Cruising the ECP

The East Coast Parkway, or the ECP as abbreviation-happy Singaporeans fondly call it, runs along the Southeast coast of Singapore. As the expressway that connects Changi Airport with the Marina district, it is inevitably the first taste of a Singapore highway that a visitor will experience. For most visitors coming from the US, it will be a very pleasant first taste indeed. As US origin flights all come in around midnight, traffic on the ECP is very light, and it is beautifully landscaped and well-lit. The ECP, in a sense, may have been my first impression that Singapore was the place to be.

Nowadays, the ECP also serves a second purpose for me. It is the fastest road connecting my regular office in the Marina district with the other office in an industrial park where most of my colleagues work. Consequently, I have been able to experience the ECP in literally a whole new light, that is, daylight. And although it's still the same beautifully landscaped four lane divided highway, I have noticed some new things, hidden in the shadows beside the road that had escaped my sleepy eyes before. Some of them I plan to experience for myself, and some, I think I'll pass on. Here are some of the sites of the ECP, in no particular order:

Changi Airport.

Ah, now here's something I'm very familiar with. Flying in and out of Singapore as often as twice a month, I have now been to this airport probably as many times as I have flown out of good old (key word: OLD) SFO back in California. Singapore has bragging rights that Changi is the best airport in the world. Singaporeans like to brag about Singapore (just behind eating and shopping on the favorite pastime list), but in this instance, they are completely right to do so. I have never been in an airport so clean, so well equipped, and most importantly to frequent travelers, so quick to get you in and out. The airport has it's own showering facility, workout room, nap room (for adults, not just children), Haagen Daaz and Starbucks (also adult pastimes). It even has a prayer room (given some of the airlines that use Changi, this is a very important room). But where they shine is in SPEED. Singapore likes to say that their target is 20 minutes from the landing gate to taxi queue. I hit that target more than 80% of the time, day or night. Some say that the soon to open airport near Hong Kong will surpass Changi's greatness. But if it's the people that make the airport as efficient as it is, I say Singaporeans are one up on the Hongkies.

Big Splash

According to my sources (my manager has two kids who love water attractions), this lawsuit-waiting-to-happen is poorly named. How can you make a big splash at the end of a 100m waterslide when there is a pool with about .01 mm of water to greet you at the bottom? Big Crunch would be a better name.

Road Safety Park

The Road Safety Park, sponsored by Shell Oil. Now I don't know about you, but I'm dying to know what this is. However, I'm quite convinced that you actually need a car to get in. I think there would be some hesitation if you walked up to the park and said, "Uh yeah, two adults for the Road Safety Park please. How much is beer?" Anyway, the park seems to be fairly busy. I can't imagine that the attractions could be all that much fun though. "Hey kids, after we meander through Traffic Sign Forest, let's go see the new show, 'Johnny Intoxicated and the Busload of Nuns'!"

Footnote: I have since learned what the real purpose of the "Road Safety Park" is. Because it's pretty unfunny, I choose to plead ignorant and let my description stand. If you really want to know what this RSP is about, befriend another Singaporean and have them explain it to you.

East Coast Park

What would the ECP be without East Coast Park? Well, East Coast Park is said to be one of the most beautiful parks on the island, and certainly one of easiest accessible shoreline parks. You can actually swim in the water there, although it's a bit murky. But the true attraction of East Coast Park is bird watching. Not the feathery flying types, mind you. No, in a more British sense of the word "bird"... Apparently, it's the destination of many ex-pat women out rollerblading in skimpy little outfits. Hey, I've never been there! It's just what I've been told! Right!

East Coast Crocodile Park

One of two major croc parks in Singapore. Now why, with such a great zoo, would Singapore devote two more parks to ugly crocodiles? Well, it's actually, a farm, not a park. And when you go to see the crocodiles, you point to them in their tank and say things like, "I'd like a wallet from that one, I'd like a pair of shoes from that one, I'd like pillowcase from that one..." you get the idea. I hear for a small fee and your signature on a waiver form, you can actually jump right in the pool and kill your own crocodile with your bare hands. Now that's a photo to send home to Mom and Dad!