Date of Adventure: 26 November 2016
One of my greatest joys in life is to drop everything right after work, throw all my stresses out the window, and hop on my e-scooter for an uplifting evening scoot to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore's "Pearl of the Orient"!
For this ride, I chose my Aleoca e-Potenza carbon fiber e-scooter (the smallest in my current fleet of e-scooters) and of course, the RearViz which you should always remember to along on ALL your scooting adventures.
Personal safety should never be taken for granted so don't leave home without it!
There are different routes to Marina Bay Sands, including the super convenient and scenic Bishan-Kallang Park Connector network. I'll be doing a review on that in my next few posts, but for this trip, I decided to take the Beach Road-Suntec City route.
Danger Lurks at the Traffic Junction
If you happen to travel on the same route as me, you'd probably arrive at the traffic junction opposite The Concourse at some point (Pictured below).
As you can see from the photos, it is an extremely busy T-junction, as drivers are rushing impatiently home after work. The shocking thing is, some cars won't stop for you even if the "green man" comes on!
In fact, I highly encourage fellow riders to dismount and push your scooter across a traffic junction rather than to attempt to ride across it. In my personal experience, drivers are somehow conditioned to slow down for a pedestrian crossing on foot than on a bike or a scooter.
3 cars attempting to beat the green man!
The RearViz Doing Its Work
There is simply no letting up in the heavy mass of vehicles crossing the junction, like hungry tigers unleashed from their cages waiting to pounce on an unlucky victim! Luckily, the crowd of pedestrians made it across the road safely. PHEW!
Cars were honking to signal to the pedestrians to "hurry up". We live in a nation of stressed out, impatient drivers :(
While waiting for my turn to cross, I took a peek at my RearViz only to see more vehicles creeping up from behind and turning into my path rather quickly.
Danger lurks behind!
Good Lord, just look at how fast this car was travelling and cutting around the corner! Aren't cars supposed to slow down as they turn into a junction? I think it was a silver Mercedes. How he passed his driving test is beyond me.
ZOOM!!!
Cyclist Nearly Gets Knocked Over!
At the rate the traffic was going, I was silently telling myself that an accident was bound to happen.
As if being teased by the Grim Reaper, in the next sequence of images, you'll personally witness how an e-biker nearly gets knocked over by an oncoming car.
Look at the black car on the right turning into the junction...
can you tell what model it is?
Now here comes the e-biker...probably a deliveryman who just knocked off (puns not intended) from work at the nearby wet market...
In a split second, Black Car cuts aggressively into the deliveryman's space, nearly knocking him off-balance. Just imagine how you'd feel if a car with powerful engine cuts into your path, leaving you no time to react?
LUCKY DAY!
This is perhaps the reason why there have been so many reports of e-biker deaths recently.
Even though e-bikes are allowed on our roads by Law, there is absolutely NO GUARANTEE that cars will make way for you - even if you have the right of way. i know it doesn't make sense, but I am convinced that living in a fast paced society produces equally fast paced, stressed out, impatient drivers.
What do you think? Feel free to comment.
I sincerely hope that fellow e-scooter riders, if you're reading this, STAY OFF the roads if you wish to stay alive! Or as I will highly recommend, get a RearViz, so at least you get a clear view of any dangers behind you, like in the case of this deliveryman. You never know when you might to need to avoid an incoming vehicle at the split second, and that could save your life.
It was the deliveryman's lucky day, truly. But how many more lucky days will we be fortunate enough to live through?
After what felt like ages (for some strange reason, time seems to pass slower when you personally witness a dramatic incident), I continued on my journey, while the RearViz diligently "kept watch" over my safety, watching my back, capturing images of hulks of metal whooshing by.
TIP FOR RIDERS: You don't have to watch your RearViz all the time as that wouldn't make sense especially when you need to look forward most of the time. All it takes is a glance at the mirror, while you're at a traffic crossing, or in any situation you'd expect an oncoming vehicle from behind you. I also use it to check on my riding companion if she's riding safely behind me.
Wave after wave of traffic, like a tsunami of heavy metal.
Cars creeping up behind you can potentially cause an injury if you're not aware - even at the slowest of speeds!
Arrival at Marina Bay Sands...and a Delightful Treat
After an eventful and safe journey (thank God!), I arrived at the spectacular Marina Bay Sands. And guess what? I was right on time to witness a stunning Light and Water show, aptly titled, "Wonder Full" by the waterfront at Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza.
This is a nightly 13-minute showpiece with the stunning cityscape of Singapore lit up in the backdrop. Through an amazing convergence of light, music and sound, it depicts the universal tale of the journey of life that is popular with locals and tourists. I understand from the hotel's official website that the show continues to play to over 30,000 spectators per week!
What a treat!
Please enjoy the photos that follow...
Meet the Aleoca e-Potenza carbon fibre electric scooter, against the resplendent backdrop of Marina Bay Sands!
Inspired by the double-helix shape of the human DNA, the Helix Bridge connects Marina Centre to Marina South, and is the longest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. Truly, it's a sight to behold and an engineering marvel!
Designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, this is the Art Science Museum, located within the integrated resort of Marina Bay Sands. It was inspired by a lotus flower. Some say it represents good Feng Shui!
Stunning cityscape of Singapore by the Waterfront!
The image of the little girl looks like it rose from out of the water!
A visual spectacle depicting journey of Life, fueled by a soundtrack by the late legendary composer, Iskandar Ismail.
In case you didn't know, the Wonder Full show has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award for its contributions to tourism in the heritage and culture category. Even if you're not into light shows and water displays, this is one amazing spectacle you shouldn't miss!
The show is free to watch and is accessible to the general public. You can catch it by the waterfront at Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza at 8 pm daily. There is an additional show at 11:00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. So don't say I bo jio hor! :P :P
Throngs of spectators, both local and overseas arriving to watch the Light and Water show.
No words can describe this beautiful scene.
I love Singapore!
Hi Marc,could you write a review of Aleoca E Potenza?
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