An enriching tour

Yesterday, I took a risk to go for one of the Original Singapore Walks' tours: By the Belly of the Carp - A Singapore River Walk. The sky was looking dark just before 6 p.m. last evening, and it actually drizzled for a very short while after 6 p.m.

Thank goodness that the weather decided to show mercy. Except for that slight drizzle, it did not rain last evening.

It is an enriching tour, lending one insights to the history behind the Singapore River. The guide also showed us photos of how Boat Quay had looked like in the 1980s. The current-day Boat Quay may not be performing the same function as it had in the distant past, but it certainly looks more inviting than it had used to be.

Pardon me, I did not know that there is an underground mosque (Moulana Mohamed Ali Mosque) at the basement UOB Plaza1 until yesterday. There is actually a story behind why it was built there. If you want to know, I suggest that you go for this particular Original Singapore Walks and find out for yourself.

If this would interest you, some of the places covered in this tour are: The Asian Civilisation Museum (Empress Place), Raffles Landing Site, Cavenagh Bridge, Boat Quay, the mosque and The Esplanade - Theatres by the Bay.

The tour also lended me insights on how life was for the coolies and other immigrants in the past. Life seemed very difficult in those times, and many were addicted to vices such as opium-smoking. The irony was while opium-smoking might alleviate the smokers of some of their pains and aches, it actually shortened their life-span significantly. I wonder what people of our times would do to alleviate our pains and aches? Hopefully, whatever are used will not be detrimental to our well-being.

I will look at the shophouses along Boat Quay with a different eye after attending the tour. I have walked along Boat Quay for many times over the past years of my life but I was never quite aware of some of the elaborate architectural design of some of the shophouses. Neither have I been quite aware that there was actually a sculpture of The Goddess of Mercy found along Boat Quay.

There is also a bumboat ride to complete the tour. The bumboat passed under the Elgin Bridge and below the Read Bridge. I had the pleasure to Clarke Quay at night from bumboat. The bumboat also took me and the rest of the tour group somewhere close to the Merlion Park so that we could catch a frontal view of the Merlion.

There is so much more to share about this tour. Yet, to enjoy this tour, one just have to be on it, than to read about it.

If you wish to experience this tour, please check out this site for the schedules and the details: The Original Singapore Walks.

I don't get a single fee for promoting it, but hopefully, more people would be aware of the existence of such good tours. Good things are meant to be shared, aren't they?

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Updates on 29 Dec 2007: Please take note that this tour is now a personalised tour.