End of Lim Chu Kang Road [林厝港路] - Wooden Jetty, Coast Guard Post & Mysterious House

Lim Chu Kang road is well known in Singapore - it counts the biggest operational cemetery as its occupant and for many male Singaporeans, it hosts arguably the most remote (and likely the biggest) army camp in the country.

Spanning eight long kilometers, the beginning section of Lim Chu Kang (LCK) is actually straight for a strategic reason from the point of Singapore's defense. Can you guess what it is?

From Google map, it is not hard to see that the road is almost parallel to the adjacent Tengah air base runway (this place holds great memories as i was a dental medic stationed in the airbase for my national service).

Therefore, in events of emergency, the lampposts by the roadside would be dismantled to receive airplanes. Interesting right? I am not sure if this is classified information although i have seen it in the national news a few years back.

Of course, LCK is also known as the main connector for the high density of agricultural companies in the Kranji region and the smell of chicken shit is a common complaint from residents of neighbouring townships.

I am going to take a breather from my usual countryside tour and choose instead to drive all the way to the end of LCK. 

It was a journey filled with greenery, no doubt, and the relatively straight route can only be described as relaxing for the driver.

Note the road sign - we are nearing the end and it is time to slow down!

Like other motorists, i can only park my car by the roadside. There is no car park at the end of this road and i bet the dreaded traffic police would not take the extra effort to travel all the way here to fine people for illegal parking.

Unkempt, untidy, unplanned - this is so unlike Singapore! For the naysayers who always complain that Singapore is too 'planned', get your ass out of the touristy areas.

One thing that hit my senses as i stepped nearer was the strong smell of fishiness! The exposed sea bed as a result of the low tide worsened the smell.

There were no security guards and i easily walked down the jetty for a closer look.

Question : do we need to a key to start a speedboat motor?

From movies and drama serials, it seems that a pull at a string is more than sufficient to start the engine to escape from the cops or bad guys (depending on where you stand).

The newly constructed Police Coast Guard base beside the jetty. Their presence is needed to deter illegal immigrants and smugglers due to the close proximity of Malaysia.

End of jetty - right across is of course Malaysia, Singapore's closest neighbour and the one for which we have the most delicate relationship.

Dotted the Johor Strait are many kelongs. Weirdly, i don't see that many kelongs on the other side of the Johor Strait which is cut in the middle by the Johor–Singapore Causeway (新柔长堤).

My way back - this floating jetty is fixed to the seabed simply by the many wooden sticks you see by the sides.

Not sure what wood is used but i guess it must be seaworthy in order to withstand the corroding elements of saltwater and hardy due to the constant exposure to the hot, wet and humid weather.

Seashells attached on the wooden, algae covered section nearest to the water. They appeared to be edible and should taste good stir-fried with chilli.

In case you are curious, buoyancy of the floating jetty is helped by these chains of industrial standard plastic containers.

Something caught my interest here!

An empty looking house on water that is connected to mainland Singapore with its entry point thick with foliage. I must find the way to this mysterious house for a better look! *excited*

Oops! By order of AVA, no trespassing is allowed! With such faint colours, i think i would make a pretty good case in defending myself should i be hauled up to court.

A tightly closed gate (hopefully with chains and lock) would have also bloody stopped me from venturing forward! I rest my case.

Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah 龍發豆沙饼 [Sweet or Salty] @ Loong Fatt Eating House & Confectionery along Balestier Road

Balestier Road, known as Whampoa for many of the older generation, is well known for one snack - Tau Sar Piah (豆沙饼); translated literally as Bean Paste Biscuit.

Within a short stretch of a few hundred meters, you can find no less than five shops selling this popular Chinese snack. Despite the stiff competition, one shop especially stands out from the others. 

It has a queue!

Established since 1948, Loong Fatt (龍發) has maintained in having only one shop to control the quality in baking this hand-made Teochew biscuit.

Mom is a sucker for tau sar piah and would always buy a few boxes from Balestier where she prays at the ancient Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong. She tried enough to eventually narrow her selection to only 639 [due to the fame of tau sar piah in the area, the unit number is commonly used to differentiate shops like 611, 633 etc].

Loong Fatt does sell other food items but i guess it is more appropriate to touch on their signature tau sar piah in this post. Depending on individuals, you can choose from two basic types of tau sar piah; salty (咸) or sweet (甜).

Salty (咸)

The traditional and easily the favourite type of my mom's generation.

Besides the savoury bean paste that continually persuades you to give it another bite, the key feature that sets Loong Fatt apart from the others is the flaky pastry skin; it is of the right thickness and commands a fluffiness that you could almost miss its existence.

Sweet (甜)

The one popular with the young; with the exception of me (who happens to be the eldest), the rest of the Gang of Four totally preferred the sweet tau sar piah.

It's not difficult to separate the sweet from the salty - the sweet tau sar piah has the obvious sesame seeds outside and the paste also looks darker! And as the name suggests, the taste is almost like the salty tau sar piah, albeit with a sweeter aftertaste.

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Kon and I had a discussion on whether there is any difference in the dough used to make the pastry of the sweet and salty. And there's no better person than to ask the staff themselves!

Answer: The dough for both types of tau sar piah is the same! Even though sesame seeds appeared on the outside of the "sweet", they were also included in the making of the "salty" bean paste.

Location

639 Balestier Road

Price

Salty Tau Sar Piah - S$0.60 each

Sweet Tau Sar Piah - S$0.60 each

[Boxes charged separately for takeaway]

Additional Information

No operation on Sunday but do note the shop might also close early on really good days when the tau sar piah is sold out. And from experience, it can close as early as 3pm.

Call 6253-4584 to avoid disappointment!

Birdz of Play @ Jurong Bird Park (裕廊飞禽公园), Singapore

Another water playground?!

Yes, i have the same sentiment although it's not hard to understand why commercial corporations are so keen to have them. It's a pity all of them are skewed towards kids from five to twelve years old!

Built at a cost of S$7 million dollars, Birdz of Play is similar to the Rainforest KidzWorld at Singapore Zoo, a tourist attraction that falls under the umbrella of Wildlife Reserves Singapore [which also manages Jurong Bird Park].

An obvious difference is the size; Rainforest KidzWorld is way bigger and provides a more holistic educational experience for children [horses, chicks, rabbits and even a replica of a kampong house].

The lack of big, towering trees in the area also means that the numerous water features look extremely enticing in the sunny weather! Guess i have to bring along my niece and cousin next time as an excuse to enjoy the playground in a more legitimate manner.

Not everything features water; a slightly smaller dry area is segregated for those who didn't have extra clothing but still wish to have some fun. 

A building (known as multi-purpose pavilion) within the compound is where you can do some expensive shopping, have a Ben and Jerry sundae and even play arcade games.

Most parents prefer to stay in the shade while keeping a watchful eye on their hyperactive kid(s)!

Surface can be hot! Wear your shoes/slippers at all times and prepare to laugh when visitors unknowingly stepped out of the water zone barefooted.

When i saw this, i could not help comparing it to the one in Singapore Zoo. With the exception of birds replacing animals in the design, there is so much similarity! Oh well, not that it matters much when most of us were already melting under the hot sun.

It's always enjoyable to see the humongous bucket in play.

If only i am situated right underneath it!

=_=

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Map of Birdz of Play

As Above

Website

http://www.birdpark.com.sg

Additional Information

Click HERE for my post on Penguin Coast

Click HERE for my post on Lory Loft

Thai The Dine-In [Thai To Go Restaurant Outfit] @ Sembawang Cottage along Sembawang Road (Near Chong Pang)

I rarely dine at restaurants in Singapore that serve Thai cuisine after visiting Bangkok where authentic Thai food can be have had for less than S$2 a dish.

Thai [The Dine-In] is slightly different - it came recommended by a friend [Karen] who wrote an impressive blog entry on Thai To Go, the delivery branch of Thai The Dine-In.

Simple decor with splashes of cheerful colours to lighten up the stressed up souls in many of us, the newly-open restaurant seemed to attract more customers than its neighbours within Sembawang Cottage.

Such a turnout is always assuring for the irritating skepticism in me.

Lemon Grass Drink

As refreshing and as thirst quenching as most lemongrass drinks i had so far. I should seriously consider having a lemongrass plant in my house so that i can concoct my own drink anytime!

Sliced Fish [marinated with Special Thai Sauce and Herbs]

I found this to be really normal and my passive taste buds faced incredible hurdles in trying to understand what these special Thai sauce and herbs are.

My mom can whip up a similar dish with plain soy sauce and oyster sauce. As you can probably guess by now, my mom (a pretty fantastic cook herself) is a yardstick i frequently used to measure and compare outside food.

Saucy Braised Tofu [with Seafood]

Definitely a savoury dish you would enjoy with a bowl of plain white rice! And don't worry about the vegetables as they appeared green (instead of yellow in some restaurants) and had a nice crunch to them.

Crispy Chicken [in Tangy Lemon Sauce]

Crispy - check. Crunchy - check. Meaty - check. Lemony Sauce - Check. The aforementioned are my basic criteria in assessing this Thai dish. Problem is; the four criterions are not that hard to meet.

In order to stand out from its Thai cuisine competitors, there is a need to differentiate (boy, i still remember my marketing lessons in polytechnic) and the company can start by re-looking into recipe of the tangy lemon sauce.

Stir Fried Glass Noodles [with Seafood]

To start the ball rolling, let's touch on the pieces of squid. They were cooked to perfection and the texture was almost like fish-cake with a squiggly bounce to them.

With strong emphasis on garlic and peppercorns (likely include some special sauce as well), the heavily fried glass noodles were amazingly flavourful and i could not get enough of them!

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I am definitely anticipating my next visit - shall try out the Pad Thai then! Would it be as heavenly as the epic one i had in Krabi? Let's find out soon!

Location

369 Sembawang Road,

#01-05, Sembawang Cottage

Price

Lemon Grass Drink - S$2

Sliced Fish - S$9.50

Saucy Braised Tofu - S$6.50

Crispy Chicken - S$8.50

Stir Fried Glass Noodles S$6.50

[NO GST. NO Service Charge]

Additional Information

Free on weekdays afternoon? Choose from four different value sets at only S$8.90 each!

Prefer to order ala carte from the menu? Click the above picture for a better look!

For the catering branch of Thai The Dine-In, 

please visit www.thaitogo.com.sg.

Continuation of the Wounded Wrist - De Quervain's Tendinitis [Mother's Wrist, Gamer's Thumb)

The chronic pain on my problematic left wrist has finally been identified - De Quervain's Tendinitis.

Given that the medical name doesn't really ring a bell with layman like myself (except for maybe Tendinitis), i had to source out the web for a better explanation on its cause, effects and treatment!

According to Wikipedia, De Quervain's Tendinitis is simply the damaged surroundings of two tendons that control the thumb's movement and is also known as mother's wrist and gamer's thumb.

It didn't take long to put them together and attribute the causes to the prolonged use of iPhone for games like Angry Birds (original, seasons, rio and the recently launched space) and the almost permanent residence of my ten-month old bulldog cheeks niece in my house!

Although the redness has dispersed, i continue to feel pain at the wrist area and it has worsened considerably to affect the movement of my left thumb [look at the above picture - that's the best my thumb can bend).

My family doctor (Dr Chu from S W Medical Centre) strongly recommended i visit an orthopedic surgeon and also prescribed these anti-inflammatory pills known as Voren to reduce the effects (basically to arrest the pain) of De Quervain's Tendinitis.

The problem is; i am not too convinced that taking a drug with side effects like pain can help to relieve pain. So, if i analyse correctly, i could bloody well feel more terrible after taking them!

*p.s. i know the pain refers to stomach pain*

*p.s. i have been lao-sai-ing for the past few days*