Official Opening of Marina Bay Promenade

Marina Bay Sands in the background

Decided to be part of the massive clusterfuck at Marina Bay. About a 100 kayaks, 4 dragonboats and 16 sail boats went down to the Marina Bay Promenade area to salute PM Lee and basically just paddle around aimlessly.
It was nice to paddle around inside, but then again, we used to go into that area freely without many problems. It was only after the construction of the Marina Bay Sands that the area was blocked off and became off limits.

Old Clifford Pier

Central Business District in the background

I also was part of an expedition team that escorted some PA big shots into the Singapore River. This was probably the highlight of the trip because I managed to paddle in without having to do the ridiculous amount of paperwork.

Fullerton Hotel

Photos in facebook as usual

Paddling down the Singapore River

The SIM Canoeing Club organised a freshman orientation camp over the weekend. I only joined in from Saturday onwards due to some prior commitments.
One of the highlights for the camp was the river clean up on the final day. All of us got into kayaks and paddled into the Singapore River. As we paddled along, we collected rubbish that we could find in the river.

Apparently this was the first social responsibility event ever organised by a sports club in SIM. We created SIM history!

I hate red tape

As usual, many permits and paperwork is required if you want to paddle to certain places in Singapore. Its almost as if the authorities are trying to discourage any paddling outside of the confined reservoirs.

The SIM Canoeing Club is trying to organise a trip up the Singapore River. I've done it in the past and gone all the way to Clarke Quay. At that time you only needed to ask permission from PUB and have a powerboat escort.
However, PUB is now asking for acknowledgment emails from SDBA, NCC, SCF, PA, Waterways Watch Society, Singapore River Cruise, Duck Tours, Singapore Explorer, MINDEF, URA, Singapore Tourism Board and an endorsement from SCF.
On top of that, they are limiting us to the UOB Plaza. So basically, all these permits are required just to go pass the Anderson Bridge and Cavenagh Bridge. Pathetic.

The Grass is Greener...

I recently commented on a Christov Tenn's blog regarding the peaceful lakes he gets to paddle in and how relaxing it must be. He then replied that being able to paddle in and around an island city state such as Singapore must be a marvel in the modern world.
As the saying goes, "the grass is greener on the other side" (:
But after browsing through some of my old photos, I was reminded of how wonderful my favourite hangout, Kallang is.
While it used to be quite dirty, the water is much cleaner these days. In fact, during spring tides, the water can be incredibly clear! Imagine being able to see your entire submerged paddle in the water. That's a visibility of about 2m which is great by Singapore standards!

So the next time you get an offer to paddle in Kallang, don't be too quick to decline.

I leave you now with some photos of the wonderful times I had in Kallang and the Singapore River.

Pebbles Bay Condominium


Singapore Flyer


Merlion


Singapore River - Cavenagh Bridge(Oldest Bridge in Singapore)