Coney Island - Part One

I would run along the coast here once every 2-3 weeks. I read that a new park would open soon with mixed feelings. Singapore has a tendency to make everywhere and everything looked the same with ruthless efficiency. We are in dire need of different thinking I feared.

The clear blue sky of the last few days makes many people chirpy again. We should remember and not complain when it is too hot and humid or when it is raining. All we need are clear blue skies!

So I decided to run again and to do it right up to Coney Island and most people will be surprised if I told you that I first visited Coney Island when I was a child in primary school. My elder sister was on a school excursion and I tagged  along. This I remembered but thinking back I wondered how I could so so?

It was quite crowded. Young and old were here. Now it is connected by a little bridge walkway. Those days, you can actually walk across to the island during low tide but you will need to return before high tide and as you know time and tide wait for no man and you can get stranded quite quickly. 

There used to be anglers who went there. I remembered that we walk through the entire island from its perimeter. Nothing but a sandy beach. 

This time we came via the West Entrance which is nearer from the Punggol Settlement also known as Punggol End. The other entrance would be from Halus (Pasir Ris).

It was a cooling and breezy day. What stood out for me the first time I set foot on Coney Island was the urban legend of a haunted house. We actually found it there and as a child it was very exciting since I was brought up reading Enid Blyton's Five Find Outers and The Famous Five, even a boat trip in itself was an adventure. Anyway, just in case you do not know, life in itself is indeed an adventure. 

Signs that the authorities have taken over. I vividly remembered that abandoned house, no villa or bungalow in its decrepit condition. Every abandoned place looks haunted. Tall grass surrounded it. It looked old and sad. Probably anglers and campers took shelter there during thunder storms.

I remembered that I saw drawings and writings on the walls inside the villa. We actually got in there but I heard you are not allowed to do so today as the building structure is unsafe. While abandoned places can some times have spirits there as many have shared.

One particular writing in bold captured my imagination. Scribbled across the wall were the words "Welcome to Unicorn Island". Wow! What did the writer meant? Maybe nothing. Probably.

My mind was flooded with fond memories of such a distant past and the few other times I have visited and when I completed my run and was walking, a couple of old ladies who came from the other direction were asking me for direction to the seafood centre. 

They appeared glad when I pointed out to them it was close. That was when I met this gentleman - Mr. Chen Show Mao. He was leading a group of elderly constituents on a walk on Coney Island. Of course there were no publicity. 

My visit to Coney Island as a child spun off two award-winning composition in school tests and exams as my imagination ran wild. Stories of getting stranded, ship-wrecked, loneliness, without food and shelter with of course the Unicorn Island lend credence perhaps to the storyline. 

Birds are very interesting and they have some at the island.

Nature lovers were a plenty but if you are one, do note that you are not to go rearrange the insects, birds or snakes and wild boars or lone cow. There is a trend now for stupid people to do that using their selfie as the backdrop. If I catch you doing that, I will send you to have your face rearranged. 

To be fair, they did a good job of maintaining a large part of the island as it is. This is very important. I am happy to see young and old there. 

I took a very short  walk on the beach. This part of the shore line was kept natural. 

My next trip will be mainly walking around and throughout this island. I will need to spend a few hours there and yes to locate the abandoned villa. 

Across the beach I could see Pulau Ubin where I have been several times in the last couple of years.

I love this place. 

Could find no unicorn here. Not even the bull this time. That lone bull must have walked across during low tide and never returned. You could see here from the markings the tide was low. Now that it has become a waterway, the poor lonely cow (peh) cannot return and needs a cow (bu). I will look for it the next time.

I ran again back to the Punggol Settlement (Punggol End). I saw this old man and a few others picking rubbish. He is hard working and I have seen him often and so many times. I ask that you respect such people and do everyone a favour which is actually your duty not to litter the beautiful places that we shared. Treat everywhere with respect like your own home.

And I thought most people are educated. Why do we have so much rubbish?

To be Continued...