Sunday 9 January 2011

a walk along East Coast Park

Another blog in my 'walk series' and this one we did today (Sunday Jan 9 2011) along East Coast Park .

We left Bukit Batok just after 7.00am and boarded bus 506 far as Jalan Eunos, from there we changed to bus 55 opposite Eunos Mansion and went as far as Victoria School along Marine Parade Road where we alighted. 

As we walked towards East Coast Park Parkway we realised we would not be able to cross it and could not see any pedestrian overpass in either direction. But as we walked towards Changi Airport, we came across an underpass. It is a shame that is was not signposted at all.

In fact it looked like a toilet block!

We continued over to East Coast Park to meet our friends P + C who were waiting for us at Jumbo Seafood. Note where we started our walk on the right hand side of the map below.

if you follow the red line going to the left, this is where we walked. The "U" turn will be explained a little further along in the blog!

The 185 hectare East Coast Park belongs to the National Parks of Singapore and is the largest park in Singapore, and is built entirely on reclaimed land with a man-made beach, where swimming is possible. The beach is protected by breakwaters, with no other natural features.

With a total land size of 185-hectares, and a scenic coastline that stretches over 15 km, East Coast Park is one of Singapore's most treasured urban getaways, attracting more than 7.5 million visitors a year. 
Themed "Recreation for All", East Coast Park offers an exciting diversity of sporting, dining and recreational activities catering to various segments of the public. Bowling alleys, volleyball courts, holiday chalets, restaurants and a hawker centre can all be found in this park.

Come to the park on weekends, sit under the swaying coconut palms, Casuarinas and Ketapangs, and enjoy having your picnics with your families or friends. Sit back and let the inviting waves and fresh perennial sea breeze provide you with an invigorating relief to the stifling city heat and humidity.

For those looking for action, East Coast Park also offers a myriad of sporting opportunities such as cycling, in-line skating, cable skiing and water sporting activities as well as a Xtreme SkatePark for action sports enthusiasts to hone their techniques. In the evenings, bring your families and friends down for a barbecue or indulge in sumptuous cuisines at the East Coast Seafood Centre.

The park is a popular place for families and friends to relax and enjoy themselves. The park has barbecue pits, entertainment facilities, chalets, food and beverage, and amenities for sports activities. A cycling and inline skating track runs along the perimeter of the park, which measures over 15 km long.
 
as we walked - and talked - and walked some more, we realised that the park had become less frequented by walkers, cyclists and bladers ..... it turned out that they knew more than we did!

After walking quite a way, we came across THE DEAD END!  Why was that not sign posted back at the main road?

So this is where we did the "U" turn and retraced our steps! 
not that it was any chore to do so as it really is a beautiful park with lots of shady tree's.  We came to the crossing for the Katong Underpass and this is the direction we decided to take as we were looking for coffee by this point.

On the other side of the roadway where we expected the underpass to be is fenced with corrugated iron and a lot of construction work being done. 

But we did find the 'entrance' to the underpass as seen below:
and we actually made it out to the other side safely regardless of how it might look in the above photos!  By this time we were in the following area after crossing East Coast Parkway via the underpass and walking towards Fort Road.
Now I need to do some research on this interesting and historical area known as Fort Tanjong Katong and the little boy that sits on the edge of the pathway will certainly have a tale or two to tell I am sure!

stay tuned for the next blog posting on the Fort Rd area.

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a few of the blog posts in my "walk series" are as follows:









5 comments:

cajunsis said...

Our favorite walk - we often went there on Sunday afternoon and walked all the way to the Bougainvillea garden on the far east end. Love, love, love the walk. Do you remember the Rainbow tree I used to take pictures of? It is in Katong park! You were THERE! We lived off of Tangjong Rhu Rd. You were right by our place :-) Wonderful area isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Quite an delightful walk...I'll be interested in hearing about the little boy!

Laurel said...

I love these posts. It helps me learn Singapore better. The other day I was driving and felt like I had been down the street before but I realized it was because of your posts! Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and then blog it all out.

Laurel said...

I love these posts. It helps me learn Singapore better. The other day I was driving and felt like I had been down the street before but I realized it was because of your posts! Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and then blog it all out.

Unknown said...

We have one day in Singapore while waiting for a flight. We've done the shopping thing before so were thinking of getting some walking done instead. Thanks for the practical tips, it's probably saved us much frustration and uncertainty. Will let you know how it works out.

Many thanks,
Sandra from Holland