0102

combined cycling was fantastic!
the ubin part was full of fun and laughter as we experience frisbee, dog and bone, as well as cockfight. hahaha just as the 01 scouts had misunderstood the nature of the game, cockfight, when i first suggested it, let me clarify that it is basically a game where 2 competitors each stand on one leg. so they basically have to hop around and try to knock their opponent down. haha it was quite fun and for my group we had a free-for-all fight where backstabbing and collaboration were prevalent xD

after that, it was dinner before the real night cycling began. actually, to be honest, i was a bit unsure of leading at first. somehow, the surroundings looked different at night, and the other time when we had recced, it was bright and sunny. however, once we started cycling, my confidence grew as memories of the paths urged me forward at every notch and turn. and so, we cycled from changi village to east coast.

but as the old adage goes, 'the best laid plans of mice and men go awry'. and indeed, it was only about 20 mins before the first unpredicted obstacle was chanced upon us. huikiat's bike broke down. like the axle broke completely. ggxx. but in the end we still managed to solve it.

next up - the incessant rain. it was the irritating kind of rain - the type where it is not so heavy that we have to start seeking for shelter, yet not so light that we won't be affected by it either. we continued to push on.

we reached east coast and rested for an hour at burger king. everyone was feeling put out and tired, and many did not wish to continue the next leg of our journey, for the luxuries of staying in the comfort of the food outlet was beginning to cast a sleeping spell over us. yet, we honoured our promises and strove on, for we are scouts.

we cycled to the end of the east coast track, somewhere along tanjong rhu i think, and from there on, kumaran led the way to the kallang river. haha it was a panoramic view - with the illuminated bridge and quiescent waters. i will definitely cycle there once again in the near future. in fact, i think i want to revive my cycling tradition once more.

it was 2+ am in the morning. we were crazy. we decided to cycle all the way back to changi beach park to sleep. and so we did. sometimes, the things we remember most are the hardest things we had to do. the most memorable part of this activity was travelling the stretch beside the airport tracks. due to the lethargy that had set in, i led a comfortable but slow pace at first. but after a while, i broke out of my reverie and started to accelerate until we reached an unbearable speed.

at that point, silence was the only speech. everyone was too tired to speak, and invested all our energies into the simple yet draining task of pedalling the bikes. for me, i relied on my trusty music to keep my mind awake and stay focused.

we reached the end of the track. finally. it was tiring, but it was also rewarding. hahaha. do you know that when you do not sleep for two straight days, your mind will start acting as if you were in a drunken stupor? and yes, i was quite tired then. and started singing 'home'. hahaha super funny and the rest joined in. our chorus of melodious voices was rejuvenating though, and freshened us a bit.

after that, we cycled on and reached our rest point. our luck pulled through - for it was not long after we stopped when the downpour began.

rested.
returned the bikes.
returned home.
slept.

it has been a remarkable journey, and i was glad i got to know the 01 a lot - teeyong, hiok, wenyu, chin yang, and not to forget their sec4s too. =) haha must start compiling the photos into a collective wallpaper too.

memories, crystallized;
bonds, formalized.

hahahaha retreat promises to be extremely fun and exciting! 1 MORE DAY!