Such a long time it had been since we cycled this side of East Coast Park towards Jurassic Mile and beyond, so we decided it a good idea to head along that direction today.
The weather was unseasonably warm, to my surprise, but the winds this afternoon weren't too bad, and I made to the part we call Tanah Merah Canal in good time.
Would've been nice, of course, to have a bit of what I call wind chill, but hey, that's the way it is when you're out here by the beach and the coconut trees, and glad was I already that the weather wasn't unbearably humid.
From the exit where we turned out via Siglap- we made a left and before long we were at the area I call Jumbo Seafood where from your alfresco table you can gaze over the surface of the sea to the shimmering lights of the ships at anchor.
The East Coast Lagoon Hawker Center followed not too long after, then the Bedok Jetty, which as much as I like to turn in whenever I can, decided to just go on ahead today because we were going to Changi Village and there might not be enough time.
The scenery after Bedok Jetty reminds me of forests (somewhere) but I don't know where.
They make for great memories and great pictures if you're someone who likes greenery in the form of grass, shrubs and tall sturdy trees.
Somewhere along the way you'll pass by a country club of sorts, then a sailing and watersports club, then the junction that leads you either to Jurassic Mile and Changi Airport (straight ahead), or Changi Village on the right side.
It was to the right that we turned this particular afternoon.
And thus began one of the longest routes this side of the island on what cyclists call the Tanah Merah Coastal Route or TMCR.
It's a good 20km, which, depending on your capability and stamina, might not be considered long, but if there's one thing this TMCR is, it's that she's dull.
There's hardly a landmark to be seen, I tell you, except for (if I'm not wrong), the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, the Changi Naval Base, the purple-painted dormitory blocks of migrant workers, lots and lots and lots of trees, some structures on the opposite of the road (from what I think might be an engineering firm or Changi Airport, I don't know), and then, after what is probably the most tedious stretch, this.
I can't remember whether there was anything of significance before this.
Probably not.
But maybe by that time I was too pooped- just simply trying to pedal one foot after the other- and so didn't notice.
It's scenic, this place behind the Changi Exhibition Center on Aviation Park Road, and more often than not, I wish I had the energy, and time, to stop, sit on the benches and breathe in the view.
Sad to say, however, I'm usually sweaty, tired and super hungry by then, so it's just a couple pictures of the calm, peaceful scene, and onwards I go.
Does the TMCR end there?
Technically, yes, even though there's still a bit of a route to go until you reach Changi Village.
But the ride doesn't get as bored by that time because, well, there's so much more to see.
Not just the newly built boardwalk that leads you around a curve, but not far off is Changi Beach Park where the pavilions are, where one passes the SAF Ferry Terminal to Pulau Tekong, and after that, the livelier side of the Park where anglers fish, families picnic, kids ride bicycles, scooting around on scooters, and hornbills take flight to the trees.