Yesterday was finally TGIF, and after spending another busy week surrounded by the usual noise and fast pace of the city, I felt that I needed to step away from everything for a while. Whenever I feel like this, one of the easiest ways for me to reset is to simply grab a bicycle and ride somewhere without thinking too much about the destination.
So this time, I decided to have a silent cycling adventure around Geylang Bahru.
What I like about Geylang Bahru is how accessible it is from the city. It’s only several minutes away, and it’s also quite close to the Kallang Stadium area. Yet strangely enough, as soon as I started cycling deeper into the neighborhood, it felt as though I had traveled much farther away.
The traffic became quieter, the surroundings became greener, and instead of seeing busy roads everywhere, I found myself cycling beside calm waterways surrounded by trees and residential buildings.
Sometimes, this is exactly the kind of environment I’m looking for after a long week.
One of the most interesting parts of the ride was discovering the waterfront area and its cool-looking bridge connecting the neighborhoods across the water.
The bridge itself immediately caught my attention because of its colorful structural design. With the high-rise residential buildings behind it and the river underneath, the entire place looked surprisingly beautiful, especially as sunset started appearing in the background.
I stopped several times just to take photos... something that always happens during my cycling adventures, LOL.
Nearby, I also found an information board about the ABC Waters Programme, which stands for Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme.
I really like the concept behind this initiative because instead of treating waterways as something purely functional, they are integrated into neighborhoods and transformed into places where people can walk, exercise, cycle, relax, and enjoy nature.
At the same time, these water developments form part of the city's wider water-management and sustainability efforts.
So basically, it isn’t just something that looks nice for the residents. There’s an actual practical purpose behind it.
And I think that’s one thing Singapore does particularly well. Even something as ordinary as a canal or waterway can become part of the neighborhood experience.
While cycling around, I also encountered some amusing residents of the neighborhood... a group of chickens casually wandering around the grass 😂.
Seeing them beside all the modern apartments was quite a funny contrast.
I eventually parked my bicycle for a while at one of the wooden decks overlooking the water. There were some interesting installations beside it, and the entire area felt peaceful enough that I could just sit there and watch the water for a few minutes.
These small pauses are probably my favorite part of cycling.
It’s not always about covering the longest distance or reaching somewhere spectacular. Sometimes, discovering a quiet corner just a few kilometers away from the city is already enough.
After exploring Geylang Bahru, I continued cycling toward Bishan.
Whenever I’m around Bishan Park, there’s a hawker food centre nearby that I usually visit, so naturally that became my dinner destination after the ride.
I ordered a comforting bowl of braised pork with preserved salted vegetables, together with rice and soup.
Maybe it was because I had been cycling for quite some time, but the meal tasted especially satisfying, LOL. There’s something about having a simple hawker meal after a cycling adventure that makes it feel like the perfect reward.
Overall, it was another simple ride, but definitely one that I enjoyed.
Geylang Bahru reminded me that you don’t really need to travel far to escape the busyness of city life. Sometimes, a peaceful neighborhood, a bicycle, a beautiful sunset, and a good dinner are more than enough to end the week on a positive note.
