12km Loop

OK, here is our 12km running loop at Marina Bay in Singapore. I thought it was longer but it is only 12km. So that means for my run on Saturday I have to do this and another 2km since my training plan has me running 14km, Yikes! 

Starting next to the NTUC Building at Marina Bay.

From the NTUC Bldg, run along the paved walkway at Marina Bay to the Merlion. Lots of tourists come to see the Merlion and it does get a bit crowded here but usually I run early enough that I don't see too many people.

Everyone wants their photo with the Merlion :)

They are building a new pedestrian bridge to cross the bay, until that is completed I just go up the stairs and run across the current bridge, there is a sidewalk with a row of bushes separating the street from the sidewalk so it isn't too bad. At the far end of the bridge I take a right turn by the odd shaped dome, the Esplanade Theater. 

Here is the Esplanade looking down from the bridge. I run from the left side of the photo to the right side along the water. The interesting looking sail structure by the waters edge is a stage, bands play here at night.

A better view of the outdoor stage at the Esplanade. You can see in the background where I've already run. I started at those tall buildings, still have a ways to go!

Normally I would run straight past the Floating Stadium but it is closed for the F1 racing series that starts soon. So I go around it, just a short detour.

Back on track, running under the Helix Bridge.

Run past the Flyer (scary giant ferris wheel) and past the F1 Pit Bldg. There is a bunch of work going on at the Pit Bldg, setting up bleachers and lighting for the races. This route is open now but will close Sept 1 and reopen Oct 1. This is my last weekend to get this 12km run completed without stopping, fingers crossed I can do it!

F1 Pit bldg

Kallang Riverside Park, nice and shady here :)

Another view of the park. There are restrooms here and there is an MRT (train) close by. I never bring my MRT card with me because if I did I would never finish a run. 

Cross the bridge at Nicholl Highway to get to the new National Stadium. I didn't get a photo of this bridge, its pretty boring and there is so much construction there I get a little lost running through it sometimes.

After the unphotographed bridge run along the boardwalk in front of the National Stadium.

Over the pedestrian bridge to cross the water again. Sunny part of the run, not so fun. 

Another view of the bridge.

Running along the river, I am beside the condos with the orange tiled roofs in the photo above. This is the Sheares Bridge I am about to run under. There is the Flyer again.

Under the Sheares Bridge. 

A long stretch partially shaded at Gardens by the Bay East. Its a pretty run here with the flowers and trees and beautiful view of the city across the water. Far from traffic now, there are lots of running activities held here. I always see lots of runners and bikers out on the weekends. 

No sitting! Must keep going. But....there is a soda machine close by that has cold sports drinks and juice and soda so IF I were to take a break, it wouldn't be so bad right here. 

Gardens by the Bay East is connected to downtown and Gardens by the Bay by the Marina Barrage. We are almost home! Cross over this bridge and then up the Barrage for a hill workout.

Run up the ramp at the Marina Barrage and back down. 

Another view of the barrage and the bay. 

From the Barrage, its a straight shot down to Gardens by the Bay. I always look for the sea otters along the water here. One morning I did see them in the water playing. Sooooo cute!

The building in the middle-ish with the bit of red on top is the NTUC building, that is my start/end point. Our condo is just behind the Sail, the two buildings to the left of the NTUC with a curvy side. Home sweet home :)

Happy Friday!!!

Update: adding a new photo of our route. 

This is the map for The Straits Times Race Geoff and I are running on Sept 28th. We will be well prepared since it is very similar to our usual running routes.

Singapore National Stadium

I went on a couple of walks this week and last hoping to get good photos and they were all terrible. So yesterday I did it again and I'm not too impressed but I have a few that I can share. Sometimes photography is more frustrating than fun! Ugh.

Here is the new Singapore National Stadium. There were guys on the roof doing some maintenance. 

I hope they are careful! 

The lines are cool. This is standing under the first part of the dome, almost to the seating area. No  games today, maintenance and maybe some audio testing? Loud music on and off but no one inside the arena that I could see.

Last weekend we won tickets to a football game, Singapore Selection vs. Juventus Football Club. I didn't even realize we entered a contest! I got a phone call that we were winners, automatically entered to win by purchasing Gilette products from RedMart. We had never seen a football game before and we wanted to check out the new stadium so we went and had a great time! I really enjoyed it but it was sort of sad to see Singapore lose 0-5. Wow, what a beating. It was one of those pre-season games that doesn't count and is supposed to be a friendly game.

We won pretty good seats and there was a good turn out for the game. I was afraid I would sweat thru my clothes sitting in the stadium for so long but it was covered and it was sort of cool and nice. Pleasantly surprised!

Game selfie!

I didn't bring my Nikon to the game. I thought about it but I didn't really know what to expect. We planned on going to check it out, not knowing if it would be fun or not. Ended up having a great time. The three photos above were taken with my iphone. Went back yesterday to get some more shots for the blog.

I took this shot standing on the level 3 outdoor balcony of the stadium looking down at the beach volleyball court and the river. Great view! The Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer is in the background. The two giant building complexes that are more white with orange tile roofs are condos. This is part of our weekend long run course. We go from our place to here and back all along park connectors with a bit of sidewalks by the road but not much. I think I'll show more of our running course on the next blog. Might be cool to document it for the future. I'm still amazed I can do it at all :)

Can't go too far in Singapore without seeing a mall! This is a great mall at the Sports Hub with a giant indoor rock climbing wall, grocery store and loads of clothing stores.

Singapore Indoor Stadium is in the Sports Hub also. The Singapore Slingers (basketball) play there, also netball teams and concerts.

The view of the Sports Hub from the other side of the river, near the condos. The pointy structure by the flags is a pedestrian bridge linking the residents easily to the Sports Hub, mall and train. In Singapore it is not uncommon to have a grocery store or two inside the malls. 

Better shot of the bridge.

And just opposite the bridge are the condos. A lot of families and dog owners live here. Plenty of space to play, ride bikes, walk dogs, etc. 

That's it for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Friday!!!

Singapore HDBs

For the month of August the HDBs display Singaporean flags around their property as part of National Day celebrations. HDB stands for Housing and Development Board. The majority of residential housing developments in Singapore is publicly governed and developed. In 2013, 81% of residents live in HDBs and 90% of residents own their apartments. They are self contained estates that may include markets, hawker centers, clinics and recreational facilities. I went around and took some photos. Here are my favorites. 

These HDBs are giant estates covering a large area. I spent the day walking around, taking trains and buses jumping off when I saw pretty flag displays. I've kept notes since last year of where to go and luckily they all had great displays again this year. The Tiong Bahru Orchid is just a few train stops away from home and its a really pretty HDB estate.

Also at Tiong Bahru Orchid. A little breeze to get the flags moving made a good shot. Tree lined street with a bus stop close by, seems like a nice place to be.

Closer shot of the front doors and balconies decorated with the flags. This was at The Beo Crescent HDB complex in Bukit Merah, not far from Tiong Bahru. Love all the colors and the mix of items on the balcony, plants, bikes, clothes and flags. As the bus I was riding pulled up to the bus stop I spotted all the flags and decided to jump off for photos. Glad I did but then I sort of got lost. Again. I'm always lost...

Some HDBs are skyscrapers and some are lower rise buildings. Hard to see the flags from the sidewalk in this shot, four rows going up the middle.

If you click on the photo maybe you'll see a bigger version, the writing on the fence is this years theme for National Day, "One People, One Nation, One Singapore".

Slightly closer...

A courtyard view looking up to the apartments. The first floor of this building has a few businesses. I like how the walkway to the apartments are open air to get a breeze but still covered to keep you dry when its raining. I didn't catch the names of all of the HDBs I photographed, wish I had.

This is Tanjong Pagar Plaza. I walk here a few times a week to buy my groceries at Fair Price, very close to home. Besides a grocery store, they have a fruit market and cooked food market close by as well as banks, clinics, restaurants and other shopping. I like the hardware stores here. When I have some odd item Geoff wants me to buy I always start here and show them a photo of what I need. They usually have it or know where I can get it, drain cleaner, odd sized batteries, light bulbs, etc. No need for Home Depot :)

Closer view of Tanjong Pagar Plaza balconies.

Another view of Tanjong Pagar Plaza.

This is Pinnacle at Duxton in the background. The bridge linking the towers at the top is open to the public and for $5.00 you can go up and walk around. I haven't been but I've heard its a great view of the city. The three story shophouses lining the street are nice. They are all different businesses, cafes, etc. Some shophouses are used primarily as residences. I just read that one of the first apartments at Pinnacle is up for resale, 90 square meters, may go for as much as S$1 million. Wowser! There are all sorts of rules with HDB sales and resales. Singaporeans have to wait a few years after purchasing a new apartment before they are allowed to sell and I think there are rules for leasing their apartments as well. Quite different that the US. 

A second view of Pinnacle at Duxton.

Happy Friday!!!