This is a pretty popular place to start with. One could get a boat ride, hit the pubs and restaurants in the shops flanking the river, or simply have a peaceful stroll, which is what I did.
I arrived at Singapore River after exiting from Clarke Quay MRT when it was early evening and the sun was mellowing. Instinctively I was drawn to sit on the steps leading down into the water. The view was fantastic. The wind was blowing gently and this made the river water bob up and down. It's always calming being near a river, stream, lake, anything watery.
I arrived at Singapore River after exiting from Clarke Quay MRT when it was early evening and the sun was mellowing. Instinctively I was drawn to sit on the steps leading down into the water. The view was fantastic. The wind was blowing gently and this made the river water bob up and down. It's always calming being near a river, stream, lake, anything watery.
You won't feel like getting up from those steps because it is just so calming to sit by the river. You'll see many people taking boat rides, and you can do this too, if you want. Now, I must stop here to add that Singapore River actually holds historic significance. Unlike some beaches in Singapore, the Singapore River is not man-made. During the course of the British colonial rule, the Japanese Occupation and subsequent urbanisation, the river got badly polluted. It was only in 1977 that Singapore's then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew pioneered the clean-up of the rivers in Singapore, which included the Singapore River. This is how we have the sparkling river today. The part I visited is one part of the river, but its length goes on up till Marina Bay, where the iconic Merlion stands.
Now, flanking both sides of the river are rows of shophouses which have stood for decades, perhaps even from the time before Singapore's independence. You may even be able to see the year in which the shophouses were constructed, because some of the buildings still bear a carving of their year of construction on their walls. Seen in many other parts of Singapore as well (such as Little India, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Geylang), shophouses are unique to the history and culture of Singapore. In the past, shophouses were used as brothels, opium parlours, gambling dens, and many were simply their namesake - shops on the ground floor, dwelling on the upper floor. The Government has decided to conserve these shophouses as historic landmarks, so that's why they haven't been demolished to build skyscrapers. Currently, these shophouses house restaurant and pubs. Here is a photo of one of them:
Now, flanking both sides of the river are rows of shophouses which have stood for decades, perhaps even from the time before Singapore's independence. You may even be able to see the year in which the shophouses were constructed, because some of the buildings still bear a carving of their year of construction on their walls. Seen in many other parts of Singapore as well (such as Little India, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Geylang), shophouses are unique to the history and culture of Singapore. In the past, shophouses were used as brothels, opium parlours, gambling dens, and many were simply their namesake - shops on the ground floor, dwelling on the upper floor. The Government has decided to conserve these shophouses as historic landmarks, so that's why they haven't been demolished to build skyscrapers. Currently, these shophouses house restaurant and pubs. Here is a photo of one of them:
You may be able to spot some bronze/brass statues of peasants, immigrants and children along the river. These are all reminiscent of Singapore's past. It would be very interesting to read those plaques! I didn't particularly spot any on my trip to one part of the river, so here are some pictures. As always, due credits to the photographers.
If you want to see a view of the rows of shophouses:
See the people sitting by those steps on the right side of the image? I was sitting like that too. And I guess that was the best part of my trip to the Singapore River. Before I end off, I want to add that you should get a boat ride if you can; it's a very tiny bootprints-like thing to do but I didn't do it that day. This is another photo of the boats and the shophouses to end off the post:
June 2017