Bedok PCN to East Coast Park ECP - Canal, Dogs, Hi Sister!

This post came real late because I was busy with work before my Hong Kong trip. I was too busy in Hong Kong as a tour guide for my guys and too tired after too many late nights visiting casinos, street markets and nightspots. Stay tune for my posts on my runs in Macau and Hong Kong. But before that, my long overdue post of my run done 2 weeks ago.

Weekend came, and I was down with flu... So I guess I have no choice but to skip my weekly weekend run. In its place, I decided to do a make-up run near my place. I was aiming for a 7-8km run and 2 rounds around my normal Bedok Reservoir Road was not appealing to me. Running eastwards to Tampines was simply not appealing after my ordeal last week. So I decided to run South and visit my sister's place at Tanah Merah to see how far is it exactly.

Conserve Water and Save the Turtles!?!

So I started off at the Bedok Reservoir Park connector network (PCN) and headed towards the Bedok PCN towards the south, along a nice long canal that discharge water from Bedok Reservoir into the ocean at East Coast Park (ECP).

The whole route at night, frankly speaking, is very boring.....

UFO?? Or just a lamp post. Smelly Canal on right

Thanks to the recent hot summer, the canal did not smell very good, and the whole route to ECP flanks the canal. Not very pleasant for an oxygen intensive sport like running. The other side of the run is flanked by bushes, shrubs, industrial complex and residential estates. Other than 4 traffic junctions and a mega expressway overhead bridge you need to cross, there are no other complaints. Running traffic was very light on that night and I encountered more joggers as I neared the Southern end of the PCN near ECP. The paths are not brightly lighted and pedestrian traffic is light, so I doubt ladies would want to venture along this route in the evenings as you never know what or who is hiding in the bushes.

One of the 4 junctions you will encounter

I neared my sister's place at the 3KM mark, so I decided to press on towards ECP trying to get more mileage. What struck me most during the run towards the ECP is the presence of a large amount of "Please Clean Up Your Dog Poos" signs. I do not get a lot of that at Bedok Reservoir Park. Seems like households around that area tend to keep dogs as pets, or their owners/maids are not well trained enough to pick up the shitty mess left by their canines during walks.

Remember to remove Poo!

Initially, I thought that the PCN will flank the canal straight into ECP, but the route diverge, as it hit hit a landmark which the PCN absolutely could not cut across. It is the military camp of 3SIR/3rd GUARDS. I was posted that for a few months while serving my national service during my younger days, and I recalled that there was a very convenient exit that opened towards ECP and we did our road march along East Coast Park, carrying our rifles and waving to late night beach goers. Looks like the average Singaporean has to run around the camp to get  to ECP.

Map telling you to run around the camp

I won't be getting into trouble posting this?? Would I?

I decided to turn back on the old familiar gates of the camp as I was behind the promised time which I was supposed to reach my sister's place, so ECP would have to wait for another day, another time. I stopped my running app somewhere in the vicinity of my sister's place. I wouldn't want the whole world to know where she lives and she will probably slap me senseless, should I do such a thing.