Introduction → Meet the Teams → Race Tracker → Leg 1 → Leg 2 → Leg 3 → Leg 4 → Leg 5 → Leg 6 → Leg 7 → Leg 8 → Leg 9 → Leg 10 → Leg 11 → Leg 12 → Leg 13 → Leg 14 → Leg 15
Leg 24.02 – “A smelly, but tasty mistake.”
The second Leg of the Race begins in the late morning at the Philippine International Convention Center’s main entrance. Teams open the first clue directing them to find direct flight tickets to their next destination: Singapore!
Teams will book their own flights, but will actually end up on one of three flights to Singapore: Philippine Airlines arriving at 11:15pm, Cebu Pacific arriving at 12:05am and Cebu Pacific arriving at 9:25am!
Upon arrival in Singapore, teams must make their way to Singapore National Stadium. But the teams arriving in the middle of the night will encounter an Hours of Operation! The stadium opens at 8am.
And upon opening, teams will be let in to grab the next clue which reveals a Road Block: Who’s got a high sense of smell?
Singapore National Stadium is the largest free-span dome in the world. To maintain the stadium and ensure it can stand tall for decades to come, an experienced team of rope access specialists access the beams and trusses up to 80 meters in the air.
For this Road Block, teams will experience the thrill by making their way onto the catwalk and rappelling down from the trusses onto the field. Along the way, they will encounter pouches. Some of them contain a Race token while others contain a surprise. When teams reach the field, teams who have chosen a pouch with a Race token will immediately get the next clue. The surprise in the other pouches are slices of durians which they must eat before they get the next clue.
This is also the first Trigger Point for the Race. If six or more teams choose a durian pouch, the U-Turn or Yield will be activated on the next Leg.
After the Road Block, teams must make their way to Pulau Ubin by catching a bumboat from the Changi Point Ferry Terminal.
Their next clue awaits on the Pulau Ubin Jetty. And it reveals a Detour: Patch Up or Serve Up.
The kampung spirit represents the sense of community that has been part of Singapore’s cultural and historical heritage, especially before the city-state’s rapid modernization. And it lives on here on the island of Pulau Ubin. For this Detour, teams will get to experience the kampung life.
For residents of the island, fishing provides both food and a source of income. In Patch Up, teams must help fix a local fisherman’s boat before taking some of his catch for the day and delivering the fish to three addresses on the island.
In Serve Up, teams will draw enough water in a well to fill two buckets. They must then boil the water and fill several bottles which they must deliver to three different homes on the island.
This is a Limited Stations Detour with only seven slots on either side. For both sides of the Detour, teams will make their way around the island using only bicycles.
After the Detour, teams must find Wei Tuo Fa Gong Temple.
They will receive the next clue after making an offering.
That clue directs teams back into the city where they must find the Fullerton Waterboat House.
Teams must then decipher a clue to find the next Route Marker: “The place where Pacita Abad left her colorful mark.” Teams must figure out that among the over 4500 artworks of renowned Filipino-American artist Pacita Abad, one of them is the 55-meter long Alkaff Bridge here in Singapore.
Teams must figure out how to make their way to this bridge on ferry and on foot only! Teams will end up taking the Singapore River Cruise, hopping on at the Merlion Park Jetty and getting off at the Read Bridge Jetty before walking to Alkaff Bridge.
And that is where they will find another Road Block: Who can make it all come together? For this Road Block, teams will create their own Pacita Abad-inspired work of art by piecing together dozens of tubes with a similar pattern to that on the bridge. When correctly assembled, teams will receive the next clue.
After the Road Block, teams must make their way to the Joo Chiat Complex.
The Katong-Joo Chiat neighborhood is the center of Peranakan culture in Singapore. Joo Chiat Complex, once known as Changi Market, was an important trading point for Malays, Indians and Chinese in the 1960s. And here, teams will face another Detour! Kueh or Caijian.
For this Detour, teams will get a hands-on experience with Singapore’s traditional trades integral to local culture and economy.
In Kueh, teams will find this family-run bakery where they will learn about the history and significance of kueh, traditional snacks and deserts often made of rice, coconut and other local ingredients. Teams will learn how to make specific types of kueh and then follow an example to properly plate the treats in order to receive the next clue.
In Caijian, teams will find this family-run tailoring shop where they will meet a customer who is requesting a specific type of tailor work. Teams will then learn how to properly complete the task using traditional methods. When the customer is satisfied, they will receive the next clue.
After the Detour, teams will make their way to the Fountain of Wealth in Suntec City for their next clue.
But this is also where the Non-Eliminated team will face the Speed Bump. That team will pick up a Jollibee costume and then find the closest Jollibee location. That will be the Jollibee here at Suntec City. Teams must deliver the costume to continue on to the next Route Marker
And that Route Marker is Raffles Singapore which all teams must make their way on foot to.
Raffles Hotel is a symbol of Singapore’s colonial heritage and its transformation into a global city. Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, the hotel has hosted royalty, celebrities and dignitaries from around the world. And created here at the hotel by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon is the Singapore Sling, a gin-based cocktail that has become one of the most famous in the world. Each team member must learn how to properly mix the drink, from memory. When correct, they will serve one to a waiting customer and they can then drink the other one before receiving the next clue.
And that clue tells teams it’s finally time to head to the Pit Stop: Rasau Walk at the Jurong Lake Gardens.
The first team to check-in here will win P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+.
The last team to check-in… WILL NOT be eliminated! This is a Non-Elimination Leg and that team must now choose a Non-Elimination Penalty envelope:
”Director’s” Commentary
Well, this is an absurdly long Leg. So completely unrealistic I think. But TARPHDME is not real in the first place. So that’s okay Hehehehe.
But actually after going through the Race Tracker for this Leg, it took less time (around 9 hours from first task in Singapore to Pit Stop) than some other past TARPHDME Legs which can take 12 hours or more! lolololololol
There is certainly enough tasks and Route Markers here for two Legs. Heck, I could’ve saved half of this Leg for a future season. This is also what I think should be considered a true “MegaLeg”. Not whatever TARUS likes to consider one. Lol
Anyway, my thinking going into this Leg was a few points. First, I knew I wanted to have teams booking their own flights this season, even if only on a few Legs. So I thought about what destination would have the most potential flights out of the Philippines. Now, for the last few years, TARPHDME has been run in a universe where the new airport in Bulacan is already operational which means an unlimited number of flight possibilities lolol
But to be more realistic, even if just for this Leg, Singapore and Hong Kong were the two options for destinations with plenty of flights. And wanting to hold Hong Kong for possibly next year, I decided on Singapore now.
For this Singapore visit, I know I definitely wanted to have tasks on Pulau Ubin. I also had the Pacita Abad task on reserve for a while. And to compliment those tasks, I wanted to have teams experience more of the non-modern Singapore experience. Less of the skyscrapers/Marina Bay Sands-type of stuff and maybe more down to earth ideas. Which is what the second Detour is about.
So I was looking for a mix of what makes Singapore more than just the iconic skyscrapers and tourist destinations. And I think I found that mix.
First off, even with teams booking their own flights, we don’t want to get too crazy with time and throw logistics out the window. Lol So We have to schedule the Pit Start at a time where teams will have no choice but to end up with the evening, early morning flights.
To keep teams closer together, the Hours of Operation at the stadium is absolutely necessary. Even though it would be really nice to have the stadium all lit up at night for the task.
I knew I wanted to have some kind of adrenaline, high-flying task at the start of the Race. And since we didn’t do one in the first Leg, this was a good opportunity for it here. I had watched this CNA feature on industrial climbers and their dangerous work cleaning and maintaining the stadium. Of course it would be amazing to have teams performing a high-wire act like that. But I went with the safer and tamer task of rappelling. But also adding the fun durian element lol
Next would be the visit to Pulau Ubin. It fits in this spot after the National Stadium.
For the tasks, Google scouting is of course limited. But I definitely wanted a Detour of tasks representing everyday life on the island, especially in comparison to the more hustle and bustle of “mainland” Singapore.
Next, I wanted to incorporate the bumboats or ferries in Singapore. And I think the next series of Route Markers should provide a nice challenge for the teams to figure out. This is where teams could fall behind a lot and of course we like to see placement changes! Lol
The Road Block paying tribute to Pacita Abad was a task I had on reserve for a while ever since I learned about her and her work. It’s a straightforward puzzle task that should be made challenging by the interesting design.
Next is the section of the Leg where I wanted teams to do tasks in the quieter neighborhood areas of Singapore. And the Detour is a good pair of tasks to immerse teams into everyday life outside of the busy urban center. Two good cultural tasks. And for logistics, tasks that can be done later in the evening.
Since by now it would be dark out, visiting the Fountain of Wealth at night would be a nice location. Maybe even perfect for the Pit Stop. But we’re not done yet! Lolol This Jollibee task was originally an extra task for all teams. But then after doing the first Leg’s Race Tracker, we needed a Speed Bump! Lol So I just made this a Speed Bump instead.
Suntec City is near Raffles Hotel, so having teams walk there is good. And I wanted to incorporate the Singapore Sling into this visit. So perfect spot here at the end of the Leg after a long day and in the evening.
For this Pit Stop, it is a bit far away. But I think it is a great location at night and away from the more touristy options.
Overall, a very looooooong Leg. Even HaMerotz LaMillion would think it was too much. Lol But TARPHDME likes to challenge their teams! (And the crew lolol) And nonetheless, I think this can be a good, competitive Leg that could even be split into two separate ones.