I was invited to a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for Chingay participants at One Punggol. I came early in the morning at about 8 am hoping to explore this eco-town. It took me more than half an hour to reach here via the North-East MRT line from Outram Park. I ever came to Coney Island for a brisk walk few years back and a familiarization tour of SCDF first smart fire station - Punggol Fire Station last year. Other than these two places, I hardly know of any attraction in this northeastern part of Singapore.
I started with a morning stroll along the waterway exploring the park connector from Waterway Point Mall to Punggol Point. The waterway is the icon for this eco-town. Near to the mall, there were wall murals erected at the side at hen farming. It was thriving and very peaceful till the Japanese Imperial Army came. Punggol Point became the site of the massacre during the Sook-Ching operation where hundreds to thousands of Chinese were ferried here in lorries and shot dead. The transformation plan to a eco-town was a recent initiative, and the town was developed in 2016.
I could feel the serenity and tranquility at this waterway park: far from the hustle and bustle of city life, zooming cars, noisy engines and toxic exhaust fumes. Here, I heard only the water splashing sound, the bird chirping and inhaled the fresh air from the tall green trees along the banks.
Along my way to One Punggol, I visited the Fo Guang Shan temple. It was a small one compared to the parent monastery at Kaohsiung. I visited the teahouse at the 5th floor and was amazed by the well-decorated setting. The founder, Venerable monk Hsing Yun of Taiwan died at the age of 95. As I left the temple, I still remember his quote on suffering:
Those who recoil and retreat in the face of hardship will accomplish little; only those who are unafraid of suffering and adversity will succeed.
After the stroll, I proceeded to the Punggol Regional Library Co-working space at 4th level of One Punggol to do my work. This library is unique and very modern with plenty of study rooms and adult coworking spaces. There is also a MakeIt studio where you can learn, tinker and create with technology. Free workshops on 3D Printing, Digital Cutting and Robotics are also conducted for those keen to learn.
There is also a hawker center at the 2nd floor of this One Punggol building and I went to have my favorite `Lei Cha' lunch at a very popular stall here. Long queue, reasonable pricing and nourishing delicious food.
After lunch, I strolled around the Waterway Park surrounding SAFRA and visited the Punggol Discovery Cube to watch the virtual video on Punggol Development. There is a free shuttle bus at the Cube that can transport you to the Northshore mall near Punggol Settlement. But I went back to my cozy co-working space to continue my work.
At 6.30 pm, I went up to the 5th floor multi-purpose hall to have my Appreciation dinner. The hall was very big and the dinner very sumptuous with satay, muah chee, tutup kueh and fresh coconut juice.
A fruitful one-day visit to this eco-town with very conducive environment to work, eat and play surrounded by great greenery park and peaceful waterway.