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Marina City Park – A Glimpse of Singapore’s Past

by Eddy

I was going through the old photos I have taken and found a set of pictures taken in 2001 of the Marina City Park. It was built as a Garden within the City spread over 26.2 hectares of land. This was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Gardens By the Bay. Next to it was Marina South which was host to several F&B outlets, several cheap Steamboat BBQ Buffet stores and the Super Bowl bowling alley. All of which were demolished in 2008 to make way for new development.

There were steamboat bbq buffets stalls offering All-You-Can-Eat buffets for S$10. Many of the stalls may have either closed or relocated but the few I’ve visited are no longer as popular as they were when they were in Marina South. (Taken in November 2008)

Former F&B and Steamboat BBQ Buffet outlets at Marina South
(Taken in November 2008)

The former SuperBowl (Taken in November 2008)

The Mouth of the Singapore River (Taken in 2001) which have since been dammed up to form the current Marina Reservoir. On the left is now the site of the Marina Bay Golf Course and on the right is now where Marina Barrage sits. Before the construction of the barrage, small vessels used to enter the Singapore River to Clifford Pier carrying supplies and passengers to the outlying islands. There were several tour operators which used to offer river cruises from Clifford Pier.

Bumboats and wooden boats were a common sight along the Singapore River

The Cheng Ho River Cruise used to operate from Clifford Pier but since the barrage was built, it now operates out of Marina South Pier

Container Ships used to berth near the Singapore River while overloading goods to the smaller vessels to enter Singapore

Bowling shoes sunning outside of Super Bowl

A view of the hotels at Raffles Boulevard before the Singapore Flyer was built

The Fountain at the pond in Marina City Park which shoots water up 18m

The Sundial at Marina City Park

Contemporary sculptures in the pond at Marina City Park

Turtles basking in the sun

The pond at Marina City Park

There are sculptures of legendary heroes in the Marina City Park

Confucious

Qu Yuan

Yue Fei

Zheng He

Liu Xezu

Wen Tianxiang

The construction of the Marina Bay Theatres On the Bay taken from the green piece of land where Marina Bay Sands is now built on

Standing on the site where Marina Bay Sands is on now

Crop Circles

Clifford Pier when it was still operational

Boats berth next to Clifford Pier

Bumboat approaching Clifford Pier

Turbulence in the water

Bumboat crossing under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge

Much of what has been featured in this blog can no longer be seen. The landscape of the Singapore River has changed quite a lot over the past few years and I miss the old Singapore River. I guess all I can hold on to is memories of the past.

All the photos were taken in 2001 except when indicated.

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Tracking along the Singapore River

by Eddy

My journey starts from the river behind River Valley Shopping Centre where Fraser Suites is located to the Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles along the Singapore River.

Association for People with Special Needs (APSN) Delta Senior School
This school caters to students with special needs who have graduated from secondary school education by providing them with vocational training to prepare them for job employment

Across the River is the Zion Riverside Food Centre

Taken from Robertson Quay of Miramar Hotel

Pulau Saigon Bridge along Saiboo Street

There used to be a small little island called Palau Saigon right in the middle of the river. In 1890, there was an older bridge built over the island but was demolished in 1986 to construct the new bridge. The island has been since merged with the south bank. For more about Pulau Saigon, check out http://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/lost-islands-of-the-singapore-river-part-2/

Approaching The Quayside

The colorful bridge links The Quayside with the River Place

Robertson Walk

Approaching the Clemenceau Bridge

Under the Clemenceau Bridge

Approaching Clarke Quay where Liang Court is located

Ord Bridge built in 1886

Riverside Point is across the river from Clarke Quay. There are bumboats which serviced as river taxis.

Eateries along the river at Clarke Quay

The Reverse Bungy operated by G-Max at Clarke Quay

The Reverse Bungy goes up 60m in the air at a speed of 200km per hour

Central Shopping Mall

The Coleman Bridge which separates Clarke Quay from Boat Quay

Boat Quay and the Central Business District in the background

The towering buildings of the Singapore Central Business District

Statute of Sir Stamford Raffles over looking the Singapore River

The three quays of the Singapore River, Robertson Quay, Clarke Quay and Boat Quay were once dotted with godowns and warehouses where bumboats used to bring in goods from the nearby countries. It was the heart of trade in old Singapore. That was the Singapore which Sir Stamford Raffles envisioned when he founded Singapore as a free trading port. His landing was probably close to where his statue is.

In the 1980s, there was a massive clean up project of the Singapore River and with that the end of the warehouses and trading along the river. This removed a lot of the trash and junks in the river. The old godowns were subsequently converted into F&B outlets and the landscape along the Singapore River changed forever.

I remember in the past, enjoying Char Kway Teow at the food stalls along the Singapore River. It tastes great but when the wind blows, you can smell the stench from the Singapore River. It was a very unsightly place and one which probably would not go well with the tourist.

Now there are still bumboats along the Singapore River but instead of ferrying goods, they operate as river taxis to give tourists the river experience.

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River Hongbao Singapore 2012 Part 1

by Eddy

The River Hongbao Singapore 2012 is held on the floating platform at Marina Bay at the mount of the Singapore River. It features over handcrafted lanterns in the shape of the animals of the chinese zodiac, a fun fair and food. It is a Lunar New Year Extravaganza for the general public.

This year, the River Hongbao Singapore 2012 is held between January 21st and 29th 2012 between 12pm to 11:30pm. In the evening, there were performances and the lanterns would light up in its true glory. However, I was only there for the afternoon between 1:30 to 4pm as I did not have the time to stay up for the evening.