Greetings again,
It has been awhile hasn’t it? Yesterday, I went cycling to bottle tree village in Sembawang. Setting off at 2.30pm I rode my bike down Choa Chu Kang North 6 passing by Yew Tee MRT station. It was a nice cloudy day, not what I would usually prefer though. I was expecting the blazing sun but nonetheless, the day is still for cycling. After a brief stop at the petrol station to stiffen my wheels, I peddled down towards the railway bridge, heading for Woodlands Road.
Being in the day it seemed safer to cycle on the pavement. The horrendously bumpy pavement. Zipping pass curious drivers, bumping my way towards Mandai Road I wondered to myself just why am I doing this. Why am I heading for the shear suffering which awaits anyone wishing to go down Mandai Road. As the hills approach, the mind wanes. Things blur as fatigue sets in and sensations dull under the scorch of lactic acid.
I exited Mandai Road and pass by Yishun. “Sembawang”, I told myself. That’s where I am heading to. Riding down Yishun Avenue 2 I realized I didn’t know which junction to turn at. Not willing to trust my instincts, I rode until I could see Sembawang MRT station before I back tracked to the previous junction. In the map I forgot to bring, I was supposed to turn only at that junction. Am I going to get lost? A sickening thought as I was already tired. No choice but to convince myself that if I do get lost, simply cycling south will get me home… no matter how long.
At the junction, alas! The sign “Sembawang Park” greets me. Yes! On the right track so I was. Tired but eager, I pushed on down the winding road. How quiet it was this road, tranquil as such it really makes me expect to see a kampong village. Finally there it was, Bottle Tree Village. Ah… so those are the bottle trees. And what is this? A park connector which links to yishun park? Curious and attracted by the quiet cycling track, I find myself riding down just to see if it really does connect to Yishun park.
The trail ends abruptly into Yishun avenue 2. Alright… so where is Yishun park? Turning left, I headed back down along Yishun avenue just to look for the park. After awhile, I gave up. Turning back when I saw North Point shopping centre. Time to head home I guess. So I headed towards Causeway point. “Shouldn’t be that far”, or so I thought. By now, dehydration and its effects had set in. I begin to feel alittle desperate. My rickety bike starts to complain as well, squeaking ever more the frequent. Distracting myself from the strain, I looked around the environment. How interesting, this is the very first time I’m cycling in Admiralty. At every turn, an unfamiliar street beckons. If only I have the time to cycle through all of them!
Down Woodlands Avenue I went, the traffic beginning to build up as peak hour arrives. It is almost 5pm now and the streets are beginning to bustle with life. Like an observer from outer space I road along side the cars, casually and curiously wondering how these streaming masses of persons are leading their lives. Are they happy? Sad? Lonely?
Finally about an hour later, I turned into Woodlands Road… the familiar sight of the petrol station signifying the end of my journey for the day!! oOo [35 kilometers in total]
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You are lucky - to even get to see Bottle Tree Village. Heard so much of it, on Saturday weekend asked my husband to drive us down ...... Even as we entered Sembawang, he (gingerly) passed all the little lanes = Jalan Wak Hassan, etc.. he doesn't seem that happy, then right after "BUCKAROOS" and the darkness looming beyond the makeshift parking lot/field our friend (& my so-called HE-MAN") gave a frantic U-turn back to civilisation! The kids (our sons 20 & 13) screamed - Dad, hey we're heading into adventure - why are we heading back???!! Dad: 1st, there's lots of better places to eat, 2nd if you need to desperately see the place then find a courageous taxi, 3rd I won't even like to visit this area in the day, and 4th - let me disclose it ALL in the comfort of bright lights in Yishun & NorthPoint, 5th let's head down Geylang Serai instead & simply watch the lights & eat in town instead ..... The boys like a good story, & so do I. I hope it's just a story! But my husband is hardly ever fazed by anything, so I guess his belief is true this time round. Growing up with school chums from the area around Kg Wak Hassan the village folk then & now lived with the shadow of lurking spirits of this rather forested patch of Malay kampongs & the sea. The Sembawang park area is infested with "FATIMAH ROCK-ERS" - since no one dares to mention the female version of Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise's alter ego in the famous novels of Anne Rice. See - even I am getting away with the horrifying "V" (in English) and "P" (in Malay) words. These manifestations not only prowl at night, but in daylight as well in the guise of ordinary people. It is the whiff of flowers & something else (whatever) about them which sets them apart, but by the time you realised it that's probably just TOO LATE. Drownings in the seas off Sembawang are also attributed to these sinister beings as quite a few goes unexplained & unexpected. As close as 2 weeks ago my husband met childhood friends who said they'd still fish anywhere BUT the Sembawang Park areas. For it seems now that the kampongs have been demolised, "FATIMAH ROCK-ERS" are frantically looking for places to roost & these areas are rather dangerous for the unwary. If your luck is low they might turn their interest on you, and would you care to meet ANY in person???!!! My husband is not a young man, we are both in our fifties & why carry tales such as these to scare the children? I will go with what he has known much of these parts, so Bottle Tree Village will have to be given a miss. It's that S-T-R-E-T-C-H along Andrews Avenue from beyond Buckaroos into the dark lanes under the winding trees.... to the tunnel of trees towards the Antenna scaffolding where the seafood place is - that's the scary part. Maybe the brave will dare the walk - & with HALLOWEEN coming up, some enterprising person might just make this a ghostwalk to remember?
Oh, we ended up at Carl's Junior in Marina Square - unexciting & not truly an adventure - but at least, SAFE.
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