Dragon Boats line the pontoon, looking like giant waffles.
Kallang River is special to me because this is where my kayaking journey all started, this is where I did my 1 and 2 star courses way back in 1998. This is also where it all started for this tiny nation called Singapore. Sir Stamford Raffles landed on the banks of Kallang River in 1819 and founded modern Singapore. A famous statue of Raffles has been erected on the supposed exact location of his landing. After 1819, Kallang River served as an important distribution channel for the ships that sailed from the East and West to trade their goods, transporting the goods in small boats along Kallang River and stored in the numerous godowns that were situated along its banks.
Anyway, my operation area was only in a modest area in Kallang River, bounded by the Benjamin Sheares Bridge*, Kallang Road and Tanjong Rhu Bridge, Singapore's first suspension footbridge built in 1998. In the past, we could paddle from this area all the way to the open sea, along East Coast Park. It all changed when the Marina Barrage was built and dammed up the opening, effectively making Kallang River a reservoir. Water now is more fresh than salty, I know coz I tasted it. :)
Paddling with Nicoll Highway in the background.
Doing kayaking courses for beginners here was good, it's effectively a reservoir so waters are calm, apart for some wind drift. Launching point was from a pontoon, but participants will also get to learn beach up and launching from nearby river banks. The scenery is urban but unique; where else in the world can you kayak with the Singapore Flyer, Benjamin Sheares Bridge and Gardens by the Bay as part of your backdrop? There are also nice shady rest points along the banks under coconut trees and public toilets for nature's call and potable tap water. The only drawback was the river bed in front of our regular rest point was muddy, dark grey muddy....and water is shallow. I wish we could paddle all the way to Clarke Quay and beyond, a bit impossible now with the numerous motor-powered tourist boats running up and down the river. Perhaps for small groups and minimum skill/experience level?
Sports Hub under construction.
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Singapore Flyer
Many schools came to do kayak 1star course this week, as it was the 1week school holiday. Mostly they were from the uniformed groups eg NPCC, NCC (sea), Scouts etc. Apparently they get to earn a badge after completing the 1star. In my opinion, some sec1 are not yet suitable to do the 1star course, especially those with water phobia. Many also lack the physical strength to pull the water-loaded kayaks during rescue. You should see some of the boys, barely look like 12 years old (girls tend to mature physically faster at this age, so girls are stronger!) So if you are a teacher/parent reading this, I urge you to consider whether your child is ready at 12/13yrs old. They still have a long way to go, no need to rush them to get certifications. 90% of the boys will still scrape through a pass, but I'm sure they will be more prepared physically and mentally when they are 14.
Rafted TX rescue!
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed teaching these boys, sometimes when they are a bit lost in space I would have to shout at them or (my favourite) splash water at them, haha! Once a while I have older students (actually only 1 day), we would do a mini expedition, I call it the "3 bridges expedition"! Benjamin Sheares Bridge, Tanjong Rhu Bridge and Nicoll Highway - that's about as far as we can go without breaking the law!
Singapore Flyer and MBS in the background.
*Benjamin Sheares Bridge - Singapore's longest (1.8km) and highest (20m) bridge in Singapore. It was named after Benjamin Henry Sheares, Singapore's 2nd President. Also the venue for the annual Sheares Bridge / Army Half Marathon Run.
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