Bishan with Daffy

It was my idea to ride Daffy to a new destination today. 

This is a place where- despite our familiarity with the roads, the connectivity and having been on Upper Thomson Road before- we'd never biked there. 

The intention was to take Upper Paya Lebar Road, MacPherson Road, somewhere on Jalan Toa Payoh (or the PCN) then towards Bishan Park from the Toa Payoh side. 

But my companion suggested a different route. 

And a much more interesting route it turned out to be. 

Instead of heading via Upper Paya Lebar, we made our way down Geylang Road all the way until Geylang Lorong 1 where we made a turn towards Kallang Bahru and Kallang MRT. 

From here we went past factories along Upper Boon Keng Road, crossed over the Kallang River and cycled past more factories old and new on Boon Keng Road.

We got to the junction of Bendeemer Road, carried on, and passed by Serangoon Road before going straight up towards Towner Road. 

I haven't come to this part of Towner Road in three years.

As much as there're several buildings of architectural and heritage interest to me, I haven't had much of a reason to come here.

So it was with a bit of surprise that behind these houses (which I didn't take picture of) were flats, upcoming flats, and two school compounds whose main gates faced each other direct on sight. 

It's safe to say that Towner Road is a cul de sac. 

Except that I don't know if it always was. 

Next to this road was the CTE Expressway across which was a very long overhead bridge. 

We took it- pushing Daffy and Blue up- then entered the estate of Whampoa and Whampoa Drive. 

Probably one of the most underrated yet interesting housing estates this side of town, there's a quaintness to the place which you dont find elsewhere. 

Perhaps it has something to do with the sculpture of the dragon at the front of the housing block. 

Perhaps it has something to do with the compactness of the estate.

Or maybe just the hawker center which, I've heard, has really good breakfast and supper foods. 

We didn't go this side of Whampoa today. 

Instead we made a right, turned onto this little lane and found ourselves on the PCN along the Whampoa River. 

All the way we went- passing by the back of Wheeler's Yard- before we reached the point where Whampoa River crosses the Kallang River lying parallel to the Pan Island Expressway. 

Across the Expressway lay Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, and Lorong 6 Toa Payoh. 

Along this road we went, continuing on to Toa Payoh Lorong 1 before we made a left to Toa Payoh Rise then Braddell Rise before coasting down the hill onto Braddell Road. 

From Braddell Road we crossed beneath the Bishan Flyover (near SPH) into Bishan Road then it was straight up to Bishan Park from there. 

You know it's so funny how I've heard so much about Bishan Park (back then) and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (today), but I haven't come here since I was 14 years old. 

That's more than two decades.

It was- of course- a different park then. 

Today it's obvious that the Kallang River runs through it as a sort of last pit stop before Lower Peirce Reservoir, but most of us didn't know that back then.

I certainly didn't. 

The only thing I remembered about Bishan Park was the group that I'd gone with- and the foot reflexology path which I tried for the first time. 

We didn't bike round the whole Bishan Park- we were bum- but we did do a sort of a small round where we came upon a dog park and I paused to watch the doggies run freely around. 

It's quite interesting how my pictures ended up looking like they were part of some NParks circular, but perhaps I was in one of those moods where I was content to take pictures of what I saw around me and stick with it. 

One day- if I feel more energetic and less bum- I might do the entire Bishan Park (including the McDonalds) and then exit down from Upper Thomson Road. 

Today, however, we had dinner at Junction 8 (which, shall I say that the dinner could have been better?) and then decided to go back from the Braddell Road route. 

That was, in fact, my idea, which, as I later discovered, turned out to be a very complicated one. 

We really ought to have gone up towards AMK Avenue 3, Hougang Avenue 2, Hougang Avenue 3 and beyond. 

But no, (adventurous) me decided we should try the Braddell Road route down to MacPherson and back. 

What I didn't count on, however, was just how unfamiliar with the route I was. 

Where, instead of going via Bishan Street 11 and coming out over the bridge to Toa Payoh Lorong 8, I made the mistake of going onto Braddell Road itself, where to my chagrin, I soon found myself in the very dangerous position of having to cut from the last lane to the first lane to get to the lane which would then lead me to Upper Serangoon Road. 

That I soon discovered was not doable.

Judgment prevails, and back onto the pavement I went, only to realize that the pavement led to nowhere. 

So through the blocks I pushed Daffy right back onto Bishan Street 11 and finally onto the bridge. 

Here I made my second mistake. 

It would have been much easier had I stuck to the PCN and gone along the river. 

But no, stubborn me decided that I'd do Braddell Road- completely forgetting that Braddell Road after the CTE is a hill. 

And a very steep, serious hill. 

Yes, I pushed Daffy most of the way. 

I'm not hardcore like that. 

From there it was a straight ride down Upper Serangoon Road towards Woodleigh and Potong Pasir. 

Here, however, my ride companion (who had gone on the PCN) nicely decided to turn back and wait for me at Woodleigh- despite the information that I was already at Potong Pasir and would be at the MacPherson Road turn. 

I'm sorry for the extra effort. 

I should have made myself more clear. 

Fortunately my companion is one of those hardcore gungho riders who won't balk at a couple of (extra) kilometers- unlike me- and so other than a bit of exasperation on my part and a 'i give up' sigh from the other, it really was just a 20 minute wait for me whilst Blue came scooting back down. 

It wasn't straightforward from here after. 

We went onto MacPherson Road all the way down until we got to Paya Lebar Road, and returned back east side from there.