Idyllic getaways at home

Lee Siew Hua, Straits Times 8 Jul 09 on AsiaOne

It is so very crowded in microscopic Singapore.

I often feel like escaping for a few hours. A swift, seamless and spontaneous getaway within our borders, since I can't be hopping on a plane every time I feel like it.

That kind of instant escape seemed simpler in the past.

My colleagues and I decided it'd be fun to create a teppanyaki feast on the beach one Friday night, not long after we joined the company.

The serious chef in our circle rustled up skewers of delicacies for the three of us. I think he also fixed a couple of salads and elegant appetisers.

We popped into Liang Court after work to buy a disposable Japanese grill. It looked like a small aluminium-foil tray packed with chemical coals.

Then we took a cab to Changi Point - and it was not that secluded after all. A few guitars were strumming, people were splashing in canoes.

But it still felt like an excursion, for it was a quick change of scenery and a quirky step away from routine.

All we needed was a little patch of beach to set up our grill. Then we would swop stories all night.

As you can imagine, food relished by the sea on a cool tropical night is extra luscious. And more so when the chef is a friend who infectiously revels in cooking. Plus, there was no washing up later.

I'm a nocturnal person and was all ready to stay up to talk. But I fell asleep long before midnight, soothed by the waves.

Yes, we planned to sleep on the open beach. Not the safest of ideas, I guess.

Sure enough, we woke up around 3am. A shadowy figure was looking intently at our belongings. He disappeared when we sat up.

Groggy, we tucked our belongings under our heads, and slept on, now more fitfully. The next morning, I think our colleague had breakfast and coffee ready as the sun rose.

On a dense island, getting away may mean choosing the quiet night hours like we did. It then becomes a journey into a different time zone, without the need for a passport.

The sporty cycle and run ultra-marathons by night.

Night golfing is also possible. Others fish at night.

Walking on the lit-up urban trail of the Southern Ridges is also a serene evening treat.

By day, there are also surprising pockets of peace.

The other week, I was at a seminar at a no-frills resort nestled next to the sea at Labrador Park.

The resort is nothing to shout about. But it's set far from the main road. And it was good to know there are still parts of Singapore waiting to be discovered.

That time, I also got re-acquainted with Labrador Park, a lush little gem.

Much of the Pasir Panjang zone is nostalgic for me. My parents grew up in this sleepy corner, and I spent my infancy here. In later years, my sisters and I would sit on the swings for hours in a park, with my dad patiently pushing our swings.

Also, I bought my first apartment in South Buona Vista Road, at the end of this winding road where my once-youthful father raced his motorbike.

Though the places here have changed radically, and I now live on the East Coast, returning to the area counts as a sweet escape.

Here, too, in the past couple of years, I've enjoyed resort-like Keppel Island, pretty HortPark and the varied terrain of the Southern Ridges.

I don't think Singaporeans are outdoorsy, so that leaves most of our parks quiet enough, with the notable exception of East Coast Park.

I find Bishan Park and Pasir Ris Park serene, for instance, even though they nudge massive housing estates.

Such parks are ideal for a bit of solitude, if you can take the humidity. And these places will abound, with all our national focus on greenery and park connectors.

Okay, for a truer getaway, we can head as far out as possible. That will be our offshore islands.

In university, I once joined a friend's family for a night on an island. I forget which island, but I remember catching crabs on the shore.

It was easy to grab and toss them into the campfire for the freshest, sweetest barbecue ever.

A few years later, my friends and I rode mountain bikes on kampung-like Pulau Ubin. We found a disused quarry filled with brightly coloured catfish. It was such a hot day, and the water was icy.

It was too tempting not to pop into the rustic pool, though I wouldn't do it now.

And so we create many escapes from our crowded lives, and it's easier than we imagine.