2009-06-23 1 103

Location

The hashpoint is on Kaki Bukit Crescent, right beside Kaki Bukit Techpark 2. It appears to be accessible, right on the road itself.

Participants

Cyazlars can't miss this hashpoint!

Plans

Cyazlars

Finally, a hashpoint that's landed IN Singapore itself! The nearest MRT station's a little far off, though. After consulting with my brother, the bus fanatic, and the Transitlink website, it's decided that I will get to the hashpoint by MRT first, dropping off at Toa Payoh, before switching to bus service 59 that will take me to the bus stop opposite the Techpark. The journey will take an estimated 53 minutes. I think it'll take an hour and a half.

I wonder if I should drag someone along - there is a possibility I could get mugged in an industrial park.

Expedition

I had planned to wake up at 8.30am so that I could head out for the hashpoint and come back before late afternoon. As it turned out, I didn't hear the alarm go off at all (I did, however, vaguely feel the alarm clock being thrown at me by my mum) and ended up waking at noon. After printing out the satellite map, I left the house at 1pm.

I felt extremely self-conscious taking pictures on the train, because I had heard of a blogger who was apprehended and questioned for taking photos in one of the train stations. Also, most commuters read books, sleep, or stare at a fixed point in space, so whipping out a huge camera and taking random pictures of the train would have definitely attracted unwanted attention e.g. suspected terrorist. If I had taken plenty of photos in there most of them would've been of my feet, anyway (see picture of feet on bus). I did manage to get some shots though, hoping they would be sufficient proof that I had taken public transport there. There was a minor hiccup in transferring between the train and the bus service - I was supposed to board the bus at the stop opposite Toa Payoh Swimming Complex. I checked the details board at the stop and found nothing on bus service 59, so I assumed it must be the stop opposite it, aka the stop AT the complex, forgetting what the Transitlink website had told me. After laboriously walking on the overhead bridge to the other side, I found out that the bus there was going the wrong way. And the right-way bus just left the stop on the opposite side. The details for bus service 59 were behind the board all along.

From then on the trip was rather uneventful, save for a bit of heavy traffic along the roads leading to Kaki Bukit. I kept my eyes peeled for a 7-Eleven outlet for a chance to get a Squishy along the way, but no luck. For a country boasting over 400 7-Eleven stores crammed into an area of roughly 700 square kilometres, you'd think they'd be found everywhere.

The first sight that greeted me after I alighted from the bus was a wall. A rather long wall stretching from one end of the pavement to the other. The hashpoint was somewhere past those walls, and at that moment I began doubting the accessibility of the geohash. Well, still worth a shot, I reckoned. I spotted what appeared to be a break in the wall near the bus stop, and was pleased to find a stairway leading up through the factories. Success! A clear path to the hashpoint!

Guess I wasn't going to get mugged either - it was broad daylight and there were at least a few people about, including a woman watering the plants. There were also security guards in the factory compounds, but I don't think I was that suspicious to be stopped and questioned. Took pictures of the hashpoint, obligatory camwhore ~~FAIL~~ attempt, and then I legged it out of there since the clouds were darkening. My first geohash attempt concluded successfully!

Gallery

2 minutes!
Got off the train at Toa Payoh
The bus stop I was supposed to go to...not.
Crud. There it goes.
Here it is!
About as much of the bus I dared photograph.
Driving along the expressway...
The map was rather grainy, but it's all there.
Made the hashpoint look inaccessible...
...but not for long!
Looks rather ominous.
They look like suction cups up there.
Techpark 2
FedEx - we live to deliver THE HASHPOINT!
Crappy comparison to the map
Obligatory camwhore ~~FAIL~~ attempt
Escaped the rain
Dog sighted in the fenced compound


Tue 23 Jun 2009 in Singapore: 1.3359257, 103.9058811 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox