Public Pools in Singapore

Swimming is just not my forte. Today, I was nothing like a swift swimmin' tuna. Instead, I swam like a waddling drowning duck. Waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, drink some water, exhale, spit, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, *where is the ?!?!? wall?*, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!

I waddle on land; I waddle in the water. Why should I be surprised?

Anyway, since it is a lazy Sunday afternoon and I jia ba bo dai ji zuo (eat already nothing better to do), here is my take on the public pools I've visited in the last three weeks.

Cost:
Per Entry (Adults): Weekdays $1; Weekends $1.30
Locker: Small $0.20; Large $0.20 x 2

Yio Chu Kang Swimming Pool
Smole thinks the lights in this pool are very bright and distracting. The toilets are okay, just a little dark and a lot of algae on the walls. The free-form pool is decent for swimming laps if you're not very confident about swimming in the deep pool. The only thing is that there aren't any lines and because the pool is weird-shaped, you may end up not swimming in a straight line. [map]

Buona Vista Swimming Pool
I like this one. It is an "old-styled" pool with the drains at the side of the pool and slippery porcelain-like tiles. I like the sound of water lapping at the sides of the pool. They remind me of swimming in Yan Kit back in the old days, except that Yan Kit had nasty rough walls. Buona Vista also has dry changing rooms -- a big plus! Buona Vista only has one 50m pool. [map]

Ang Mo Kio Swimming Pool
For some reason I can't remember Ang Mo Kio very well. There were a lot of kids the day I went. Erm, that's about all I can remember! [map]

Delta Swimming Pool
Delta is supposedly cruising ground for gay men in Singapore. I wouldn't know. But the signs in the toilets are telling: "G-strings, transparent and translucent swimming attires are not allowed" and "Please do not walk around naked as there may be young children of the opposite sex." Okaay. There were lots of kids taking lessons on Sunday afternoon though, and its fair share of hunky looking guys. Perhaps it was a Sunday, but a lot of the shower stalls had shampoo packets, tissues that people had left behind. Eeck. At least it had dry changing rooms. [map]

Jalan Besar Swimming Pool
There is a friendly lifeguard there who would give you swimming tips if you're lucky. Jalan Besar is the newest swimming pool in Singapore, built only in June 2003. The kids pool has one of those fancy plastic playground things, and everything is new and clean. The non-deep pool is great for laps too as it has painted lines on the floor for you to follow. I think the length is about 30-odd metres. My only gripe? The shower stalls are way too small! [map]

Aranda Country Club
Okay, this is not a public pool, but I got a chance to swim there anyway. It is really small, but hey, the clean and new toilets are worth the numerous times you have to turn around. No wonder people want to live in condos. [map]

Full list of swimming complexes here. Note that you can't swim at Farrer Swimming Pool as it is run by Ang Peng Siong now and it requires a membership.

Stealing Runner's World John Bingham's tagline: Waddle on, friends!
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