WEATHER: Same ole,same ole....Hot and humid
In the morning, we played with Sita the cat, so happy that she is back home. She is skittish; something traumatic must have happened to her on her adventure away.
Today's destination was the Singapore River, which runs through the city. We took the bus and light rail to Clark Quay. There is a row of restaurants along the river in restored warehouses. Our homeowners had recommended Brewerkz brewpub where we had Singapore's best beer. We had lunch and enjoyed an IPA.
Then we hopped on a replica of a bumboat, the boat that traders used in yesteryear, for a cruise on the river.
We had a very friendly "captain" on the boat who liked taking pictures of everyone and gave a running commentary of sites we were seeing.
We sailed by the high-rise hotel with the swimming pool on top connecting the 3 towers, where we visited a few evenings ago. I just can't believe the architecture, and to think it is all built on reclaimed land. The white building on the left is the Singapore Art Museum, all very modern.
These buildings are theatres. Locals call them "The Durians" as they look like the famous/infamous stinky durian fruit.
And on the light rail...
Singapore is known for its cleanliness. Garbage is picked up daily, even today Sunday. The homeowners said that it is because Singaporeans eat a lot of seafood and it gets smelly sitting out in hot garbage cans. Also, we have seen trucks with bug sprayers spraying periodically. It is amazing that there aren't mosquitos here. People keep their windows and doors open most of the time to catch a breeze, all without screens.
The government is very strong here. It has done a tremendous amount of work to modernize the city. It has built public housing all over the city, high-rise apartments in which about 80% of all 6 million Singaporeans live. They look like this...
After a period of trying to keep the population under control (like China's one baby rule), they realized that they now need more population, as young couples are not having babies. There is a baby "campaign" now with signs like this in the light rail stations...
They are also trying to green up the city. There are lots of avenues full of beautiful trees. This condo has a beautiful decor...
Back home, we showered (again) and relaxed. Then we walked to a neighborhood restaurant, run by some Italians from Tuscany for a delicious pizza.
Singapore River - if you get to see some pictures of yesteryear, it's totally different! Same river, same buildings (mostly), same bumboats but different scene. It's like you're using the same set for two different movies.
ReplyDeleteUp to the 70s, the river still smelled bad - filled with trash but it's bustling with activities. The dock workers (coolies) unload bags of rice on their backs from the bumboats to the warehouse.
In the 80s the clean up effort began. The dock operations moved and eventually closed down. They cleared the trash, rebuilt the retaining walls, dredged the river bed, and so on...and I think it took almost a decade...(I think it took that long)...it got so clean and if I recall correctly, the then Prime Minister took a swim in the river!
In the 6th picture, there's a statue of the "Merlion" the statue / fountain with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It's the Singapore icon. You've probably seen tons of souvenirs bearing that symbol. The bumboat captain would have explained the symbolism, and significance of it. The knowledge is probably included in the curriculum to become licensed by the Singapore Tourism Board. :)
That "durian" like building...they were building it when I left...it garnered a lot of flak on how hideous that thing looked! There was so much bad press about it... durian is a great comeback / cover up but it really looked like the eyes of a housefly! It's what I would consider an architectural faux pas! I was horrified!
The durian smell lingers for days! It's a strategic move to ban durians from all public transportation (including cabs) and buildings. You will notice too that the hotels, office buildings, ban them too. Singapore strives to be a world - class destination and if the smell is offensive / disliked by visitors, it defeats the efforts and financial investments. However, it is much loved by locals and it needs this to preserve some Singaporean identity. I think the government found a good compromise and we Singaporeans are perfectly fine with that.
Speaking of fine... have you been told that Singapore is a "Fine" city? Yes, fines are very good means of deterrence in Singapore. You can be fined for not flushing the bathroom after you use it, spitting, and many others. Of course, how and whether these rules are enforced is something else.
Have you ever wondered how they clear the trash from these high-rise apartment buildings? There's a trap door in every apartment, usually on a wall, well hidden under a sink / cabinet in the kitchen. You open the trap door, throw the trash through it and it drops down a chute into a huge trash "container" on the first floor. They open a door at the foot of the building (usually at the back), wheel out the container and then empty it into a truck. Yes cat burglars have tried taking that route on breaking and entering into the apartments.
These apartment buildings are concrete and earthquake proof. I'm not sure how strong an earth quake it can withstand but I imagine at least 5 or 6 on a Richter scale? The only seismic activity Singapore experiences are the ripple shocks from Indonesia... and the jolts are so minute that to a Californian, it's a push from a little baby... but to Singapore, they clear the entire building - despite all the precautionary measures that are already built into the design! I know it sounds hilarious and even silly but it's the government's philosophy on safety, albeit over the top. Better safe than sorry - hence Singaporean's "kiasu" (afraid to lose) mentality. :)
The posters...I am not only tickled pink, I think my blood sugar just spiked! Well, this is new and I wonder how the folks there react to this. This I'll have to find out... heehee.... Thanks for sharing! :)