Round Island Walk - Marina Bay Sands to Boon Lay

Round Island Walk Leg 2. Marina Bay Sands to Haw Par Villa MRT Station

We alighted from the bus at the Marina Bay Floating Platform where we ended our first leg (see Round Island Walk - East Coast Park to Marina Bay Sands). We walked across the Double Helix Bridge to meet up with 2 more walking buddies. The weather was perfect giving us excellent views of the bay for photo-taking especially with the sun shining from the south providing good lighting on the skyscrapers emblazoned with their financial pedigree. There were not too many people because of the heat - probably indoors admiring all those branded stuff, eating or gambling.

Marina Bay

Amoy Street Food Centre
We wandered around the Marina Bay Sands promenade to Shenton Way to Amoy Street Food Centre for our lunch. We arrived just minutes before the office lunch crowd and so did not take too long to queue. By the time we finished our meal, the queues were much longer. Here we observed the power of the tissues used to 'chope' i.e. reserve a seat or table. I regretted not taking a picture of this unusual low tech Singapore phenomenon. Perhaps could have pushed all these away and see what happened. After lunch we continued our walk to Keppel Road via Anson Road. The traffic along Keppel Road was heavy, noisy and dusty but we had to endure it. Going by a more pleasant route would add mileage to our walk.

Marina@Keppel Bay

Keppel Island and Reflections
We passed the old Tanjong Pagar railway station which was locked up awaiting final plans for refurbishment. We walked through Vivocity for some cool air and had some refreshment at Kopitiam. After that we walked past Harbourfront to Keppel Bay Drive. We paid a short visit to Keppel Island to admire the boats berthed at the Marina with the backdrop of Reflections at Keppel Bay. Looking at the top of the high rise apartments I always wanted to ask the architect when they were going to complete the building. This was because of the skeletal structure at the top looked unfinished.

Then we walked along the promenade in front of Reflections to the Bukit Chermin Boardwalk. There was hardly anyone there except for the crew maintaining the grounds

Labrador Nature Reserve
The Boardwalk led us to Labrador Nature Reserve. Here they were some workers taking a lunch break doing fishing from the shelter. We walked through the reserve and exited via Labrador Villa Road to Pasir Panjang Road.

The afternoon was hot and 2 members left us at the Labrador MRT Station. The rest proceeded along Pasir Panjang Road past Pasir Panjang Station and finally Haw Par Villa Station from where we took a train ride home on the Circle Line.


Round Island Walk Leg 3. Haw Par Villa MRT Station to Boon Lay MRT Station

We met up at the Haw Par Villa Station and proceeded to walk along West Coast Highway. Near the West Coast Car Mart we stopped at the Kopitiam Food Centre for lunch.

West Coast Park
After lunch we continued with our walk along the West Coast Highway then turned into the West Coast Park to enjoy its serenity and avoid the roar of the road traffic along the highway and the hot sun. We dropped by at MacDonald's (it was packed full with lunchtime crowd from the nearby offices) for a quick taste of their ice cream cone and proceeded toward the shoreline to enjoy the marine scene. It was unshaded near the two jetties so we hurried along to the mangrove boardwalk. Reaching the end of the park we continued on the same highway to Jalan Buroh where we turned left to get to the Pandan Reservoir.

Boats at Republic Singapore Yacht Club

Pandan Reservoir
When we reached the reservoir we climbed up the slope to access the jogging path for a better view of the reservoir. With a circumference of 6km unshaded. the thought of walking around the circumference was terrifying as it was hot and unshaded but we just had to show it to those who have not experienced it.

Pandan Reservoir

We returned to the sidewalk which was partially shaded to provide us respite from the afternoon sun.

On we plodded past Sungei Bajau. We wrongly turned into Jurong Port Road instead of Jurong Pier Road so we missed visiting Jurong Hilltop where we had spent many evenings enjoying the beer there.

We finally found our way to Jalan Boon Lay. At International Road we turned left to reach the canal where there was a park connector taking us all the way to Boon Lay MRT Station.

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Gardens by the Bay South and East

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

This route is the reverse of a walk we did earlier. See Gardens by the Bay East Marina Barrage. At that time, the Gardens Bay South was still under construction and we had to brave the Marina Station Road to go under the ECP to Lau Pa Sat. This time around there are three places where you can access the Gardens from the city area for those who walk. These are the Lions Bridge, the path under the ECP near the Helix Bridge and from the Bayfront MRT Station. So for this trip, we walked from Lau Pa Sat to Marina Bay Sands MBS to cross the Lions Bridge to the Gardens. After that we crossed the Barrage to Gardens by the Bay East to Tanjong Rhu. 

This also answers question raised by some cyclists whether they can cycle from East Coast Park to Gardens by the Bay South. Yes this can be done via Fort Road, Tanjong Rhu and the Marina Barrage.

Marina Bay Financial Centre
From Lau Pa Sat (after a satisfying meal), we moved along Marina Boulevard to the Marina Bay Financial Centre. We dropped in on the Marina Bay Link Mall to assess the place for future dining possibilities during visits to the Marina Bay area. This underground mall is linked by a passage to the Promenade so there was no need to cross the road. When we reached the Promenade we proceeded to MBS. There is a linkway all the way from Raffles Place MRT Station to this mall.

The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands
At MBS it was a bit difficult to locate the escalator to access the rooftop but the staff kindly told us to look for the escalator in a lobby next to the Chanel shop. There is also an elevator along Bayfront Drive to bring the visitor to the rooftop. We did find it hidden behind a wall. But finally we reached the 4th floor to cross the bridge over the Bayfront Avenue. This bridge leads through the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and overlooks the longest lobby in Singapore as this lobby connects three hotels.

Supertrees Gardens by the Bay South

Gardens by the Bay South
After crossing the hotel, the bridge extends over the ECP and ends at a circular viewing platform just after the escalator that will bring the visitor to the Gardens. Be careful here, as there is a 2-foot drop without warning. The view from here is indeed spectacular with the two glass-covered Domes and the 18 Supertrees.

Marina Barrage

We took the escalator to the Gardens at the ground level. We passed through the Malay, Chinese and Indian Gardens to the Canopy admiring the Supertrees  and Domes along the way. The Gardens has more than 5km of tracks and deserve more time by the individual to enjoy at this own leisure.

Marina Bay Sands and Garden Domes from Garden by the Bay East

Marina Barrage
We proceeded towards the Marina Barrage from the Canopy. Sighting the sloping eco-friendly grass-covered roof, we walked on it to reach the rooftop. This is a favourite spot for kite flyers. We walked across the Barrage past the boat hoist at the eastern end. This is used to move boats from the sea to the reservoir and back. The underwater highway is under construction with the eastern end completed and covered by the sea. The western part is still being constructed.

Gardens by the Bay East

Gardens by the Bay East
Here there is a road running parallel to the seafront all the way to Tanjong Rhu. With the plant life here, the skyline of the Marina Bay Sands and the two Garden Domes provide a picturesque backdrop to the bay area. We passed a bench where we noticed patches of blood which we surmised was where the wild dogs attacked a woman. After the Gardens, we followed the park connector along the Sungei Geylang to the hawker centre at Block 4A for a refreshing Tiger.

See Also:
East Coast Park to Gardens Bay East
Gardens by the Bay East Marina Barrage
Kallang Basin and Marina Reservoir Walk

GPS Track
 

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