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West Coast Park

After another long week, we finally got our one day away from the Littlest Dictator.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter. But any parents who claim not to want a break from their baby are either lying or have already gone off the deep end. Kids will do that to you. They’re like those Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, and you’ve always got to be on your toes or you’re well and truly screwed. It gets exhausting.

Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, the day off. So we headed over to West Coast Park.

I had a rough idea of where it was, but didn’t know exactly how to get there. And I wasn’t going to use Google Maps because dammit, I used to cycle past it on the way to work four or five years ago and I don’t need a damn phone to tell me how to get there.

I totally needed my phone.

We reached there eventually after walking about maybe 30 mins from the Clementi Bus Interchange.

We had a sandwich at a Subway-like place, at an newly-refurbished old, three or four-storey building in an equally old neighbourhood.

The many “licensed moneylenders” and pawnshops made it a little bit depressing. Clementi is what property agencies call a “mature estate”, which means it’s been around for longer than most, and is relatively well-developed.

The old housing estates and low buildings with shops on the ground floor and apartments on the floor above have got a kind of charm. Brings back nostalgic memories for me. And some not-so-pleasant ones.

I grew up in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and as the years went by, slowly realised that we were on the lower portion of the income scale. Not dirt poor by any means. But yeah, quite lacking in certain areas.

By the way, as we walked through the neighbourhoods to get to the park, it only occured to me to take pictures once we’d arrived. So ah, you’re just gonna have to use your imagination for now. Put all those Sesame Street hours to good use!

After walking for a while and wondering if we were lost, and ng refusing to check my phone because I’m a man goddammit, we finally arrived!

Beautiful place. So green and windy and bright. Last time I was there, all I could remember was some tiny boats tied near the shore and nothing much else. Hadn’t been there in more than 15 years.

I was quite pleasant surprised.

Looks like it’s windy often because there were quite a few people there flying kites. Maybe one day I’ll show the Littlest Dictator how to fly one.

Usually a trip to a park in Singapore is accompanied by massive amounts of swearing and feeling like a perpetually melting chocolate bar. But this time it was pretty good. Weather was just perfect.

And even on a Saturday, there weren’t many people.

Yea I wouldn’t mind heading back there at all.

September 24, 2017 0

Visit to the Esplanade and a Few Other Places

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, months? And now on the last day of Ramadhan, I finally have a bit of time to write about some the stuff we’ve been up to.

By the way, I’m writing this while watching the Littlest Dictator feed herself.

A few weeks ago, we visited PIP’s Playbox, located on the fourth floor of The Esplanade.

It’s sort of like a little library and play space for little kids.

Yeah, it wasn’t too bad!

I did get a little annoyed by parents who allow their kids to snatch away toys from the Littlest Dictator while she’s playing with them.

I have a new policy now: if the kid snatches away a toy, I snatch it back immediately. Gently but firmly. Waiting for some parents to do the right thing is like waiting for snow to fall in the Sahara Desert. Or the nee season of Attack on Titan. Just… just trust me on this.

BUT! It was hard to stay annoyed when you’ve got one hell of a view:

Then we went for a walk outside along the river.

Hmm, let’s see where else we’ve been to. Oh yeah. LOL Playland at JCube, an indoor playground near Jurong East MRT. Can’t recall if we went before or after The Esplanade though.

Oh yeah! I went to KL for my very first business trip. First time I ever flew there, and first ever day trip. Usually it’s a major thing for me. Takes about six hours by rail, and four by car or bus.

Yeah, not too bad. an experience! The budget airline terminal looked pretty damn good.

Then we took a goddamn 45-min cab ride to a place that looked like it had been carved out of a forested area not too long ago. A pretty cool place with a hipster-ish vibe, with apartments on the upper floors of the shopping centre, and brand new houses on the other side of a narrow road.

It reminded me of a nice waterfall in the middle of a forbidding jungle.

Despite how nice it looked and… ordinary it felt, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were so far away from the city centre, let alone the airport. Wouldn’t mind going back for a short vacation though.

Let’s see… where else? Where else? Oh right. We paid Big Box a visit. It’s a humongous shopping mall/warehouse next to Jem Shopping Centre, also near Jurong East MRT.

We’d gone there previously and it was pretty underwhelming. While it may be huge, the products sold there appeared to me to be of a cheaper, poorer quality compared to what you’d find in other shopping malls.

But I’d heard of a huge indoor playground there and thought we’d check it out.

It was pretty big, that’s for sure. Might bring the Littlest Dictator here when we get th chance.

Then we checked out their humongous supermarket.

Seriously, this place was huge. It felt exhausting just trying to look at all they had to offer. The design seems a little off though. The aisles were a little too wide, and there were white spaces nearly everywhere you turned, from the ceiling to the walls to the floor. Too many white spaces. The place felt vast but strangely sparse.

It wasn’t that bad though. Might return to check out some of the stuff they have on offer there.

By the way, this is now two days after I started writing. And now I’m attempting to finish this while watching Slap on Titan, an Attack o Titan parody. Armin is one hell of a creepy dude.

June 25, 2017 0

Return to Pasir Ris Beach and a Barbeque

Went to a birthday barbeque recently at Pasir Ris Beach.

We hadn’t been there since we moved away about three years ago, so it was really good to be back, even if it was just for a day.

A lot has changed.

The shopping mall outside Pasir Ris MRT Station. It’s still crap, just slightly prettier.

I even missed walking to the beach.

This river leads goes through the mangrove forest that borders the sea. The same old forest that used to be where the beach now stands (Singapore has no natural beaches). Makes me a little sad. And makes us not very smart in general, since mangrove forests actually protect us from tsunamis.

Anyway, back to nice pictures! Here’s the revamped Wild Wild Wet water park which is now HUGE.

Finally arrived at the now-overpriced barbecue pits and chalet rooms (kind of like motels), which now cost a whopping $300 goddamn dollars a night for a small room.

Stayed for a bit and decided to head to the beach while there was still light out. We stayed ’til sunset.

Just um, view the pics in reverse order.

Yea it was pretty good to be back.

March 12, 2017 0

Visit to Oryukdo Skywalk

What is it?

A relatively new seaside attraction that opened up in 2013, located on a cliff on Oryukdo Island. I’ll talk more about whether you should visit further near the bottom of this post.

The drive from Haeundae Beach to Oryukdo took us over Gwangandaegyo, also known as the Diamond Bridge. I never get tired of the view:

As long as you don’t think about possibility plunging to the depths of the sea, you’ll definitely enjoy the view!

One of these days I’ll have to check and see if I can walk up there.

After that was a short journey through one of those quaint, little towns that lies at the entrance to the mountain road that will take you to the cliffs on the other side.

Koreans enjoy livening up their industrial plants with cheerful murals

Made a quick stop on the mountain road to make sure we were headed in the right direction and not to Japan or something.

When we arrived, it was unexpectedly packed! I’m talking a small road filled with cars and tour buses. Turns out it was just our bad luck. Like, an hour later, the roads were clear.

So we parked a little farther out:

A pleasant stroll downhill. Pleasant so long as you don’t think of the journey back up with a cranky baby.

The whole area by the seaside is breathtaking. The views definitely merit that word. It’s like being in a masterpiece of a painting or walking in a dream.

And the air. Holy crap. It’s so fresh. If Mentos grew naturally, this is where you’d find a motherlode. Makes you feel refreshed and relaxed at the same time.

I’d never want to live here, because I’d never want to get tired of seeing such beauty.

Anyway, on to the Skywalk!

From here, it’s just a short walk up to the Skywalk proper:

Admission is free and you’ll have to cover your shoes before entering:

Here we go:

If you have vertigo, probably not the best idea.

The Skywalk itself was OK. Probably because I’ve experienced similar platforms that were much, much higher up like the Euraka Skydeck’s ‘The Edge’ in Melbourne and even the walk in Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

The Littlest Dictator was quiet… for a moment.

Next, we walked down to the bay, where there’s a small market for fresh fish:

The trailer is a little restaurant if you’re in the mood for seafood

Should you visit?

Depends, really. The natural beauty of Okyudo Island is enchanting, surreal even. If nature is your thing, I’d highly recommend it.

If you’re going solely for the Skywalk though, then you might want to give it a pass.

The place is a major pain to get to, and if you took public transport (excluding cabs), it could easily take you more than an hour to reach.

More details here:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1981825

Dear GOD has the baby always been this heavy??

December 22, 2016 0

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

My hand now looks like a wrinkly apple with an attitude problem, but the pain’s almost gone so hopefully I’ll be able to resume my workouts tomorrow!

Anyway, we visited the ancient Haedong Yonggungsa temple recently. First built in 1376 (and my little sister calls me old!) and situated on a cliff by the sea, the views you get are breathtaking.

Here’s the entrance from the car park:

On the way to the temple proper, you’ll come across many vendors on either side of the narrow path selling souvenirs and unique (and a little overpriced) snacks.

The weather was really nice. I just suck at taking good pictures.

This was pretty good, actually.

Gets pretty crowded on the weekends.

Totally worth it.

There’s also a trail that leads you directly to Songjeong Beach. Definitely trying this out next time I’m there.

Hopefully I’ll be able to return at least one more time before we leave.

Getting there:
We drove there, but if you’re going by bus, as per the Visit Korea site, take the subway to Haeundae Station (Busan Subway Line 2), and then head to Exit 7. Take Bus 181 and get off at Yonggungsa Temple Bus Stop.

It’s still a bit of a trek to get to the entrance though, so if you have leg problems, it’s best to pay a bit for a cab to drop you off.

December 8, 2016 0

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