We haven't biked this side of East Coast Park in the last couple of months.
The last time we did, we went to the new connector behind the Aviation Park.
This time too, we did the same thing.
It was a good ride we had that day.
The weather was fine- overcast, cloudy but full of winds- and there weren't many people on the connector in East Coast Park.
Tell the truth, I was a little surprised- what with school holidays having just begun, what with weekends being traditionally crowded at the beach- I had been expecting the connector to be packed with people out on their bikes enjoying their day of fun.
But no, the crowds weren't there.
If it were quiet around Marine Cove, the camping grounds and the East Coast Lagoon Food Center, the eastern part of the park- near the country club- was quieter still.
We parked out bikes near the Tanah Merah Canal.
This is a regular pit stop for me when cycling to Changi Village.
I always like to take a breather here for the toilet, and the view.
The tides were particularly low today compared to the many other times that I'd been here.
I don't think I'd ever seen tides this low as what I saw today.
Then again, I probably don't come often enough to this part of the park either.
The Coastal Park Connector (as TMCR is now known) was, thankfully, the same like it had always been.
It's a long route, almost 17km to Changi Beach Park on a straight path.
So it's easier to see it in terms of the landmarks that lie along the route.
The first key turn you passed by was the road into Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
After that came the dormitory quarters for the construction workers involved in the project of the Surbana-something line.
The Changi Naval Base comes shortly after.
And then after that is a very, very long way.
This section is probably the longest stretch on the entire route.
It's the part where exhaustion begins to hit and you start looking at Strava or Google Maps or the markings on the ground to figure out just how far away you still are.
It didn't use to be so bad.
But now they've boarded up the entire stretch and you can't see anything of a great sea view or even the hill (on an island on the opposite of the water) nor stop to take pictures and selfies anymore.
There just isn't anything left to see.
I think you can still see the hill in the distance, but I'm not so sure.
On a cool day (like today) the ride doesn't feel so bad.
On a scorching hot day, it's otherwise.
I guess that's where the connector brings you a real respite..
There are some views that will remind you of elsewhere, or of home
This connector is one of them.
One of the most beautiful things about this place is the sunset.
It's glorious.
It's peaceful.
It's nothing like we see in the city- ever.
It's genuinely beautiful.
Sometimes I think I should stop here for a while and just appreciate the beauty that's all around me.
But I tend to be tired and thirsty and hungry by then, and so I carry on- past the stretch of green and beach that is Changi Beach Park, past the SAF Ferry Terminal, the picnickers, the fishermen, the families, and the kite-flyers.