Having already clocked more than 100km this week, I did not intend to cycle at first but I stumbled upon a thread on the Singapore Mountain Bike Forum which left me intrigued. Ever heard of Pulau Punggol Barat or Pulau Punggol Timor? Chances are, you haven't.
I have been working in Seletar for the past year yet I have never given the islands much thought or even bothered to check out their names. I thought they were not accessible but I was wrong. In fact, there was a kind of a bridge across to Pulau Punggol Barat in the past; now they have built a beautiful arch bridge but construction works are only due to be completed in April 2009.
From Battersea Road, one can see the islands. We have passed them so many times during our AHM trainings of 8km or more. I always thought they were training grounds used by 35 but from the thread, it seems I was wrong. The pictures posted on the forum were breathtaking, even described as "Windows XP wallpaper" by some readers. Thus I made up my mind to check it out.
The location was not far, just after the Seletar dam. I passed a few cyclists along the way but none seemed to be going to the island. From one of the threads, I had learnt that a group of cyclists were setting off for the island at 9a.m from Bikelink. It was already past 10a.m. They should already be on the island or on the way back. But I didn't run into them. Alas, as I approached the entrance, construction works were in progress, even on a Sunday! The construction office was right in front of the entrance hence it was simply impossible to sneak past. I had to fight back the temptation and decided to return another day, best on a Sunday afternoon when the works had stopped.
But this was not it. I crossed the dam, deciding to check "Area A" (my nickname for this undisclosed location) out. As expected, the gate was locked. However, there were 3 elderly men with their bicycles inside! Upon closer look, the was a gap under which I could just barely squeeze myself and the bike in. I made it in. =P Off-road time!
There had to be a "shortcut" to Yishun. I decided to follow the old men. Along the way, we came to a junction. They proceeded straight. I was tempted to take the right path leading to the sea. I did and the path lead straight into the sea. The sight was beautiful. Perfect for the anglers.
I backtracked but by then, I had lost the elderly men. Soon, I came to another junction! A clearing with small but steep mounts. I chose the most likely direction. The off-road trail was wide enough to speed but I proceeded rather cautiously, taking no chances and memorising the route I took. Why? Because I had entered a forested area with multiple paths, with neither a map or a compass =) I had to congratulate myself when I hit more junctions, swamps and an endless path which did not seem to lead out to civilisation.
Soon, I realised I was moving in a circle. There was even a man-made shelter in the forest. Illegal immigrants? Who knows. Then I arrived back at a familiar junction. Cool. At least I now know the way out to the Seletar Dam. I decided to give another path a shot, memorising features along the way.
A certain amount of fear grips you when you are alone in unfamiliar surroundings. Like a jungle. Being well-prepared will reduce the fear and if you control it, it will be to your advantage. This is because fear gives a signal to the brain and the body responds in a way to enhance one's survival. For example, the pupils of the eyes will enlarge, enhancing eyesight while the heart will pump faster to get more blood in the bloodstream. The lungs will take in more air such that one has more oxygen in the body. More energy and adrenaline is produced such one is more alert and can respond faster with more strength.
Obviously I was very well-prepared with nothing more than a bottle of water and a spare tyre tube. As the dirt track winded, I wondered idly if I would get lost. Then I saw a man. He was carrying something. As I crept closer, he was obviously a foreign worker. I followed him until a junction. Deciding to check out the route by a swamp, I made a detour and encountered patches of mud along the way. The track seemed to lead to nowhere hence I decided to turn back. A loud splash in the swamp gave me a start. It was definitely something big. A crocodile? Damn. Our imagination tend to run wild at the most uncertain moments. I accelerated away.
I caught up with the guy. He bashed into some bushes down to the river. So he was not going out after all. I heard some activity and wondered what in the world were they up to. Deciding to take another route, I proceeded. The trail narrowed gradually till the lalangs and branches scratched me. Then I saw a depression ahead. It was a stream. I slowed down and crossed easily, my front fork taking up the impact and tyres still gripping in the water.
Another junction. The path to the right. As I rode on, I came to a clearing. This looked familiar. Did I just make a loop? I couldn't confirm hence it was time to backtrack and check out the path to the left. As the bike rolled down the slight incline, I idly mapped out the route I had taken in my mind, praying that I need not turn back.
The sea was now on my left. It looked as if I was heading the correct direction. I hit a clearing with small but steep mounts on the left. It was the correct path out. Again I heard some activity but ignored it and headed for the gate.
Just 30m away, a police van pulled up to the gate. "Bukit Batok" in white was clearly imprinted on the side. Damn! Just my luck!
I moved to the side calmly, my mind racing. Should I say that I saw a few elderly men and just decided to follow them in? Or should I claim that I came down from the dam and had ended up here? The latter was more believable. There just had to be a path leading from the dam.
I stared in the direction of the sea, waiting for the policemen to enter. They were in plain clothes but from the equipment they were carrying (jerry can and target boards), it seemed that they were conducting a live shoot. From their complexions, they were probably Gurkhas. I know they saw me, but I don't think they knew I was looking at them. To them, I was probably a cyclist chilling by the reservoir and not knowing where I had landed.
It was plain stupid to go back under the gate as the police van was parked there. Someone was sure to ask questions. Hobson's choice, I started bashing towards the reservoir and climbed up a breakwater to consider my options. A short recce proved a path up a steep incline and down over the other side to a construction site. Somehow, I managed to carry my bike and climb on all fours up the incline and down the other side.
A worker was seating by the reservoir when I passed. I was glad to be ignored. I realised I had to pass the police van. But at least I was outside "Area A". An obstacle of about 100m comprising a mud course lay ahead of me. I manoevred my bike through carefully but by the end of it, thick chunks of soil coated my frame and tyres. The police van pulled away as I approached. Relief! Hitting the pavement and subsequently the road, my speed increased, throwing up huge chunks of "chocolate cake". I returned home safe but stained =)
I had a hell of a time washing the bike. One full pail of water just to get the mud off and onto my corridor. I believe the cleaners wonder why when they sweep the corridors in the morning.
Total distance: 16.2km (on-road), ~5km? (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH
I have been working in Seletar for the past year yet I have never given the islands much thought or even bothered to check out their names. I thought they were not accessible but I was wrong. In fact, there was a kind of a bridge across to Pulau Punggol Barat in the past; now they have built a beautiful arch bridge but construction works are only due to be completed in April 2009.
From Battersea Road, one can see the islands. We have passed them so many times during our AHM trainings of 8km or more. I always thought they were training grounds used by 35 but from the thread, it seems I was wrong. The pictures posted on the forum were breathtaking, even described as "Windows XP wallpaper" by some readers. Thus I made up my mind to check it out.
The location was not far, just after the Seletar dam. I passed a few cyclists along the way but none seemed to be going to the island. From one of the threads, I had learnt that a group of cyclists were setting off for the island at 9a.m from Bikelink. It was already past 10a.m. They should already be on the island or on the way back. But I didn't run into them. Alas, as I approached the entrance, construction works were in progress, even on a Sunday! The construction office was right in front of the entrance hence it was simply impossible to sneak past. I had to fight back the temptation and decided to return another day, best on a Sunday afternoon when the works had stopped.
But this was not it. I crossed the dam, deciding to check "Area A" (my nickname for this undisclosed location) out. As expected, the gate was locked. However, there were 3 elderly men with their bicycles inside! Upon closer look, the was a gap under which I could just barely squeeze myself and the bike in. I made it in. =P Off-road time!
There had to be a "shortcut" to Yishun. I decided to follow the old men. Along the way, we came to a junction. They proceeded straight. I was tempted to take the right path leading to the sea. I did and the path lead straight into the sea. The sight was beautiful. Perfect for the anglers.
I backtracked but by then, I had lost the elderly men. Soon, I came to another junction! A clearing with small but steep mounts. I chose the most likely direction. The off-road trail was wide enough to speed but I proceeded rather cautiously, taking no chances and memorising the route I took. Why? Because I had entered a forested area with multiple paths, with neither a map or a compass =) I had to congratulate myself when I hit more junctions, swamps and an endless path which did not seem to lead out to civilisation.
Soon, I realised I was moving in a circle. There was even a man-made shelter in the forest. Illegal immigrants? Who knows. Then I arrived back at a familiar junction. Cool. At least I now know the way out to the Seletar Dam. I decided to give another path a shot, memorising features along the way.
A certain amount of fear grips you when you are alone in unfamiliar surroundings. Like a jungle. Being well-prepared will reduce the fear and if you control it, it will be to your advantage. This is because fear gives a signal to the brain and the body responds in a way to enhance one's survival. For example, the pupils of the eyes will enlarge, enhancing eyesight while the heart will pump faster to get more blood in the bloodstream. The lungs will take in more air such that one has more oxygen in the body. More energy and adrenaline is produced such one is more alert and can respond faster with more strength.
Obviously I was very well-prepared with nothing more than a bottle of water and a spare tyre tube. As the dirt track winded, I wondered idly if I would get lost. Then I saw a man. He was carrying something. As I crept closer, he was obviously a foreign worker. I followed him until a junction. Deciding to check out the route by a swamp, I made a detour and encountered patches of mud along the way. The track seemed to lead to nowhere hence I decided to turn back. A loud splash in the swamp gave me a start. It was definitely something big. A crocodile? Damn. Our imagination tend to run wild at the most uncertain moments. I accelerated away.
I caught up with the guy. He bashed into some bushes down to the river. So he was not going out after all. I heard some activity and wondered what in the world were they up to. Deciding to take another route, I proceeded. The trail narrowed gradually till the lalangs and branches scratched me. Then I saw a depression ahead. It was a stream. I slowed down and crossed easily, my front fork taking up the impact and tyres still gripping in the water.
Another junction. The path to the right. As I rode on, I came to a clearing. This looked familiar. Did I just make a loop? I couldn't confirm hence it was time to backtrack and check out the path to the left. As the bike rolled down the slight incline, I idly mapped out the route I had taken in my mind, praying that I need not turn back.
The sea was now on my left. It looked as if I was heading the correct direction. I hit a clearing with small but steep mounts on the left. It was the correct path out. Again I heard some activity but ignored it and headed for the gate.
Just 30m away, a police van pulled up to the gate. "Bukit Batok" in white was clearly imprinted on the side. Damn! Just my luck!
I moved to the side calmly, my mind racing. Should I say that I saw a few elderly men and just decided to follow them in? Or should I claim that I came down from the dam and had ended up here? The latter was more believable. There just had to be a path leading from the dam.
I stared in the direction of the sea, waiting for the policemen to enter. They were in plain clothes but from the equipment they were carrying (jerry can and target boards), it seemed that they were conducting a live shoot. From their complexions, they were probably Gurkhas. I know they saw me, but I don't think they knew I was looking at them. To them, I was probably a cyclist chilling by the reservoir and not knowing where I had landed.
It was plain stupid to go back under the gate as the police van was parked there. Someone was sure to ask questions. Hobson's choice, I started bashing towards the reservoir and climbed up a breakwater to consider my options. A short recce proved a path up a steep incline and down over the other side to a construction site. Somehow, I managed to carry my bike and climb on all fours up the incline and down the other side.
A worker was seating by the reservoir when I passed. I was glad to be ignored. I realised I had to pass the police van. But at least I was outside "Area A". An obstacle of about 100m comprising a mud course lay ahead of me. I manoevred my bike through carefully but by the end of it, thick chunks of soil coated my frame and tyres. The police van pulled away as I approached. Relief! Hitting the pavement and subsequently the road, my speed increased, throwing up huge chunks of "chocolate cake". I returned home safe but stained =)
I had a hell of a time washing the bike. One full pail of water just to get the mud off and onto my corridor. I believe the cleaners wonder why when they sweep the corridors in the morning.
Total distance: 16.2km (on-road), ~5km? (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH
No comments:
Post a Comment