people here but I wouldn't say it was crowded! 

I had duck for lunch then hired a bicycle for a couple of hours, determined to see as much of the Park as possible. So I thought I'd ride half an hour in one direction (since the lagoon was right in the middle), then turn around and ride in the other direction for an hour, before riding back to the bike shop. And in essence, this worked just fine.

I spotted an RC car racetrack - Dave, what scale is this? There were nitro and electric models zipping round at incredible speed!

There was a sailing centre - here, lots of kids battled it out at the start line in Optimists - clearly there is a strong sailing movement here in Singapore!

There was a pier, and here's my bike:

And for the most part, this is the view from the saddle. Good cycle roads, not many people, partly shaded by trees, and the sea nearby (so you can't get lost!).

I also came across some sort of dog talent show / trade show. I was given an SPCA wristband (since donated onwards to Nicolette) and watched while dogs were summoned, stopped, danced and other random tricks. Though I've never really seen the appeal of dogs, especially the small useless variety!

And after two hours, I returned the bike. Simples!

I had noticed a dinghy hire location right near to the lagoon where I could have hired a dinghy - a Laser or similar. But, at $55 an hour, with an uninspiring stretch of dirty sea to explore, I didn't really fancy it! So I dipped my toes in the warm sea and, hearing lighting over the mainland, I headed back to the Hostel.