Sun, sand and sea-cret
Tay Suan Chiang, Asia One 13 Jan 09;
Whenever dental assistant Mary Tan wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, she heads for Changi Point.
She drives from her home in Bedok to Changi and spends an hour strolling on a boardwalk that looks out to the sea at Serangoon Harbour and to Pulau Ubin.
'East Coast Park is overcrowded with campers, cyclists and roller-bladers,' says the 38-year-old, who is single.
The nature lover has also stopped visiting the Treetop Walk at MacRitchie Reservoir and the Southern Ridges, which were two places she used to love, because they are overcrowded too.
She says it is good that more Singaporeans appreciate nature spots, but she prefers 'places where there are not so many people around'. She adds: 'I really could do with some peace and quiet.'
The boardwalk, which she now enjoys over the other nature areas, is the Changi Point Coastal Walk. This is a 2.6km route that starts near the Changi Point Ferry Terminal - where visitors take bumboats to Pulau Ubin and Pengerang, Johor - and ends close to Andover Road to the west.
From the ferry terminal end of the boardwalk, visitors can cross a bridge over Sungei Changi to Changi Beach Park.
There is also a Coastal Park Connector from the park that leads to East Coast Park. Visitors can walk or cycle on this 11km-long path.
The wooden walkway was completed in 2006 after three years' work and is divided into six segments. Sunset Walk, Kelong Walk, Cliff Walk, Sailing Point Walk, Beach Walk and Creek Walk each offers a different experience.
For example, Sunset Walk gives visitors unblocked sunset views while children can build sandcastles at Beach Walk.
Kelong Walk, so called because it is built on stilts like a kelong, is easily the most popular spot. On weekends, fishing enthusiasts such as Mr Lim Hock Seng gather here to try their luck at catching small fish or stingrays.
Says the 68-year-old retiree who goes there with his friends: 'Even though we do not always catch something, we still come every Saturday to chat.'
He used to live in Changi but has since moved to Bukit Merah.
Nature and food do mix
It takes about 30 minutes to walk leisurely from one end to the other. The journey is easy over flat ground and the area is very breezy in the evenings. Along the way, there are also pavilions to rest at.
Just beyond the boardwalk, a path near the Kelong Walk leads to the nearby Netheravon Road where there are about 15 heritage trees. These are protected under the National Parks Board Heritage Trees scheme, which means they cannot be cut down.
Many of these trees are nearly 100 years old and more than 20m tall. Among them is the Sepetir, which is believed to have been grown from the Changi tree, a former landmark in the area.
Changi Point is not just for nature lovers; the area is also known for its food (see other story). When Life! visited it at night recently, its carparks and hawker centre were packed.
'The good thing about coming here is when you get hungry, there are food places around,' says Ms Tan.
Tertiary student Yong Ming Lun, 20, was among those queuing at the International Food Stall at the hawker centre, which sells the famous Changi Village nasi lemak. He had spent the day cycling at Pulau Ubin, then headed over to Sunset Walk to photograph the sunset.
'It is a relaxing way to enjoy the weekend, rather than spending it watching movies or shopping,' he says.
taysc@sph.com.sg
GETTING THERE
By public transport: Take SBS Bus 29 from Tampines interchange or SBS Bus 2 near Bedok interchange (from the bus stop along New Upper Changi Road). Alight at Changi Village terminus.
By car: From Loyang Avenue, turn into Changi Village Road.
This story was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 10, 2009.
