I was there because some friends of my friends were taking windsurfing lesson. The area is protected by breakwater so it's beginner friendly. There were quite a few windsurfers out there and they all seem to enjoy themselves. If you are an experienced windsurfers, you might miss those big waves. From what I heard, there is really no rough water around S'pore because it is surrounded by many islands. One interesting fact is that S'pore is spared from mother nature's fury. There is no hurricane, cyclone or typhoon. Neither is earthquake nor major snow storm 8-) Anyway, back to ECSC, they claim to be the world's biggest windsurfing center. I have to admit they do have a very good selection of sailboards. Maybe I will give it try next time. But after windsurfed in Hawaii, no where else seems quite the same 8-)
The main reason I was there was that I wanted to try sea kayaking. One thing that ECSC doesn't have is kayak rental 8-( So we walked quite a long way to the kayak rental place. The interesting thing here is that kayak is actually called canoe and canoe is actually called kayak in S'pore. You say you didn't get that. Well, you are not alone. Supposedly, in S'pore, canoe refers to a raft with holes that you sit in (to me, that's call kayak) and kayak refers to raft with open top (to me, that's call canoe). Enough with the technicality. The canoe (or kayak) rental is fairly cheap. It was S$6 for an hour per kayak. For those of you couples out there, this is a good place to bring your SO. It is certainly more cost effective than going to a censored movie 8-) Sitting on the ocean enjoy the view of S'pore off shore and looking at the ships is a great feeling. The cool sea breeze and the view itself are worth the trip.
As my friend said, "you can never go canoeing without getting drenched." A man true to his words, with some help from me 8-) With 2 canoes and 4 people on the a wide open water, you can't avoid having some major water fights. Of course, everyone got drenched at the end. The lesson I learn here is that the sea water in S'pore doesn't taste good the sea water in NJ 8-) The ocean itself is not as bad as I had imagined. I don't see layers of oil or piles of junks on the ocean. The beach, again, is just there for show. Nothing great about it, but what do you expect for free. Going to a shower afterward by the beach will cost you 30 cents. We had McD for lunch and, of course, some of us had to try the Kampung burger. Played crazy golf for a while. For those of you in the States, crazy golf is a term used in S'pore and Australia for miniature golf or putt golf. Golf is not very popular here unless you are one of the "elites." Unlike the States where you can play at your local county golf gulf, I guess my days of playing golf are over while I am in S'pore.
Another popular activity at East Coast is biking. There is a nice biking trail along the beach. You can see an entire family biking on the weekend. You can also see people with roller blade. I regret not bringing my slalom blade with me to S'pore. It could have been a great way to show off my skating skills 8-) Of course, there are other things on the East Coast such as the Big Splash amusement park, golf driving range, sea food and other attractions. Hopefully I can go and write about them in the future articles.
If you do plan to go to the East Coast, you can finish the day by going to a place with great black pepper crab. It's just a few blocks south of the Eunos MRT station at the junction of Still Road and Joo Chiat Place. The name of the coffee shop is Eng Seng and the place is called First Grade Seafood Palace. Don't expect anything fancy but the black pepper crab is a must. The store gets very busy after 7pm, so the recommendation is to go early to get a seat. Then you can eat the crabs to your heart's content. Avoid walking side ways afterward 8-)
Right now I am suffering from a minor case of sunburn, a little retribution from the weekend. Feel a bit like a well done Maine lobster, but it was well worth it. With two holidays next week, Hari Raya Haji and Vesak Day, I am planning an excursion outside of S'pore. The current plan is Bali, Indonesia and Malaysia. Supposedly one of my friends from the States is currently having a honeymoon in Bali. The last words I heard from him was an emphatic "stay away." Hopefully I can search the couple out and crash their honeymoon suite 8-)
18/05/94
