I had to drop my brother at the airport recently and I reasoned that I could combine the drop off with ride along the Changi PCN. Why, you ask?

1. Because I can.
2. The folding bikes enable me.
3. I have not checked out the PCN and have missed riding by the runway.
4. Let a friend of mine gain experience riding on the roads.

So I decided I will carry the Flyby and my friend’s Tikit (didnt I say I have nice friends) along with the luggage on a cab. There were risks involved, what if the bikes did not fit. What if the cabbie was not happy. Oh well, I figured I will deal with it.

So the first hurdle was to fit 2 bikes on the boot of a standard cab and squeeze in a carry on bag. Iniotially, the tikit was behaving oddly but with a bit of coaxing, managed to fit it in. Topped it with the flyby and then showed the luggage on top.  Observed that the space occupied by the flyby is smaller than the tikit though tikit uses 16″ wheels.

We got to the airport and promptly plonked the bikes on a trolley and after a bit of fiddling, the stuck to the trolley and did not budge. Getting out of Changi on a bike is a challenge as the airport boulevard leads on to ECP and it is illegal to ride there. I am sure there is some unknown shortcut through the back alleys of the airport service lanes that one could actually cycle out of the airport. But I chose not to spend time investigating and headed down to the basement for a bus ride to the EC park. 36, it was and we hopped on without any hassle (The driver gave a curious look) parked teh biked in the luggage / handicapped spot and got to the park in 10 minutes.

Just as we got off the bus, a heavy thunderstorm swept the coast and we had to wait a while till the rain eased. Lucky break because the Flyby’s Dahon V-Clamp hinge decided to malfunction and it took a while before I got it all settled. I will have to write about the V-Clamp after investigating the issue. The rain did ease, we saw off a few roller blading babes and rode into the evening. The Weather was wet throughout the ride but with very light traffic. I’d take wet over crowd anyday.

We stuck to the PCN and I was impressed with the nice roads and the route it took along the coast. Reminded me of someone mentioning that road planners in Germany plan for a cycle path that runs along highways and connects villages / cities. I wish they had more roads like this in this part of the world. I kind of enjoyed the slow pace of the ride, as I usually am time-trialing mode at the Changi coastal Rd. The weather was brilliant and in no time reached changi village. Decided to break for dinner and had some decent food at one of the shops selling Thai food. Post dinner, the weather remained still wet and we decided to take a cab home and that’s what we did.

I am pretty impressed by the ability to make sudden changes in plans simply because I am on a foldie. I believe it cuts both ways, it can make one lazy and can kill adventure but can also salvage one in tricky conditions. Still the advantages are there and I enjoyed the ride, which is what matters.

Pom Poko is an environmental awareness film from Ghubli Studios, directed by Isao Takahata. Takahata also directed the very moving Grave of the Fireflies. Well I say environmental awareness, Takahata makes is a lot more interesting with fun loving, shape shifting racoons  causing riot when they realize their living space is being encroached.

One of my regular fun rides was to follow the Serangoon River and head into the farm lands off Punggol. The roads are good with couple of short but steep hills and ends up at the beach. One could detour and head down along the unused LRT line and end up at a seafood restaurant. If you are lucky, you will be chased by very aggressive dogs and that will give you the fill of adrenalin and exercise for the day. The ride is usually enjoyable due to the fact that the place is very calm except for the occasional bus passing by and cuts across a decent patch of forest and grass lands.

I went there recently and was disappointed to find very heavy construction going on. I understand that Singapore is a city and thats what happens when population increases and the city has to provide living spaces for all. But still, it is really sad that a nice bit of peace and quied is being disrupted by heavy trucks and constant construction and the greens have turned to yellow. I could not help but feel as helpless as the racoons. If you have watched the movie, it deals with learning to live with changes and I suppose I will too.

The issue to ponder for me is this. There is such massive development going around the world. If it continues, what will be left out in the next few decades? I guess one should be out there when there is opportunity and soak in the nature before it is gone for good.