LCSG Treasure Hunt Part I

Two weekends ago, LCSG organized their first ever treasure hunt (Cycle Hunt 2011) and we were both honored and glad to be a part of the fun.

It sure did turn out to be a hugely memorable race for us. Here's our account of the amazing ride...

Team Hawaii 5 0 were in it to win it (best dressed at least).

Introducing Diane, KSL, Eman and Derek...

There were some that came straight from bed...

...and there were others that appeared in their Sunday's best.

Here was the game plan. 13 teams, 10 checkpoints. In the next 4 hours, team Hawaii 5-0 will little know embark on an amazing race around Sengkang, Punggol, Hougang and Seletar.

1/10: Start point (Mushroom Cafe, Sengkang Riverside Park) to Punggol Point.

Each of the 13 groups were given a chance to draw lots for their 1st check point. The luck of our draw took us to the commemorative plaque at Punggol Point, which was perfect as we knew exactly where it was and how to get there.

Declared as a heritage site, the plaque remembers the 1942 Sock Ching Massacre whereby more than 400 chinese were mass murdered.

As part of the challenge at our first check point, I had my face vandalized with lipstick and Gwyn got her hands dirty in the sand where X marked the spot, before we were issued the full set of photo clues for the remainder of the race.

2/10: Lor Halus Bridge

Our strategy was really to keep calm and ride on. Upon receiving the full set of clues, we made sure we took our time to plan our route carefully and then try not to get lost. Once ready, we set off towards the Lor Halus bridge, our 2nd checkpoint of the day.

If you didn't already know, the Halus bridge is a brilliant shortcut for riders/joggers to get from Punggol to Pasir Ris and vice versa.

3/10: Green tablet at Punggol Park

Next was the green tablet at Punggol Park and locating it in the park mimicked finding a needle in a hay stack for many teams.

Fortunately, Gwyn was sharp enough to spot the word, "fitness corner" in the picture clue. (not sure how many groups noticed that) From afar, we noticed a lot of teams circling around the park looking for the tablet. We arrived looking for the fitness corner.

Straight after we reached the park compound, we asked the first jogger we saw for directions to the fitness corner and the next jogger to double confirm.

Ask and you shall receive. Voila!

4/10: IMH

By now, the sun was slowly but surely out in full scorch. (See Derek's "Hawaiian Terrorist" look)

We pressed on towards the Institute of Mental Health aka the former Woodbridge Hospital which was checkpoint number four. Via Buangkok Drive and Green, we opted to stay on the road instead of the PCN as we felt it was more direct and faster.

When we arrived, there were no signs of the other teams and it was here that we virtually took our first and only rest throughout the hunt. When throngs of other riders began appearing at the scene, that was the sign for us to move on to our next checkpoint. While at it, KSL went around spreading the good news of 100 plus, 2 for $2.50.

5/10: Lor Buangkok, Last Kampung

The last kampung in Singapore was our 5th checkpoint.

I've always enjoyed visiting the kampong as it throws us all back to the early days where life was a lot simpler.

Getting to the Lorong Buangkok Kampung was not a problem as we had been there before. Searching for the right house required more effort. We forayed deep inside the kampung and found the house. There were a couple of similar looking houses and we made sure that we got the right one before moving on, red pail included!

There was another team that showed up at the Kampong at the same time. It turns out that we would bump into each other more often throughout the race.


Which team was it? 5 down, 5 more to go. Can you feel the adrenaline? Stay tuned for Part II!