Hello Steemit. I've decided to submit an entry to the Wednesday Walk Challenge but didn't quite know how to go about presenting it without making it interesting. The place I have in mind is so devoid of any picturesque views or scenery so one may wonder why this place at all. In the end, I decided still to proceed in featuring this place. I split this post into two parts, the first part being the Introduction to the place that will be featured in the walk. The Second part is the Wedenesday Walk itself and hopefully an explanation about why I chose this place as my subject.
Part One - THE INTRODUCTON
The photo below was taken last August 2019 when I went jogging/walking with my nephew. This place used to be my favorite jogging place called "Queensland's Baywalk" or more popularly known in our city as "King David" or "King David's Seawall".
That's me in my red shoes.
This place is a reclaimed area and the developer/owner decided to construct a baywalk, which he opened to the public, where people can come at any time of the day or night to enjoy the sea breeze while exercising or picnicking or dating with their loved ones. In addition, he had a giant statue of King David made with a big cement pond in front where he put in about a dozen baby sharks, which was a hit to the public.
Those are real baby sharks swimming in the pond.
From another angle. Notice the blue sea beyond the walk.
This was a favorite place for exercising in the morning and late afternoon as it offered a place where you can walk or run along the seaside, do the zumba or ride a bicycle while feeling the sea breeze during windy days or the spray of the waves as they hit the breakwater.
These waves can go as high as 10 to 15 ft sometimes.
This is the length of the Baywalk roughly about 250 to 300 meters long which ends in a circular loop where one can either just jog along the loop or go back to the starting place to make a lap. The loop should be around 100 meters long.
The Baywalk or King David's edge.
The loop where the Baywalk ends.
About a year ago, our city council passed a resolution approving the construction of a Coastal Road which will unfortunately pass along the Baywalk and cut through it.
Part Two - THE WEDNESDAY WALK
The construction of the Coastal Road last year saw the procession of dump trucks carrying boulders and sand and soil in and out of the Baywalk which made the place unsuitable for walking and exercising. The dust and exhaust from the vehicles made the place unhealthy. I was forced to do my morning workout in another location but I still missed the place. After almost 20 years of working out there it's but natural to want to go back. After so many months had passed, I noticed that the dump trucks have stopped its comings and goings and the place was relatively quiet. I decided to visit Baywalk last week and see for myself the changes that were made. This is now the statue of David area, the starting point of my Wednesday Walk.
Note that the pond is gone and the area is covered with soil and gravel and is very dusty. As I walk over to edge, this is what I saw.
The place is almost deserted. The open sea is gone and replaced with another man-made structure, that of the coastal road. The completed road will occupy four lanes and right now only the first lane is being constructed as can be seen on the left side of the picture. The area where the canal is will eventually be filled up to make way for the new road including the walk itself.
I proceeded towards the loop and on the way the place looked like a ghost town.
This is what the loop looks like now.
The loop.
The view from the loop.
Having reached the end of the walk, I turned around and started to head back. This is how it looks like.
The view while walking back towards the starting point.
And back where I first started.
I cannot express the feeling of sadness and loss over the fate of what used to be a proud and majestic King David's Seawall. While walking back I wondered if I will be able to come back here and enjoy the sea breeze and the spray of the waves on my face once the construction is done. I doubt it because by then the edge of the walk will now bring vehicles and traffic and all the pollution that goes along with it. I may have a few more months or, if I am lucky, a year or so to do my walks and exercise here. But as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."
This is my entry to the Wednesday Walk Challenge. All images are mine except those where credits have been affixed, mostly of the Baywalk before the construction of the coastal road.