Biking At Bukit Timah

The Bukit Timah Mountain Bike Trail at Singapore’s famous nature reserve is one of cycling’s true icons. Abbreviated to BT by biking enthusiasts, the trail offers hugely variable terrain within an enviable area of natural beauty. Technical climbs and dangerous descents across jungle terrain mark the trail as ranging from Intermediate to Double Diamond, as rated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).

The trail was Singapore’s first mountain bike course and opened in 1997; the 6.5km track loops around Bukit Timah hill. There are various entry points to gain access to the trail but the most popular are Hindhede Road and Dairy Farm Road; both of these locations offer ample parking for visitors.

Part of BT’s appeal is that it offers similar design features found in larger tails in other countries. It provides an exciting cycling experience with steep climbs and tricky descents with more restful sections of cross-country riding. There are adrenaline inducing narrow ledges carved into rock face and precipitous downhill drops to test even experienced mountain bikers like Stefan Masuhr, who was previously a regular rider in Singapore.

Highlights include a small double drop after the tunnel which provides some excitement in an otherwise easy section of the trail and can catch out people unfamiliar with the course. At the right hand side of the trail, just before the Quarry, the ‘A’ Line Rock Garden is another interesting section. Even the climb from the car park at BT’s official starting point is a famously tricky part of the course.

Despite being a relatively short biking trail, Bukit Timah is renowned as a challenging course. It is a physically and technically demanding track with obstacles designed to test skills and strength. Experienced cyclists and regulars at BT agree that a slower, more thoughtful approach to the course can be crucial to conquering the trail.

Bukit Timah is a stamina testing trail deserving of its worldwide reputation. For most riders, once around the course is sufficiently testing. However, many mountain bikers simply can’t wait for a second chance to face the obstacles on this tropical terrain.

Public Transport In Singapore

Singapore is a small island populated by 5.6 million people. It has enjoyed vast growth since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 and scores highly in numerous international rankings for finance, technology and education, to name but a few. The city is a world leader in commerce and attracts businessmen like Stefan Masuhr from around the globe. Its transport infrastructure is similarly enviable, necessitated by restricted land capacity at odds with its significant development in recent years.

The Singapore government has long recognised the need to restrict private car ownership in order to fight congestion. Motorists are subject to many requirements in order to be legally road worthy. A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) must be bid for before purchasing a car, and the vehicle growth rate is restricted by an annual COE quota to control how many cars are on Singapore’s roads. In addition, peak time driving on weekdays between 7am and 7pm is restricted by the latest scheme to encourage drivers to limit usage of their cars. The Revised Off-Peak Car (ROPC) Scheme offers rebates against the COE charge.

To offset the restrictions on car ownership, Singapore has an impressive public transport network. The government’s policies to restrict the vehicle growth rate do not apply to commercial vehicles and buses. In fact, Singapore’s Land Transport Registry is continually investing in public transport in order to maintain the city’s enviable reputation. Singapore has been rated as having one of the most cost-effective public transport systems in the world.

Bus travel remains the primary mode of public transport in Singapore. Despite heavy investment in rail links, daily bus travellers still exceed rail users with 3.9 million people riding the buses each day as opposed to the combined figure for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) totalling just 3.1 million. The four main bus companies cover over 300 routes with more than 5,000 vehicles.

The opening of the MRT in 1987 signified a major development for Singapore’s railways. The current network now consists of 5 main lines covering 198.6 km. The first LRT trains were introduced to act as feeder transport from the suburbs into the larger MRT stations in the town centre. The Land Transport Authority aims to expand Singapore’s growing railway networks so that many buses are eventually replaced. The enviable public transport infrastructure looks set to expand with carefully calculated ease.

The Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

Stefan Masuhr enjoys both watching and playing golf. He is member of the Roehampton Club in London, as well as the Singapore Island Country Club and the Sentosa Golf Club, both in Singapore.

Playing at these clubs is one of Masuhr’s favourite hobbies and he has also enjoyed several golf holidays that have seen him play around the world in countries such as China, Australia, Japan and the US.

The Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore is home to the challenging Serapong course which ranks at number 79 in Golf Digest’s top 100 greatest golf courses in the world. Serapong also featured on the top 100 in 2016 when it ranked at number 58, and is the only course in the whole of Singapore to be part of the prestigious list.

The creation of renowned American golf course designer Ronald Fream, Serapong was established in 1982 on Sentosa Island. Located just 20 minutes from Singapore’s central business district, the course boasts amazing views of the city skyline as well as views over Singapore harbour.

The par-72 course has 18 holes and measures 6,675 meters in total. The Serapong is a strategic course that sees the bunkers frame the landing area for the majority of the course. A recent renovation saw the course become more challenging and fast paced, with a redesign for both the course and the bunker complexes.

 

Gene Bates was the architect that oversaw the rebunkering at Serapong, which was highly praised for its focus on the Singapore skyline as the course’s legendary backdrop. The third hole on the course is one of the most striking - measuring 439 meters, the hole loops around giving players an amazing view of the Singapore harbour.

Serapong is host to the Singapore Open and is one of the top five Asian championship courses. The course has received many accolades and awards, including ‘Best Golf Course’ and ‘Best Tournament of the Year’ for the SMBC Singapore Open in 2017. Golf Digest named it the ‘Best Golf Course in Singapore’ in 2009.

As well as being one of the best courses in the world, the Serapong course at Sentosa Golf Club is committed to being eco-friendly and environmentally responsible. The club’s most recent efforts towards becoming a green golf course has seen a ban on plastic water bottles on its golf carts. Plastic bottles will be replaced with water stations installed throughout the course, which is predicted to save up to 150,000 bottles each year.

Hong Kong is Named as the Least Affordable City in the World

Hong Kong has been named the least affordable city in the world for the eighth year running by the US planning consultancy, Demographia Surveying nine leading housing markets around the world, Demographia looked at cities in Singapore, Japan, China, the US and the UK, finding that Hong Kong’s median property prices is 19.4 times higher than the median income.

Property in London is 8.5 times higher than the average income, with property in prime central London costing $2,510 per square foot. The average Hong Kong home costs $3,182 per square foot, which is more than 25% higher than London, and is almost double that of Singapore, where property costs $1,757 per square foot.

Over the past decade, property prices in Hong Kong have increased by 160%, which sees a modest three-bedroom flat cost HK$150 million (US$19 million), and property in super prime locations costing HK$195 million. Colliers International is predicting an increase between 8% and 10% for mass residential property in Hong Kong, and Midland Realty is expecting to see prices for smaller units in the city grow by 15%.

Prices in Hong Kong have been growing considerably and the city’s government is putting in measures to tame the growth. Since 2009, the government has enforced mortgage tightening on eight occasions. However, this did not manage to stabilise or lower property prices in the city. The city of Toronto also tried this method and did see a cooling of its property market.

Hong Kong’s booming property market is not yet described as a bubble, even though the prices are high when compared to historical data, because the market is said to be supported by genuine end-user demand.

As prices in central locations in Hong Kong continue to rise, many residents cannot afford to buy. With stagnant incomes, a Hong Kong resident working as a skilled worker within the service sector would need to save their entire salary for 20 years in order to buy a 650 square foot flat in the centre of the city.

Newcomers to the city, such as Stefan Masuhr,can look to purchase property within the booming centre of Hong Kong – or can look to the city’s newly emerging neighbourhoods instead. With more affordable property prices, areas such as Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun are fast becoming a popular choice with buyers. The growing popularity of these areas is helped by the recent extension of the train line and a large number of upmarket residential developments have sprung up to meet the demand for property.