Interesting Green: Take the roads less travelled

MY PAPER WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18, 2010, MOTORING, PAGE A13
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya180810cnd_opf_files/mya180810cnd.js&ver=Gen
Website: http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Others/Story/A1Story20100818-232785.html
By Chew Hui Min, ASIAONE, Wed, Aug 18, 2010

PHOTO: GROCERS’ HIDEAWAY: Visitors get to pick organic produce at Bollywood Veggies in Neo Tiew Road.
(PHOTOS: CHEW HUI MIN)
MY PAPER WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18, 2010, MOTORING, PAGE A13

PHOTO: CHEW HUI MIN
The writer, a webknowledgist with Singapore Press Holdings portal AsiaOne.
MY PAPER WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18, 2010, MOTORING, PAGE A13

IT IS hard to deny that there is a visceral pleasure in cruising down an empty road or expressway.

But how many of us, on busy Singapore roads, actually get to do that, unless we take to the expressway in the wee hours?

Never fear. AsiaOne Motoring lists five roads for a Singapore "driving holiday".

#1. CHANGI COAST ROAD

The sun, the sea and little traffic make this a breezy ride.

Catch planes taking off alongside as you drive, and zoom past panting cyclists on the cycling path beside the road.

PHOTO: Watch jetliners whizz by while you drive down Changi Coast Road.
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This eastern-most road along the edge of Singapore is a lovely runway to taxi down.

Pit stops: Take a stroll along Changi Beach, or stop by Changi Village for nasi lemak.

Playlist: Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver; Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys.

PHOTO: Make a 'pitstop' at Changi Village - a lively night bazaar is the highlight during weekends.
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PHOTO: OLD UPPER THOMSON ROAD, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
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#2. OLD UPPER THOMSON ROAD

This winding lane shaded by greenery has an air of seclusion, and ends at the tranquil Peirce Reservoir.

PHOTO: Old Upper Thomson Road
SMOOTH DRIVE: The winding Old Upper Thomson Road ends at a tranquil reservoir.
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http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Others/Story/A1Story20100818-232785.html
MY PAPER WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18, 2010, MOTORING, PAGE A13

Its current serenity is a far cry from what the atmosphere must have been in its heyday as part of Singapore's first Grand Prix circuit back in the 1960s.

PHOTO: Finish off your drive down the Old Upper Thomson Road at the tranquil Peirce Reservoir.
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http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Others/Story/A1Story20100818-232785.html

Pit stops: Pack a picnic and lunch at Peirce Reservoir, or have roti prata in Casuarina Road.

Playlist: Orinoco Flow by Enya; Fuel by Metallica.

PHOTO: Have roti prata at a stall along Casuarina Road.
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PHOTO: Seletar Camp
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#3. SELETAR CAMP

Driving through the old gates of the former British airbase is like going back in time to the 1930s when it was first built.

PHOTO: Seletar Camp
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The black-and-white bungalows have an air of colonial charm, and they are still a popular rental choice for young professionals.

Pit stops: Jalan Kayu roti prata is just by the entrance, or you can watch planes take off from Seletar Airbase while savouring fiery buffalo wings from Sunset Grill and Pub.

Playlist: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

PHOTO: Lim Chu Kang Road
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#4. NEO TIEW ROAD

From Jalan Bahar, drive past the gate of the Nanyang Technological University and zoom up Lim Chu Kang Road (often used as an impromptu race track) to get to this rustic patch of countryside.

The narrow track is fringed with slightly overgrown grass and the area is dotted with farms and even a resort.

PHOTO: Visitors get to pick organic produce at Bollywood Veggies in Neo Tiew Road
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Pit stops: Have a healthy organic meal at Poison Ivy at Bollywood Veggies, pay a visit to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, then pick up goat's milk and other organic produce at the farms.

Playlist: Go West by Pet Shop Boys.

PHOTO: Stopover at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve during your drive down Neo Tiew Road.
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PHOTO: South Buona Vista Road
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#5. SOUTH BUONA VISTA ROAD

The infamous bends in this sinuous road are anathema to some and a thrill for others - swerving along those curves certainly gave me goosebumps.

PHOTO: South Buona Vista Road
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Along the way, you can chug up the steep slope to visit Kent Ridge Park.

PHOTO: Chill at Colbar if you continue up North Buona Vista to Portsdown Road
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Pit stops: Chill at Colbar if you continue up North Buona Vista to Portsdown Road, or have the famous duck rice at Lim Seng Lee at the other end of the road near Pasir Panjang (except on Sundays when it is closed).

Playlist: The Long And Winding Road by The Beatles.

By Chew Hui Min, ASIAONE, Wed, Aug 18, 2010

The writer is a webknowledgist with Singapore Press Holdings portal AsiaOne.

PHOTO: One thousand fingers at d'kranji farm resort, located at neo tiew lane 2. Two bunches of an uncommon species of banana called the 1000 fingers.
http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-thousand-fingers-at-dkranji-farm.html
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PHOTO: Travel books are important not only because they inspire you to take the road less traveled but in your worst/ best moments they will reconfirm why you decided to take this crazy trip in the first place.
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http://www.backpackingbex.com/backpacking-stories/best-books-to-read-while-backpacking-or-best-books-to-inspire-you-to-go-backpacking/

HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Expressway: 快速公路 - kuài sù gōng lù
Breezy: 惠风和畅 - huì fēng hé chàng
Heyday: 黄金时代 - huáng jīn shí dài
Swerving: 突然转向 - tū rán zhuǎn xiàng

PHOTO: Goat Farm and Ivy Bollywood visit. lot and lot of green space...
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PHOTO: Green Circle yet again
The farm, though small, contains a dynamic, biologically diverse ecology. A revision of the food chain/web we studied in primary school. An amazing example of equilibrium.
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http://kormmandos.wordpress.com/tag/neo-tiew/

PHOTO: GROCERS’ HIDEAWAY: Visitors get to pick organic produce at Bollywood Veggies in Neo Tiew Road.
(PHOTOS: CHEW HUI MIN)
MY PAPER WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18, 2010, MOTORING, PAGE A13

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