Tuesday 3 September 2013

East Coast Park

Prior to moving to Singapore, Jason & I were fortunate to know some friends from the hockey community who had lived in Singapore for a number of years. Over dinner and a few bottles of wine, they shared all the insider's tips & tricks to living in Singapore, from where to live, shop and their favourite hang out spots.

Like all major cities, Singapore is divided into different communities.  Holland Village is a popular area for expats and is located close to the main core and has a quaint street filled with restaurants & watering holes.  And although there is nothing Dutch about this area, a windmill can be found in the heart of Holland Village!  Little India is the spot to find fabulous Indian food and is also the home to a large, and busy, supermarket called The Mustafa Center.  Chinatown is near Little India and although we have yet to visit this area, I have been told that it has retained significant historical and cultural significances.

Then there is the East Coast.  The East Coast is largely residential but, like all places in Singapore, is filled with loads of restaurants, shops and attractions.  The one selling and distinct feature of the East Coast is the 20 km of white, imported, sand that parallels paved pathways for recreational use.  Our friends recommended this area and we settled on the East Coast even before arriving in Singapore.  It's been a couple of weeks since we officially made The East Coast our home and we couldn't be happier.

The East Coast Park is the largest park in Singapore and is a popular hangout for families and friends.  From our back gate, we can access the East Coast Park through an exceptionally clean underpass in about 10 minutes.  For the past couple of weeks, I have been meeting up with some girlfriends for a run on the promenade after I drop the boys off at school, and it's beautiful. The canopy from the rain trees and palm trees offers the perfect amount of shade from the sun and the view is amazing.  The paths are clean, clear and flat.  Along the strip, there are a number of activities for families & couples to enjoy.  You can camp, fish, barbeque, run, rollerblade, bike, waterski/wakeboard on cable-towed lines, eat, drink...everything!  Its amazing!

I have included some pictures.