Bumming down the river

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Predictably we were very tired this morning, being woken up by a loud humming noise and vibrations in the building. Apparently a big truck with a septic tank is drilling for leftovers in the sewage pipes just outside. Good morning to you too. Back to sleep. Around noon we are finally outside, walking the beat in Chinatown. The early blue sky has turned gray and we're just waiting for the inevitable shower. Singapore sitting so close to the equator gives it a pretty much same-same weather every day, hot and cloudy with frequent quick showers being what I remember from last time I visited. Walking around a bit at random we decide to have lunch at a Cantonese style restaurant which surprises us with some really good steamed chicken feet. The meat just peels off the bones so gently, not those wicked chewy and tasteless jerky bits you normally get out of Hong Kong. As the rain catches up with us we have some nice char siew meat filled buns, I try some deep fried prawn dumplings and Kay goes for salty fish with steamed rice. Great!

The heart of Chinatown boils down to a few parallell side streets and a market complex which is easily covered on foot. Apart from restaurants and trinket sellers there is also a Hindu temple and a small mosque in the area but if you are really interested in these types of buildings you'd be adviced to seek out those found in more influential countries with a more, shall we say, lived in, atmosphere. They do add to the cultural melting pot of Singapore though, and add some flavour and interesting smells to the city. But like any historical or odd building they disappear in the jungle of towering skyscrapers and residentials. We continue to the Chinatown MRT station to equip ourselves with EZ-link travel cards that will cover the trains as well as all the buses. The man at the ticketing counter is a typical representative of the Singaporean official; polite, helpful and a bit over the top. The only exception I found to this rule was the entire staff at the immigration and gate security at Changi Airport (well, the Budget Terminal, I cannot remember the regular Changi staff being so hopeless), who were downright unfriendly and obviously frustrated with herding tourists and visitors around. As for the MRT, if you didn't know, it is an absolut breeze to use, not even second bested by the generally reliable Hong Kong MTR.

Not really knowing the distances in the city we rode the MRT for one stop to Clarke Quay to have a look at the Singapore River. This area is dominated by two entertainment complexes choking with ritzy restaurants, clubs and bars strategically located by the water. In the early afternoon though, Clarke Quay is near abandoned, save for a handful of exclusively western tourists hanging around. By chance we see one of the many river taxis dock here and we decide to try it out. A closer inspection reveals a river trip service with these typical motorboats -bumboats- offering a half an hour loop of the river and immediate Singapore bay. Each boat takes a maximum of 12 passengers, which coincides with the international standard that any more passengers require a doctor onboard. The rain kept drizzling and the city looked rather drab and grey in its coating, and trash floating in the river effectively spoiled its reputation as outrageously clean. As we road down the river stopping at various piers to pick up another passenger or two the secretive skipper kept playing pre-recorded announcements each time we passed something of interest. That, in fact, mainly included the various architecural styles of the nearby buildings and bridges. At one point the speaker's voice pitched -and now ladies and gentlemen, get your cameras ready! Yep, that's right, we were about to endure the incomprehensibly kitsch Merlion, it must be the biggest tarnish on the entire Singapore skyline... I mean, seriously, A crossbred lion-mermaid throwing up water, how more tacky can you get? I don't know the back story on how this critter became the showpiece and ambassador of Singapore, and I have no plans to find out. I only praise the Lord we didn't go to Sentosa Island and run into that 37 meter taller brother of his.

Back at the dock of Clarke Quay we continued our excursion on foot going north on Hill Street into the colonial area. There are a number of sights helpfully marked on the MRT locality maps, churches, official buildings, colonial structures, etc., but most come off as rather bland and could easily be passed on. It now began to dawn on me that Singapore may not be that gigantic chaotic city I had first envisaged it to be, as I was going through the city maps before we left. In one afternoon we had conveniently covered most of Chinatown, the Singapore river and the heart of the colonial district. The traffic is surprisingly light and disciplined, and virtually all but the smallest crossings are regulated by traffic lights, making the city a breeze to navigate. There's no need for the Magic Hand of Jakarta if you wish to cross the road.

In the late afternoon we did some shopping in a basement convenience store which surprised us by being very large on the inside. We then rode back to the hotel to deposit the foodstuffs and then headed back out to meet up with Kay's old friend Jason who lives in town. Amusingly he was not sure where Coleman Bridge was to be found, one of the only landmarks we'd learnt so far. As the sun comes down Clarke Quay comes to life, oozing with colours and the sights and sounds of the night. Eager to try out my new tripod for some night shots I convince Jason and Kay that we should walk over to Boat Quay, the larger complex further east. Both Clarke Quay and Boat Quay are examples of fairly recent redevelopment into successful entertainment districts. The number of restaurants at Boat Quay is quite staggering, and you will be apprached by countless touts as you try to make your way into the zone (And when you depart after paying your bill the touts at the next restaurant will try to persuade you to have some more...). At my suggestion we ended up at a Indonesian restaurant where we tried the set piece full menu. Chicken, big prawns, squid, chicken soup and vegetables. Singapore being just a stone throw away from the Republic suggested to me that the food ought to be just as great, sadly I was left rather unimpressed. I have yet to find a really good place to have Indonesian food abroad.

After dinner we walk around the area past the skyscrapers of the Central Business District and all the people relaxing at the waterfront. Walking past the great facade of the Fullerton Hotel we happen upon that ghastly Merlion once again. And yes, it still keeps barfing like there is no tomorrow. On the other side of the river mouth lies the famous profile of the Esplanade and The Theatres on the Bay, pretty much looking like two parts of a cut in half durian. Very groovy. Jason has come up with the perfect place to continue the evening and escorts us to a taxi and we drive towards Orchard Road and the main shopping and hotel complexes further north. We enter a building in some side street which is crowded with ladyboys and Indian touts shouting for us to visit one place shadier than the other. Kay and Jason are delighted to have a look at one of those ladyboy gogo bars, but being the killjoy that I am, I feel that I have had enough of eye opening experiences for one day, and suggest we split up. Instead I make my way back to the crowded streets down Orchard looking for that large Borders bookshop we drove past a little while ago. To find it I make use of a large underpass section with underground shops and corridors, leaving me completely disorientated. Then, without really knowing how I just exit the underworld and happen right upon their doorstep. Here I find some cds and the intriguing work titled "The Practitioner's Definitive Guide to Seafreight Forwarding", courtesy of the Singapore Logistics Association. Now, who said I was boring?

(Incidentially, I happen to think that one of Singapore's most interesting sight is Pulau Brani, the little island situated between Singapore Island and Sentosa Island, home to one of the most gigantic container terminals on Earth. Bliss!)

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Photos

Grab a cab at South Bridge Road
Travellers to Hong Kong will recognize the Toyota Crowns and Nissan Cedrics, very spacey and comfortable rides indeed.

The Jame Mosque at South Bridge Road
Dwarfed by the Hong Lim Complex.

Taking the bus?
As you can imagine, the time tables and schedules are very straightforward.

Cavenagh Bridge and the Fullerton Hotel
Check back in the evening...

The Theatres on the Bay
One of a kind for sure.

There, I took your token touristy photo...
Can we move on now, please?