It was a windy night last Friday - rainy even. We went ahead with the plan to embark on our first night cycling journey and double-date with my partner's brother and his girlfriend. After all, it was a Friday night and we all badly needed a break from the demanding work week. Somehow in a city like Singapore, Friday nights are the best for working professionals to wind down, usually at the bar, or at the cinemas.
Now that COVID-19 safe distancing measures are well under way and tightly enforced (in such a fine city like ours!), we brainstormed for ways to avoid wearing the masks when out and about. Lo and behold, night cycling! It was a win-win and honestly, a no-brainer.
So, we set out for East Coast Park (Lagoon Food Centre) (@ECP) from our respective homes at 9.50PM SGT. It was quite a short drive for me as I live in the east. The bicycle rental shop, the only one in the vicinity, was 3-minutes away by foot from the food centre, so it should be easy to identify if you are keen to go night cycling too.
"Why you smile until like dat...!" exclaimed korkor's [ah kor: big brother in Singlish] girlfriend disgruntledly as she reviewed the photos taken from kor's phone which had been mounted on our tripod stand. Never the fellow to back down, kor simply wanted to have the last say. "Naise (Nice) what...I always smile like this."
[...more of their banter to be continued in future stories...]
This conversation took place as we made our first pit-stop after we rode about 5km past the stretch of the beach and towards the Singapore Air Show route.
It started to drizzle and then really pour en route to Changi Village, which was another 20km away. Taking an eternity to get to our mid-point destination, we decided to take cover at a shelter that was God-sent because it was the first one we chanced upon as the first droplets began to fall from the pitch-black sky. It was also a blessing that my partner had packed an extra shirt in case, as I needed to wear it over the thin layer I had on. When finally the four of us were prepared for what seemed to be a long-lived rain (长命雨changmingyu), we cycled tirelessly until we reach the food centre.
There, we shared three plates of nasi lemak (Bahasa Malayu, or Malay, translated directly meaning Fatty Rice in English) for supper and added on four desserts, one for each of us famished souls. The food was definitely the highlight of the night!
Thereafter, we took a break as we waited for the rain to stop. After about an hour, as it was still raining lightly, we bought ponchos from the nearby convenience store (thank God for 24h shops in Singapore) and made our way back to Lagoon, taking the route from Tampines and following the MRT route towards Bedok Camp and back to the beach.
Night well-spent indeed, seeing that we slept only at 5AM SGT on 03 October. On to the next adventure!
"Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show." - Unknown