The East Coast Park is lovely, perfect for a day outing, cycling or walking, but it can get busy. So I opted to walk from Marine Parade away from it all towards the airport. Part of my journey circumnavigating Singapore. I got to reminisce about my old neighbourhood, saw the cityscape from a 250m pier out into the ocean and finished the walk by being transported back a few million years, to the age of Dinosaurs.
As mentioned in my previous blog with the planning of the route, I never thought I would walk the circumference of a country, and yes it is one of the 20 smallest countries in the world, but it is a challenge for me, I am not a sporty person, but I do love to explore. I divided it up into shorter walks across 19 days, and included the islands that are accessible. Plus I researched each area to see what ‘hidden’ gems I did not know off.
Marine Parade / East Coast Park to Jurassic Mile
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| Activity: | Oceanfront dinner followed by Dinosaur spotting at Jurassic Mile
Where : Stella Restaurant & Jurassic Mile
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The plan was to walk on Friday afternoon, but the gigantic blister in the nook between my big toe and ball of foot, well it made me a bit reluctant to go walk. I didn’t want to pop it to be frank. So Saturday it was, knowing it will be busy, with people and their dogs out to enjoy the lovely weather over the weekend. But as my walk was in the upper part of the East Coast, I hoped it would be less crowded, and only the first 3 km with cafes would be busy. Saturday morning came and the heavens opened up.
Two options: either no walking if it continues to rain, or perfect weather to walk just after a storm. The latter ended up happening and it cleared. Taking advantage of this, I made my way on the MRT and the bus to my previous pit stop at the Starbucks on the East Coast at 3:40pm.
Upper East Coast Park
I still had about 11.5km to my final pit stop at Stella restaurant at NSRCC Sea Sports Centre. And yes it was busy, everyone it seemed was out, some cycling, some running, other walking, a few learning to ride bicycles. Do take note, over a weekend you have to be very alert, cyclists dashing past, groups running.
My first unplanned stop, I just could not resist, a Frozen yogurt at Marine Cove. After delighting in the cool refreshment, I headed past the condo where I used to stay about 8 years ago. Much has changed but also a lot is still the same.
Reclaimed land & old seawall
Now if you did not know, Singapore has increased in size by about 25%. How you ask, reclamation. The area where condos and housing estates like Tanjong Rhu all the way to Bedok area are, and this includes Marine Parade road where I stayed, all built on reclaimed land. The project started in the early 60s and lasted for 20 years. Basically everything from Marine Parade road to the ocean is new. I remember a taxi uncle telling me about his youth in the area in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
A past memory of the seawall is still preserved. Well at this moment the new MRT line construction is happening close to it, partially covered from street view, I did not go around to explore this time. But I remember seeing it when I lived in the area, you can explore the Bedok heritage trail by roots.gov.sg.
Wakeboarding & glamping
Passing my old home, another familiar site, the restaurants and wakeboarding. This used to be another favourite area of mine to sit and read in.
If you are looking for a new experience, here in a lake you can try your hand at wakeboarding. Stephen has done it a few times and he loved it.
All around the East Coast you will notice pretty tents, well you can actually camp or if you want a bit more leisure, go glamping in one of these tents. They are all set up, decorated and some with an AC or fan. You can apparently rent a projector screen to do your own big screen movie. Is this true, has anyone done this before?
Book a spot through NParks, set up your own tent in the designated area, hire a bbq pit and enjoy the ocean view and breeze.
If you do not have your own camping gear, no worries just google glamping on the East Coast to get in contact with the various hosts.
*Do note, currently camping and bbq sites are still closed, check or contact Nparks for updates.
Bedok Lighthouse
If you stand in front of the wakeboarding lake and look up to the condos you will spot one that just doesn’t quite fit in with the other blue tones. The one has a peculiar orange top. Yes, not on a hill or rocky shore but atop a 26 storey condo, Lagoon View, you will find the Bedok Lighthouse at 76m above sea level. It was the first unmanned lighthouse that began operating in 1978, and to this day it flashes every 5 sec. And no, apparently it does not bother anyone living there. Pretty cool.
Upper East Coast park & Bedok jetty
From here it becomes less crowded, especially after the food court. A short walk on you will find the Bedok jetty, formerly the longest jetty in Singapore at 250m (now the Woodlands jetty is the longest). A favourite spot for avid fishermen evident today. The jetty was lined with rods of all lengths and sizes. This jetty was started as a private jetty in 1966 by a local businessman, Yap Swee Hong. Walk to the end and you have a beautiful view of the city in the distance. To the other side, what I first thought was my end goal and got all excited, but as a matter of fact it was only the Sailing club.
I took a short break here to hydrate, even though it’s not sunny, I had to remind myself to drink water. At this point I started feeling that blister again, really, now? But I was prepared, and it was covered with a plaster, so I pushed it out of my mind yet again. From here the number of people decreased. Soon a little restaurant and the beautiful bougainvillea park presented itself. Perfect for photo shoots. Checking the map ever so often, as if it would help me reach my destination quicker. The last stretch runs past the National Sailing centre, and finally NSRCC is in sight. At this point Stephen messaged me and told me he was on his way. He would like to join for dinner and is quite interested to see the dinosaurs.
Activities
Stella restaurant
Stella restaurant is within NSRCC Sea sport centre, and is open to the public. Why I love it, it is far from any other buildings, plus you have a panoramic view of the ocean. Oh and they serve the best samosas! They reminded me of those we get in South Africa. We relaxed here for a while with a mocktail in hand, taking in the ambience while the sun was setting.
After paying the cheque, standing suddenly revealed a pain in my knee, a familiar pain from my dancing years. Must be the shoes or how I sat, but it was painful. Never mind, I wanted to see the dinosaurs. I was a big fan as a child, so this was something I was looking forward to.
Never let a stubble on the road be the end of the journey”
Unknown
The last part we walked up in the dark on the PCN to go see the dinosaurs. The last stretch was unfamiliar for both my hubby and me. He used to cycle the area quite often, but it has changed a bit. So this was a new adventure for us both. The PCN is wide and well lit.
Jurassic Mile
Coming closer to Jurassic Mile, the permanent outdoor display, we passed the airport, eerily quiet, only a handful of planes left, so different from what we are used to with a flight every few minutes. As we came around a turn we heard a loud roar. Mmmm okay, wonder how this showcase of dinosaurs will be? I got mixed reviews from others that visited Jurassic Mile before, they either liked it or were underwhelmed. Well I liked it, not oh wow, mind blowing amazing, but really enjoyable. Definitely a fun activity for kids even for those of us still young at heart. Got my phone right up to the fence, wide angle setting and clicked away. I would probably recommend coming during the evening as they are beautifully lit up. As always, Singapore is magical after dark with all the beautiful lights.
Time to head home. Passing T4 a few 100m’s on, this is even more eerie, it is dark and vacant, so strange to see. We got on bus 36 to the city, tired with a sore knee but still loved the walk and all the photos I took. (Do note it is not possible to walk to the airport MRT from Jurassic Mile.)
Distance
It’s been quite a walk, covering 13.3km. The weather was awesome, but the body didn’t want to cooperate as it should. Need to get a knee guard. Slightly dreading the next leg of 14km around a rather tedious and monotonous stretch, with little shade and no toilets or shops. Let’s see how that goes.
Conclusion of Day 2
Absolutely lovely, scenic walk, the East Coast Park is a beautiful park with designated paths for both walking and cycling. Some paths are shared so make sure to keep to your side. Day 1 & 2 can also be done in one go. Just make sure to stay hydrated. There are many shops along the way and toilets as well, making this a rather comfortable walk. Jurassic Mile was a pleasant surprise.
Happy walking! And see you on the PCNs!
xxx
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*Opinions expressed here are my own.
Want to know the first day of hiking the circumference of Singapore, read more here!
Want to see how I planned this challenge around Singapore, read more here!
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