Top: Coastal breakwater 4; Bottom: Jogging track along the park perimeter
Here’s another attempt at trying out new places to do my morning jogs in Singapore.
1. West Coast Park
In the past, my family used to come here over the weekends to fly kites, cycle, take a stroll and play at the playgrounds. Back then, it was a very lively place, almost always filled with kids and adults running around, having picnics, just spending time together. On the day I went there, the park was quiet and tranquil on a weekday morning, with a few joggers and strolling couples here and there. I finally came here, not to play or run around with the boy, but to jog and just soak in the views. It’s my first time here to jog, after being here for so many times.
I miss being able to go all the way to the edge of the park, to the beach at the southern part of Singapore where the boats dock in the evening. There, we used to pick up pebbles and stones to throw into the water, to see whose stones could skip once, twice or thrice on the water surface. It wasn’t a trick I excelled in, but I loved doing it anyway. You were supposed to throw them at a certain angle, horizontally. I used to also come here when I was an undergraduate, just to run away from home and hide from ugly people. I once brought my cross stitch there, sat down on a grass patch facing the sea breeze and did my stitching for the entire afternoon!
Having had a few rounds of renovation, it’s now difficult to get too near to the beach due to the additional concretes and barricades. Except for this barren stretch in the middle of the park, where one could sit down at the coast to enjoy the morning breeze. The sea view has changed significantly, with a lot more yachts and rigs in the near distance. The perimeter of the park has also changed with the development of the PSA container terminal at the left end of the park in the 1990s, though there are plans to shift this terminal away in the future.
This park is a nice place to jog in, with more than 5km of seamless track available tracing its perimeter. The best thing of all? MacDonald’s is still there, so I could have a refreshing cup of blended frappe after my morning run.
Top image: Jogging track around the park with a nice garden view
2. East Coast Park
I usually visit the East Coast Park for one and only one reason – to cycle to Changi Village along the coastal PCN. The Gocycling kiosk is located there and opens early so I could rent a bike and take off from there. Coming here specially to jog this time was also the first time in my life to do so. The park is a lot bigger than West Coast Park – the whole stretch along the coast itself is more than 15km so anyone could jog all they want and stop at any point in between.
Before the jog, I went up to the breakwater 4 to soak in the sun and breeze and gather some energy from the wind.
Top: Right view from Breakwater 4; Bottom: Left view from Breakwater 4 with the sunrise
The jogging track itself is friendly and straight most of the way, so you really just have to follow the path along the coast. Unlike West Coast Park, there are slight elevations in some parts of the route, but these are very easily manageable.
Top image: Jogging track along the coastal PCN
And because the track runs along the TEL line, I decided to head in the direction back home, starting from Marine Terrace and jogging towards Tanjong Rhu, just so I could cross the expressway before I reach Tanjong Rhu to visit the old fort at Katong Park. It’s called ‘Fort Tanjong Katong’, one that was built in 1879 by the British colonial government to protect the coasts at the eastern end of Singapore. After Katong Park was built in the early 1900s, the fort got buried in. It was accidentally rediscovered in 2001 and Fort Road was named in dedication of this fort. The rest is history.
Top: Fort Tanjong Katong with a fence around it; Bottom: Heritage Tree
Standing here at the fort, It’s difficult to imagine how it could have been situated right next to the sea in the past because the coast is nowhere in sight anymore. Our country’s land reclamation efforts are amazing, so kudos to the government and authorities for all the hard work. I’m just not so sure how placing a bench right in front of the fort (behind the fences) and facing it would help anyone appreciate this part of Singapore’s history any better than letting visitors go right in and experience it for themselves. I personally thought it’s nice to leave it as it is (with a signage yes), just like the one at Fort Canning Hill. I am no archaeologist though, so there might be conservation issues that I’m not aware of.
I also took the chance to say hi to the Heritage Tree right beside the fort before I left. It’s a massive Mindanao Gum, a rainbow eucalyptus, which explains the colourful streaks on its bark.