Last Sunday, I found myself visiting two places in Singapore that I honestly do not think I would have ever gone to if not for cycling: the Kranji War Memorial and Pang Sua Pond.
That is probably one of the best things about cycling for me. More than just exercise, it has become a reason to go farther, to explore more, and to finally discover what different places in Singapore have to offer. There are so many corners of the city that I would normally ignore if I were just commuting from one place to another. But on a bicycle, even the places that never crossed my mind suddenly become possible destinations.
When it comes to Kranji, I used to think the only thing I really knew there was the Turf Club, and honestly, that felt like all there was to know. At least, that was what I thought before I started seeing some social media posts about the Kranji War Memorial. It has been there for so long, yet I somehow overlooked it all these years. Maybe I have been too focused on the modern and busy parts of Singapore that I forgot there are places like this, quietly holding so much history. In that sense, social media can be quite useful. Sometimes it reminds us that there is still so much around us worth seeing.
And that is exactly the kind of thought I often have while cycling. Walking to multiple places can be tiring, and taking buses can be exhausting too, especially when you want to visit more than one spot in a day. Cycling gives me a different kind of freedom. It lets me move at my own pace, stop whenever I want, and turn a simple outing into a small adventure.
Of course, cycling is not always easy. There are still obstacles, difficult routes, and moments when I question why I even chose to do this in the first place. But for me, the good parts outweigh the challenges, so I am more than happy to keep going.
The first place I visited was the Kranji War Memorial. The area itself was huge, but I only stayed around the front yard. I know some people who visited the memorial went all the way up the hill to explore more of the grounds, but for this trip, I was content to stay near the entrance and simply take in the place. The morning sunshine was especially beautiful, casting a soft golden light across the memorial and making the whole space feel even more solemn.
What stood out to me most was the architecture at the front. The pillars and the overall symmetry of the place felt perfectly suited to its purpose.
There was a certain formality in the design, but also a deep calmness. It felt serene and respectful, exactly the kind of atmosphere you would hope for in a memorial like this.
After that, I continued on to Pang Sua Pond in Bukit Panjang. Once again, Bukit Panjang is not really an area I see myself visiting unless I have work there. Even though it is a nice neighborhood, I never knew there was a place like Pang Sua Pond with such a beautiful and unique atmosphere.
Since I could not ride my bicycle along the boardwalk, I simply walked and pulled it beside me. As I moved along the pond, I had this funny thought that the whole place felt like stepping into the set of Waterworld... except this version was cleaner, calmer, and much more modern.
The pond itself felt expansive, and the reflections on the water were absolutely sublime. One of my favorite views was seeing the clean and orderly buildings in the background mirrored by the water in the foreground. It created such a pleasing contrast between the urban setting and the peaceful pond.
Experiences like this remind me that I still have not explored my city as much as I should. There are still so many places waiting to surprise me, and that makes me want to keep cycling whenever I can.
