18 September 2009 ride report - R6!!!

Now and then I come across a photograph and will be completely compelled by it. I simply cannot take my eyes off it. I look at every part of the image and marvel at the skill of the photographer, wishing that I was there at the scene when it happened. After awhile, I too start noticing similar images occurring around me. By studying the original image I have somehow trained myself to see in a new way and my vision is expanded.

While I was never a professional photographer, I have always been fascinated with capturing images. I return to the same places multiple times looking to surprise myself with a fresh angle...and when it happens...it is MAGIC! People asked me many times if I ever get bored riding around the same roads in Singapore. Well, I have been driving these roads for more than 20 years and I am not yet bored...now that I am riding...brand new angles are surfacing with each ride...how can I be bored?

I went riding tonight with Jason around town, looking for nice places to photograph motorcycles. I am sure many of you have seen photographs of motorcycles (and cars for the matter) on the internet. They all look rather similar, don't they? Somehow, most people take pictures of their bikes in the car park or in the porch. I suppose that is the most convenient way to get a picture taken. Tonight's quest was to find a better backdrop for the motorcycle...something that will bring out the bike in a new way...a new angle...a new vision!

As we were riding along the stretch of Alexandra Road between Delta Road and Tanglin Road, I noticed the bright lights of what looked like a stadium. I thought the quality of the light looked very unique so it could be a possible place for a nice picture. So we turned in and rode right up to the gate and parked Jason's bike (a beautiful Yamaha R6) right next to it. Then we started experimenting with the camera. After a few attempts, I saw the stadium lights striking the motorcycle in a dramatic way and decided to capture it.

I like the way the lines of the gate made the stadium lights so much more spectacular. The lights also cast a nice shadow on the road. I especially liked the way the tail of the bike is accentuated (almost looks embossed) by the backlighting. The first few attempts at this angle did not bring out the engine of the bike because of the severe backlighting. So I used a flash light to light up the engine so it is more visible. This way the bike looks more complete.

After that, I was getting ready to go. As I turned, I saw the wall just to the right of the bike. I asked Jason to reposition his bike and then took this picture.

What captivated me was the way the stadium lights cast shadows of the trees and the gate on the wall. The multiple lights in the stadium made the shadow look like a Chinese painting. I think it looks really pretty. The colour of the wall contrasted nicely with the bike as well...I really liked how this turned out.

It was time to move on. I remember that there were some railway tracks visible from Kampung Bahru Road and headed over there. Unfortunately, the place did not look one bit like how I had remembered it. Well, that's how it is with this kind of ride...its hit and miss. Sometimes I find something really cool...other times...disappointment!

Next stop then...I wanted to capture the lights on the shophouses along Telok Ayer. Unfortunately, the street did not look all that conducive for photography tonight. So I decided to go back to the red building that I was at before. I have always liked this building - the old Traffic Police building - especially since it was painted a bold red! I already had the image in mind so Jason parked his bike and off I went to capture the image.

This looks like an easy picture to capture, doesn't it? But would you believe it took me almost 20 minutes before I got a satisfactory image? Well, my original vision was to capture this with an 85mm lens from across the road. Unfortunately, I could not quite get the lighting right. So after many tries, I gave up and used my wide angle instead. Still, I love the way the red building interacts with the blue bike. This is a classic image and I simply LOVE it!

Next stop...something a little different. I wanted to do something with the bridge at the Esplanade. When we got there, I realized it looked completely different from my imagination again...but this time its because of the Formula One preparations. As we rode through the roads there, I felt like I was riding in bright daylight! The roads were beautifully lit. There was no glare. It was crystal clear and super bright. No wonder they can have such a high powered race there at night!

Eventually, I decided to give this little monument the opportunity to be photographed with a sexy sportsbike. Again, the lighting was tough here because of those street lamps backlighting the bike. Plus the sky wasn't cooperating as there was too thick a cloud cover which made it completely featureless. Undeterred, I pressed on and finally got this picture.

As you can see, I had to play with the flash light a little more creatively to get the bike illuminated in just the right way, and to have the shadow dance across the steps menacingly. I liked how this turned out though...pity the sky is featureless, isn't it?

I was hungry by this time and really wanted to have supper. So we packed up and decided to head for some food at Chong Pang. Along the way, we took some of the nicer riding roads - Orange Grove Road, Gymkhana Road, Old Upper Thomson Road - you know these, right? It was really fun. I could not resist stopping in the middle of Old Upper Thomson Road for a picture.

I didn't realize that Jason had these cool LEDs running under his seat there at the back until now! When those lights were switched on, they made the bike look more prominent in the picture. I don't know why but I do love these lonely roads. They do make for such a thought provoking picture, don't you think?

At this point, Jason's camera started to act up (he got some really nice shots in his point-and-shoot compact camera tonight) and we decided it was a sign that supper was calling. So we rode the rest of the road and made our way for supper!!!

Tonight's ride surprised me. I always knew that I enjoyed photography...tonight I realized that I enjoyed sharing my photography with others. I felt more alive when we were talking about the pictures we wanted to capture. One thing is for sure though...I will be doing more of these photography sharing rides in the near future...don't miss it!!

15 September 2009 ride report - Riding roads

Roads. We cannot live without them in the modern world. Roads connect communities together in a way that nothing else can. The earliest paved roads were built in Ur back around 4000 BC. Notably, the Greeks built a 50km road linking Knossos (in the northern part of Creta) to Gortlyn and Lebena (a port on the southern coast of Creta) through the mountains around 2000 BC. The earliest roads are made from bricks, stones, or just flattened earth. Regardless of their construction, roads enabled higher traveling speeds and shorter transit times. Road building technology has come a long way. The roads that we use today are constructed out of asphalt or concrete. They are wider, smoother and better regulated. But not all roads are created equal - some are special!

I watched an episode of Top Gear some time ago where they were searching for driving heaven. They were basically looking for a stretch of road that was pure bliss to drive on in Europe. I have found some great driving roads in Singapore over the years. Now that I have my bike, I have been looking for riding roads too! You see, some places are not really that fun by car...but is extremely fun by bike! So drivers out there...you might wanna consider learning to ride so you can have a more complete experience. Hahaha!

I have found some very fun and interesting roads to ride on over the last six weeks (yes, I have only had my license for slightly more than a month, thank you). I decided that it was a good idea to string together some of these roads and ride them late in the night when traffic is lighter and air is cooler. That is exactly what I did tonight with three other biker friends.

We met at the usual spot (the Esso station along Upper Thomson Road) and set off at 10:30pm. The mix of bikes was interesting.

There was me on a trail bike with super fat tires, Jackson on a super cub with clutch-operated gears, Najib on his huge Varadero that looks so imposing, and Warren on his sexy red Ducati Monster. Of course, my bike was the slowest of the lot...and I was leading...so while I am certain I will enjoy the ride...I was not so sure about Warren on his Monster...I simply hoped he would not get a cramp! Can you figure out which bike is which? Don't worry if you can't...just read on and I'm sure you'll find the answer.

The route tonight would include some great riding roads around the island. Starting with old faithful (Old Upper Thomson Road). For those we are not familiar, this is a good road for beginners. There are enough bends to thrill and they are not sharp enough to scare. The combination of longer sweepers and tighter corners make it ideal to start off the journey of great riding roads.

A relaxing ride followed that as I headed for Kheam Hock Road. This is a road that many are not familiar with. However, it is a nice way to beat the traffic getting from Lornie Road to Dunearn Road. A detour into Lorong Halwa might be fun but I did not go there due to time constraints.

After another relaxing ride, I got to two of my favourite roads for riding and driving in Singapore. I call them the Dynamic Duo of  Portsdown Road and South Buona Vista Road (aka 99 Bends). It was here that we made a stop for a break and some photography. I wanted to capture the bikes (you already saw that picture) and the bikers (you'll see that at the end). It was nice to stop and chat and check out the different bikes!

From here, I went on to Mount Faber. This is my absolute favourite riding road in Singapore. Some people like 99 Bends more but I feel there isn't another road on the island that offers such a spectacular view AND amazingly tight turns! I was very tempted to stop here and make a little detour (by foot) onto the Henderson Waves for a spot of photography...but I decided not to because we were tight on time. I will make a trip there one day to see the sunrise (yes, another sunrise).

From here, I headed off towards another duo of roads: Jervois Road and Orange Grove Road. The riding on these roads were much easier, especially coming from Mount Faber and the 99 Bends. It was very nice to cruise down Orange Grove Road at this time of the night when there was hardly any traffic!

The final riding road for the night was also one that is least known by the group: Gymkhana Road. The only way to access this road is to head into Mount Pleasant Road. I think most people would not elect to travel into Gymkhana Road because of how it looks from the outside. But once inside, it became a very pleasant and fun road to ride on. This is an example of a road that I wouldn't want to drive on very much. While there are bends and it made for great fun on a bike, it wouldn't (I feel) translate to a car.

Obviously, getting from one good riding road to another along a route that spanned close to 50km meant that we would encounter interesting situations along the way. Two of them stood out for me. The scooter rider who decided to turn into Seah Im in order to beat the traffic light and ended up stuck at the next one as I rode up; and the fella on the Phantom that was lit up like a "getai stage" complete with neon blinking lights and alien headlamps. These folks made me chuckle in my helmet...sorry I can't describe this more...you had to be there to know what I mean! Oh yes, there was also this lady rider on a Suzuki GSR (I got it wrong, it seems. It was a Suzuki Bandit 400. Thanks, Warren for clearing this up!) along Upper Thomson Road. I thought it was a Monster and couldn't believe my eyes...seeing two up close on the same night...what were the odds?

As usual, this ride ended with supper...this time round, it was at one of the Indian shops along Sembawang Road. I had prata, mutton soup, mutton curry AND chicken curry. I was starving by then and simply could not resist ordering for everyone to share. Hahaha!

For those who could not figure out which bike was which earlier on, here's another picture of the bikes and the bikers.

I am on the extreme left with my trusty trail bike. To my left was Warren and his Monster, Jackson and his X-1R super cub and Najib with his Varadero.

I remember a thread in the Singapore Bikes forum where some people said Singapore was a boring place. I cannot help but disagree with that view. After all, with so many good riding roads around yet to be discovered, how can this island be boring? Go try these roads and let me know when you find others...and let's go ride together one day!

13 September 2009 ride report - Daybreak!

I have been getting quite a number of people asking me the question "Where do you get the energy?" over the last few days. It seems I have been out riding a lot, many times till very late in the night (or rather the wee hours of the morning), just to do it all over again the next day. I have often wondered myself why my two boys are so energetic...chip of the old block maybe?

Anyway, I got up early this morning because I wanted to capture the sunrise. Yeah, I do have a fascination with the sunrise...and now you know I wasn't lying...hahaha! There is something special about it that keeps me going back for more. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it before, each new sunrise brings back the same feelings of awe, rejuvenation and hope.

I took my bike out, as usual, on my little morning adventure. I took the shortest route to the Marina Barrage, praying that I would  make it on time...and for beautiful cloud cover. You see, I always check the weather forecast before I leave and this morning's forecast was "partly cloudy"...perfect for sunrise photography IF the the right kind of cloud decides to show up. I got there just before the sky started to brighten and quickly scouted out a location for my shoot.

I decided that I would station myself on the roof garden and capture the sunrise from here. I had one of my favourite lenses on my camera this morning (AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4G ED DX) and I was looking forward to some beautiful wide-angle shots. After awhile on the roof garden, it was clear to me that this was the best I could get...because the cloud was not covering the right part of the sky.

Can you see how the bottom and top parts of the sky is brightening up in a bluish hue while the middle part is starting to get a little orange? This is caused by the low and thick cloud cover at the horizon, blocking the sun's rays. The cloud cover thinned out the higher up you look at the sky. That is why the orange part began in the middle and not right at the bottom. Still, I loved the way the lit structure contrasts with the (still dark) sky. It looked pretty to me and I was pleased as a peach!

I decided then to move down to the ground level for some other angles since I wasn't going to get what I originally envisioned up on the roof garden. Once on the ground level, I scouted out another location near the water side and practically camped there waiting for the colours to unfold. I did not have to wait long (well, only about 30 minutes or so) before this showed up.

I would normally have slapped on a telephoto lens on my camera to capture the perfectly formed sun. Fortunately, I managed to improvise with my only lens (which happened to be a super wide-angle lens) to capture this scene. I sat there for a long while just watching the day break...it was spectacular!

When the sun got higher up in the sky, I decided it was time for another photograph of my bike (haven't done those for awhile)...so I rode out to a place nearer the Marina South Pier and found this spot!

Don't ask me why I like this dark photograph where you can hardly see my bike...I just like it. After all, while I wanted to show my bike in the picture, the bike isn't the point of the picture. Yup, it was the sunrise I was after and I wanted my bike there because this will fit into my "bike landscape" collection later. Hahaha! Anyway, isn't it grand that I can get the bike so close to water? No way I can do that with my car!

I found this gem of a spot where people come to fish in the evenings, I think. There weren't many people there at this time of the morning so it made for a perfect spot for some light trail riding. I did not want to disturb the folks who were there to fish so I did not ride long at all...just five minutes...and I parked my bike to walk around and take pictures.

Many boats were going and coming to the pier while I was there. I realized suddenly that this pier replaces the original Clifford Pier! All the boats that used to dock there are now docking here instead. I even saw the Cheng Ho junk boat coming into the pier! Cool!

I was going to call it a morning but I suddenly had the urge to go to Mount Faber. I haven't been there for awhile and thought I should take the opportunity while I was within the vicinity (kinda). Riding up Mount Faber was fantastic! The roads were winding and the air was fresh. I took a slow ride up this morning...enjoying the start of this brand new Sunday. As I rode around the hill, I saw this off to the left side of the road.

I just love how that big cloud added so much drama to the otherwise plain looking sky. The entire city looks to be bathed in golden light. I felt that the drama unfolding in the sky reflected the life that was beating within the city below. I was thankful that I captured this shot quickly as this particular scene only lasted a minute...phew!

Daybreak. My favourite part of the day. Though the light show moves fast, the effects of it remains with me long after...and I believe that I am far better off having witnessed the splendour of it all. My hope is that more would experience the inspiration that daybreak has in store for us, everyday, without fail. I made a little promise to myself, then, that I would bring this to as many as I could...and that I would return...many times over!

11 September 2009 ride report - A piece of peace

Ask somebody to think of the first word that comes to their mind when they think of Singapore and inevitably words like crowded, built up, noisy, fast paced and boring will show up. It isn't surprising since this little island nation houses over four million residents in just over 700 square kilometers of land.

I took to riding a motorcycle in July this year and got myself a good set of protective gear and a nice little bike. I decided to ride around the island as much as I could on this new form of transportation. It is amazing how different it is from riding. The same places look and feel completely different!

I was on a ride tonight together with two biker friends and decided to seek out the lights that were put up for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. The best place to catch this display would be Kampung Glam and Malay enclave of Geylang Serai.

As usual, the ride to Kampung Glam was filled with the expected motorcycling excitement of taxis changing lanes abruptly, cars forcing the rider off the lane by budging in when there isn't space, and fumes from trucks and busses that - miraculously - passed the LTA inspection! Still, the lights beckoned and we finally parked out bikes at Jalan Klapa.

I had to capture the image of the main arch because it looked grand next to the rows of shops.

I really liked how this picture reminded me of Melaka. You know, the part where the rows of red shops are? Sometimes, during festive holidays, they would put up lights and arches there and it feels exactly the same as this. I like this "small town" feel. It is very pleasant...almost like going back to the kampung.

No visit to Kampung Glam is complete without taking in the Masjid Sultan! It is a spectacular and historic mosque located at Muscat street and a sight to behold...during the day time...because it is pretty dark at night.

 The consolation was this gate which was decorated and lit up for Hari Raya. Here, you can have a glimpse of the mosque...I suppose I would have to return another day to capture the mosque and do it justice.

It was getting late and almost all the shops around the area were closed, I decided it was time to head to Geylang Serai. As I was walking back towards Jalan Klapa, I saw this neat looking little building. It reminded quite a bit of the FCC Angkor (FCC used to stand for the Foreign Correspondents Club but is now a commercial concern in Cambodia) in Siem Reap.

Of course, this is nothing compared to the real thing. Still, the simple and neat design of the building, the lights, and the general feel of the place really brought me back.

We stopped by Little India along the way to Geyland Serai. I wanted to catch the Deepavali light up that usually happens along the main street of Serangoon Road. Unfortunately, while the arch was already up, the lights were not switched on. There were some lights along Race Course Road though.

Geylang Serai was a completely different scene. For one, it was PACKED with people. The pavements were lined with bikes, every available space along the sidewalks were filled with stalls selling all sorts of stuff. People were walking everywhere. There were auctions going on for charity as well. It was fantastic!

Since there was no space to park along the main street of Sims Avenue, we parked our bikes along Changi Road instead. The light up was extensive here, covering all sides of the enclave.

I wanted to show how different this place was compared to Kampung Glam. See how much larger the light arch is? Also, there was traffic on the roads almost constantly! It really felt festive!

I got hungry at that point (and now too as I am typing this) and decided to have some Fried Hokkien Mee at the junction of Jalan Eunos and Jalan Kechot. I wanted to take a picture of the dish to show here. Unfortunately, we were so hungry we started digging in before I even remembered that I wanted to take a photograph! Hahahaha! So no pictures for you...go try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Having had enough of crowded sidewalks and streets full of traffic, it was time to head out towards Kranji and Lim Chu Kang for a more quiet and relaxing ride. I led the way there going by the smaller roads, as usual. The ride was nice and cool as the weather was perfect and the streets were practically empty. Neo Tiew Road was blanketed by a dense mist that hung in the air. It was a beautiful sight! So beautiful that I just wanted to enjoy it and not capture it. I did eventually stop along Lim Chu Kang Road  though because I simply cannot resist taking pictures of lovely and empty roads!

I just love the feeling of being in a place like this with nothing to do but ride. It is a feeling of complete freedom. The only thing to focus on is the feeling of the wind as it blows past...and the beautiful scenes that were in front of my eyes. It was pure bliss!

The end of Lim Chu Kang Road looks different from the last time I was here early in the morning. Tonight it was almost deserted...the place was quiet...and...well...you know.

You know, everytime I ride, I get a feeling that I am doing what I was meant to do. There is no doubt that riding brings me back to myself. There is no room for pretense. I can simply be me. The places that unfold before me when I ride takes on a special hue and creates in me feelings that I find difficult to describe. I keep running out of adjectives. I wish I could impart that feeling of peace to you by writing about my journeys. But you know, you just gotta be there in order to experience a piece of the peace.

7 September 2009 ride report - A simple blog

I wanted to do up a blog report for this ride like some of the others that I have done. But I decided that I was running out of time as the rides were coming in fast and the reports were coming out slow. So rather than let me creativity be stifled, I thought I'd just post the pictures from the ride and write something short. HEY!!! Isn't that what a blog is all about? Hahaha!

I wanted to see the eastern part of Singapore this night and started off from Mountbatten. The idea was to ensure I had the opportunity to ride towards Changi area. However, due to the timing of the meet up at 8pm, the way east was going to be congested from the folks returning home. So I decided to head out to the south first.

The Marina Barrage is a great place to be. It is almost always breezy and peaceful. The colourful lights at night makes it double the joy. We spent quite a lot of time here chatting and taking pictures of whatever caught my fancy.

I could not resist taking this series of pictures of the feature fountain. The colour of the light changes dramatically as the shape of the fountain morphs. It was a sight to behold. I spent quite a lot of time here at the fountain just because it was so captivating!

There's a magnificent roof garden at the Marina Barrage. It is mind-boggling to think that they managed to build such a large garden up on top of a roof! The view here is magnificent.

The night sky was filled with just the right amount of clouds, illuminated by the different lights from the city. I just love the way the clouds show up in a dark sky because of these different coloured lights. It is awesome!

Walking over to the other side of the roof garden, I was rewarded with a picture of serenity at work.

See the way the calm waters reflect the lights from the gazebos on the bridge and how that industrial construction area looks like its guarding this serenity with pride.

Here's a little piece of quiz for you...the next two pictures were taken quite awhile apart. See if you can figure out where I took them...

Of course, no night riding is complete without a nice spot of supper or kopi or some way to nourish the hungry tummy...this was what I had...

...and it was SUPER YUMMY!!! Sorry, no prizes for guessing where you can get hold of this solid late night supper food!

Well, that's all from me for this simple report. Looking forward to more rides...and lets hope I don't have to get a new set of protection gear...hahahaha!

4 September 2009 ride report - Hungry ghosts

Once in every 12 lunar cycles, the spirits of those who have passed on before us are given the freedom to roam the earth in order for them to visit their living descendants. During this "ghost month" (traditionally the seventh month in the lunar calendar), many elaborate practices are performed for the benefit of the "ghosts". Some of the more popular ones include the neighbourhood auctions, hungry ghosts dinners and special concerts complete with high tech lighting and sound equipment. It isn't surprising, then, that very few in Singapore would relish the idea of the ride I had planned for last night. You see, I went on a ride to some of the places many people wouldn't want to go in bright daylight, much less in the dead of night!


It was to be a night of discovery and photography opportunities - the Cemetery Ride - would take me from Hougang to Bukit Brown, from Japanese, to Chinese and Muslim cemeteries around the island. With the weather cooperating, it would be a night with clear skies lit brightly by a full moon. I had planned an elaborate route sans expressways (as usual) for this trip. I was excited! Still, the thought of riding into a cemetery in the dead of night without the benefit of any street lights is gonna be a little spooky regardless of the number of times one has done it. The regular staple of ghosts stories from Hollywood, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Thailand created an eerie shroud surrounding cemeteries. More recently, the Singapore movie "The Maid" brought the dreadful shroud straight home. So I sure was glad that one person signed up for the ride and I didn't have to do it alone!


I read about the Japanese Memorial Cemetery while researching for this ride and wanted to go there first. I had so many images in my mind of how that place might look like and could not wait to unleash my camera upon it. Unfortunately, as advised by my rider friend, it was closed for the night and we could not enter. I guess I'll have to make a day trip there one day to photograph it!


Undeterred, we set off for our next stop, the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery. I always dreamed of going to the memorial at night. I pictured in my mind how the beautiful moonlight would colour the landscape. How that moonlight will be reflected off the tombstones arranged in neat rows. And how that carefully trimmed grass would glisten in the night dew. The best thing: there are no gates to lock me out!


It was really dark when I first saw the memorial last night even with the moon shining in all her glory. The sky was bright though...but that didn't help with visibility. I could make up the tombstones and the taller structures but the shadows were heavier than expected. However, there was no eerie, hair raising, skin crawling feelings of dread...instead, the feeling was one of peace and calm that completely relaxed me.


I took to the task of capturing this magical feeling with my camera. After several tries getting the exposure right, I captured this image that stood before me.

The clear night sky was lit by two very different light sources: the moon and the street lights further away. The cool moon light gave the sky a beautiful azure quality while the street lights brought a warmer tone to the canvas. I felt they blended together well and really captured that magical quality of the memorial. The neatly arranged tombstones were covered in a deep shadow but are still clearly visible. I really like the balance between the light and the shadows in this scene.


I can never resist things that are arranged in neat rows. I would be filthy rich if I had a dollar for every picture that I had taken of things arranged in this way! So it isn't surprising that I was a little obsessed about photographing the tombstones a little more closely. Unfortunately, the deep shadow prevented any "available light" pictures from looking good (to me at least). So I did some creative experimenting and captured this image.

I bought this Energizer LED keyring, attached it to my motorcycle key and have carried it with me for all my rides. It is a life saver when I need to check on the bike, and when I want a small light source that I can control and experiment with. This was a long exposure to allow the sensor to capture the low "available light". I used my little LED light to "paint" the tombstones I wanted to highlight. I thought it worked out beautifully and was very pleased!

I walked around the memorial and chanced upon this image as I looked up to the sky. I liked the way the top of the structure was reflecting some of the moonlight, while other parts of the structure was bathed in shadow.

I wanted to re-create the feeling I had when I looked up and saw this structure in all its magnificence. I knew I did not want a "straight" image, rather, I wanted the sense of dynamism I felt when I first glanced at it and was captured by it. It took me several tries to get the exposure and colour balance right. The exposure was tough because I wanted that band of light on the top and still keep the shadows. The colour balance was tough because of the mixture of moonlight and street lights. When you view this picture in X3 size on my Smugmug gallery, you can see how intricate the golden cross looks at the top of the structure, and the interesting texture of the column that is holding it up. I simply love it!

Walking out, I turned back for one last look before saying goodbye and was greeted by this image.

While it is a simple image, I felt very moved by it...probably because I could see the many walls that had the names of every single soldier that died to protect this land. The sheer number of lives lost is reason enough to never take this freedom that I have today for granted. The Kranji War Memorial has always been special and continues to be so with every visit.

The next venue was the cemetery at Lim Chu Kang. I took the usual route via the Kranji Dam and Neo Tiew Road. The ride was refreshing and fun as usual given the perfect balance of bends, elevation and straights on this particular stretch of road. All too soon, I found myself turning into the Chinese cemetery at Lim Chu Kang. The initial stretch of this cemetery was pretty well lit, thanks to the enormous and bright dormitory right next to it housing hundreds of workers. However, it turned very dark, very quickly.

I could see row upon row of tombstones designed in the traditional Chinese style. Many of the tombstones had a "temple roof" design and at some angles, the place looked like a field of mini temples! There were many small lanes connecting the different parts of the cemetery and I rode on quite a number of them. While riding through this, I stumbled upon two groups of people (pretty large group with many cars and trucks) lighting many candles along the paths and some of the tombstones. It looks like they're having a little reunion with family members who have passed on. The scene was beautiful and heart-warming (to me at least) and I felt it would be intrusive to take a picture...I even felt bad for riding through! I also regretted not bringing along my telephoto lens for the ride because some of the spots were perfect for that compressed telephoto effect. I guess I'll have to come back here again too!

We decided to head into Gelang Patah for some food and to fill up since we were so near the Tuas checkpoint. While I have driven into Malaysia many times through Tuas and Woodlands, I have no idea what to do on a motorcycle. My riding partner knew the procedure well and guided me through. Thankfully, the usual throng of Malaysian bikes were not present at this time of night and the process was a breeze. The rest of the night at Gelang Patah was a delicious meal of satay kambing (tastes as good as the one at Yusoff Jalal Satay at Pasir Panjang Food Centre) and a long conversation around bikes, convoys, expeditions and accidents among others. I was really thankful for the fantastic company and sharing. It made the ride extra special!

I wanted to take some pictures on the second link bridge but the wind gusts were so strong I could not stand still. Furthermore, it was starting to drizzle. So I decided to fore go the pictures and head back to Singapore.

The way back to Singapore was uneventful except for the super strong wind and heavy rain. We had rain gear on and decided to continue riding rather than stopping under one of those shelters along the expressway.

So was it a good ride? Absolutely! Was it a scary ride? Any ghosts? Sure...there were two scary and hungry ghosts...enjoying satay at Gelang Patah...come join the next ride!

1 September 2009 ride report - Explorers

Exploration ride...proclaimed the title of the post I put up in the forum. I remember the day I put it up. I had just returned from a long early morning ride. We met at 5am and rode till close to 10am, we even hiked up a hill in our attempt to catch the all illusive sunrise! I remember feeling really good after that long ride. It was a fantastic way to spend my Sunday morning...and I wanted more!

Singapore is a small island of around 710 square kilometers according to the Statistics Department of the Government. You would think that there would not be many places to ride in a small place like this. I thought so too. However, there are more than 3000 kilometers of paved roads in Singapore excluding expressways. That is A LOT of road for riding!

Thanks to Google Maps, it is very easy to see where the fun roads are. I spent some time scouting out some stretches which might be fun to try for this exploration.

To a road junkie, straight roads are no fun. Not only that, they are deceptively dangerous! Do you remember the last time you drove on a long, straight stretch of road? Did you get distracted more easily? Did you get lulled into a false sense of security? Did you drive or ride faster just to get it over with? Did you nod off because it was so boring?

So, the best roads are often not straight. On top of that, the ones that are most fun to drive or ride on should be relatively deserted. With Google Maps, it is easy to spot these fun roads at least half the time. I can quite easily see where the nice, curvy, small roads are. So I mapped out this 90 kilometer route for the exploration ride, taking us through some tried and true riding gems, and hopefully, some new ones to discover.

We set off at 8pm from the usual Esso station and quickly hit the bends along Old Upper Thomson Road. I always enjoyed riding along this stretch of road. It is a good place to warm up for the long ride ahead, with bends that teased out the nimbler moves that the bikes can offer. It was also a good place to evaluate how everyone in the convoy handled the road. There were four of us riding tonight, each on a different style of bike: a scooter cub, a sports bike, a street bike and a trail bike. If the other two riders who dropped out were with us, there would have been a cruiser and tourer as well!

The initial ride was easy and along familiar roads towards the Kranji Dam. I planned to take a different route to the dam taking Sungei Kadut Avenue. Unfortunately, a wrong U-turn along Woodlands road led me back to the usual route of Kranji Road! I suppose making a wrong turn is part of the spirit of exploration...it helped that we were all wearing helmets so I could not tell if any of the others were annoyed. Hahaha!

If you have not been to Kranji Dam, its time you made a trip. It has one of the best views of the city of Johor Bahru. And on the other side, there is a beautiful lake with serene and beautiful reflections of the night lights. A word of advice - make a stop at a Caltex station before heading into the area because there really isn't a good place to take a leak!

I was eager to get moving as the first stretch of possible new discoveries were just around the corner. The ride along Neo Tiew went by in a flash, fun as the roads were, I couldn't help but to think what Ama Keng would offer! On the map, it was a short stretch leading to what looked like trails...MANY trails that looked very promising. Six kilometers melted away very quickly and I found myself riding into Ama Keng Road. The first few bends were sweet...but alas...the road ended abruptly! There was a gate with a huge sign that said "Restricted Area". What a disappointment! I think its about time I wrote to Google about the usability of their maps!

Still, in the spirit of exploration, the route is a fluid plan that morphs as the journey progresses. So the ride continued along Old Lim Chu Kang and Old Choa Chu Kang, towards the next area for discovery: Lekar! Before I get there, did you ever wonder why there are so many places in Singapore named Chu Kang? There is Lim Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang and Yio Chu Kang...yes...I know you are all thinking about Phua Chu Kang...but that is not a place! It seems the word Chu in Chinese (厝) actually means "dwelling place", and the word Kang in Chinese (港) means "river bank" or "river branch". So the names Lim Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang and Yio Chu Kang were given according to the clans that controlled those areas! History lesson complete!

Back to Lekar. Now this was a place that I had wanted to explore for quite awhile now. I was really happy to have the opportunity to ride there tonight. I had a huge shock when I turned into Jalan Lekar because there was a dog that barked really loudly right next to me as I passed. I almost jumped up on my seat! The good thing was that the rest of the area was fantastic (lots of dogs but no barking) and completely made up for the initial shock. This area lived up to all my expectations - quiet roads, nice curves, brightly lit...and I spied a nice trail for my next ride too!

You can probably tell by now that I didn't take any pictures so far on this ride. In fact, I didn't take ANY picture at all! Sorry about that folks. I did lug my camera gear with me (dSLR, 3 lenses and a flash) but didn't actually use them. Its just that the ride was so involving I had forgotten I was carrying all this photography gear in the first place! So read along and imagine the ride...I'll do my best to tell story...you do your best to picture it...OK?

So I took the convoy from Sungei Tengah towards the next area: Lam Sam. This was a road that would lead into a trail that ends at Old Jurong Road. It looked very promising turning into Jalan Lam Sam. A neat row of trucks were parked along the road on my left. There was a huge pool of water near the end of the road and I spotted an opening on the left where the trail would start. It was a trail alright...complete with uneven surfaces and was very dark. It looked inviting and I really wanted to head in. Common sense persuaded me to leave it for another day (remember the collection of bikes?) so I made a U-turn instead. Still, I was happy I found this trail!

Without realizing it, I realized (huh??) that two hours have passed! Wow! More importantly, I realized I was getting hungry. Good thing my riding mates were getting hungry as well so we made a bee line for a spot of supper. It was during supper that we had a nice long chat about bikes, cars, work, bikes, bikes and bikes. Did I mention we talked about bikes? It was a good break...just four chaps having a good time bonding...I loved it! Oh, in case you want to know, we had supper at Fong Seng (the shop just outside NUS). The food quality has gone down the drain...but hey...the company more than made up for it!

It was getting late and it was time to head back as we all had to work in the morning. So we spent a little more time talking about each others' bikes and then headed off. The ride back was exhilarating! Going up South Buona Vista Road, through Leedon, Farrer, Lornie, Upper Thomson and back to the Esso station where we started off almost five hours earlier.

I gotta thank Eddy for suggesting a group picture...because I would hate to have an entry about a ride and have zero pictures to show for it. So here's a picture of our bikes tonight.

There's the street bike (Honda CB400), the scooter cub (Suzuki Hayate), the sports bike (Honda NSR SP), and the trail bike (Yamaha TW200).

My favourite picture tonight has to be this one though. For the very first time, I have a picture of all the folks who went on the ride together: Andrew, Ethan, Eddy and yours truly.

So that was the exploration ride! Four guys and four bikes...having a great time riding. Reminds me a little of the move "Wild Hogs". No, I don't think this motley crew is anything similar to those four in the movie. But it sure proved one very important point: that anyone and everyone can be united with a passion! Its bikes for tonight...who knows what bigger things can come of this?