kayaking after a long break

it's really long, because we stopped around the time Marina Barrage was about to be opened. That was in October 2008 if we go by the soft opening of the barrage.

my colleague CK who is a dragon boater said the water is cleaner after Kallang Basin was sealed up to trap freshwater. To me, i observed the following:

- less rubbish, but still some rubbish swept onto shore
- the shoreline along Marina Promenade is covered with grass... no more sandy beaches.
- water is no longer salty (duh)
- water still looks the same (yucky colour and little can be seen through the water)
- no more "sea-hum", only the shells remain.

i think the water quality can still be improved. But because the Marina Reservoir is fed by 3 key rivers and many smaller canals that snake into older developments of Singapore, it's a difficult problem.

something interesting too; in the middle of the basin there are some big orange floats. Around it would be pockets of water bubbling from the bottom, as though there were some filtration or aeration going on. Don't know what these are for, but it's somewhat smelly when we went over them. I only see it in the fish tank in my house, not in such large scale..lol.